Education City

Education City is a sprawling development just outside downtown Doha that houses American, European, and Qatari universities as well as the Qatar National Library and multiple research institutes. Constructed to create a hub of research and education in Qatar, universities including Northwestern, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, and HEC Paris all maintain campuses there. The Hamad bin Khalifa University is also located at Education City, a public Qatari university focusing on research-based graduate programs.

The Education City campus (Credit: Michael Ader)

At the center of education in Qatar is the Qatar Foundation, a non-profit organization made up of more than 50 entities working in research, education, and community development. During our visit to Education City, we met with the Qatar Foundation and learned about their educational programs for students of all ages across the country. From a 360º balcony tour at the foundation’s headquarters, we had a beautiful view of the entire 12 square kilometer campus.

Education City has faced criticism in recent years. The American universities housed on the campus have been derided for operating in Qatar due to allegations of the state's support for terrorist organizations and radical Islamist movements. Some observers have also raised concerns about academic freedom in a state with issues regarding freedom of speech. In a Washington Post study, many American professors reported no infringements on free speech and found that teaching on Qatari campuses was very similar to teaching in the U.S. Other faculty found it was necessary to censor bold opinions or statements critical of Qatar.

The interior of the library

Qatar is known for its striking and innovative architecture, and the buildings at Education City are no exception. My personal favorite was the Qatar National Library (QNL). Designed by Dutch architect Rem Khoolhaas, the building’s natural light and modern design was unlike any library I’d ever visited. The library is free for everyone with a Qatari ID and has special collections and study spaces for students. The library also maintains over 800,000 books and also offers free access to the Internet and public computers.

The highlight of our library tour was the Heritage Library, housed within the QNL. Located on a subfloor of the main library, the Heritage Library is a stunning collection of archival materials pertaining to Qatar’s cultural history. Rare Arabic manuscripts, European books about the Arab world dating back to the 15th century, historical globes and maps, traveler’s instruments, and photographs of Qatar’s early history are all on display in the Heritage Library.

Archival materials from the Heritage Library.

(Third image credit: Michael Ader)