Qatar
Philanthropist
Hijri 1403–Present (AH); Common Era 1983–Present (CE)
The daughter of Sheikha Mozah and His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Sheikha at Al-Mayassa has played an active role in humanitarian efforts and the promotion of the arts in Qatar. Sheikha Al-Mayassa graduated from Duke University in 2005 with a B.A. in political science and literature. Sheikha Al-Mayassa serves as the chair of the Qatar Foundation’s “Reach Out to Asia” initiative, as well as chair of Qatar’s National Foundation of Museums. She is an assistant to the Chief of Staff of Qatar’s presidential palace, Emiri Diwan. In 2003, she worked with Qatar’s Red Crescent organization to raise money for clothing and school equipment for the children of Iraq. She is currently the director of the Qatar Museums Authority, which opened the Museum of Islamic Art in 2008. She is married to Sheikh Jassim and has one son.
