Through history, Qatar has always benefited from its geographical location in the Arabian Peninsula and its openness to neighbouring countries and civilisations to build its cultural heritage. Therefore, Qatar has been pursuing a wise policy aimed at preserving and enriching its cultural heritage in such a way as to make it adaptable to the spirit and urges of modernism.

The discovery and export of oil on a commercial scale in Qatar and the Gulf have caused rapid social changes which occurred in the middle of the twentieth century. After the discovery of oil, the revenues changed Qatar in the space of a generation. Its high standard of living and considerable purchasing power put the country in contact with the consumer world. But at the same the Qataris have kept from the past, from their lives as nomads or fishermen, a kind of prudence, patience and wisdom.