The Qatar Natural History Group (QNHG) was founded more than 40 years ago in November 1978 to 'bring together people with an interest in the natural history of Qatar and the Gulf', and the inaugural meeting was held in the grounds of the National Museum.
The QNHG has an international membership. Its annual subscription of QR 75 per adult and QR 150 per family (including any children under the age of 18) is the lowest of any of the natural history groups in the Arabian Gulf states. Its interests cover not only all aspects of natural history but also the culture, history and archaeology of Qatar, and talks are sometimes given on other places of interest to members.
Meetings take place between October and June, usually on the first Wednesday of the month. They are held at 7:00 pm in the gymnasium of the Doha English Speaking School (click to see the DESS map for directions). An illustrated talk follows the announcements, and there is a small lending library of books available to members. See the Lecture Programme on our website and look out for further announcements.
There are field trips or rambles at least twice a month on Friday or Saturday morning during the season (from mid-October to late April) to places of interest around Qatar. The trips are usually led by people who have some knowledge of a particular region or subject, e.g. amateur or professional geologists, botanists, archaeologists and so on. These activities vary from a couple of hours walk to a full day excursion. There are also camping trips and star-gazing expeditions from time to time. Children are welcome on the trips provided they are kept under parental control at all times.
In recent past there have been various overseas trips per year during the long Eid breaks, organised with the help of local travel agents. These have included visits to Vietnam, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Turkey and Yemen, and have proved highly popular.
The Group is run by volunteers, each of whom undertakes various responsibilities and work together in the Committee (See list of current committee members and their roles under about us on this web site). Given the big turnover of membership each year, the success of the QNHG, and its continuance, relies entirely on the willingness of individual members to come forward and volunteer to help. If you have any skills or interests you can offer, or can give a talk, please do not hesitate to contact the committee.