The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

on one end of the

Corniche A corniche is a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side and falling away on the other. The word has been absorbed into English from the French term ' or "road on a ledge", originally derived from the Itali ...

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

. As per the architect I. M. Pei's specifications, the museum is built on an island off an artificial projecting peninsula near the traditional ''

dhow Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spo ...

'' harbor. A purpose-built park surrounds the edifice on the eastern and southern facades while two bridges connect the southern front facade of the property with the main peninsula that holds the park. The western and northern facades are marked by the harbor showcasing the Qatari seafaring past. In September 2017, Qatar Museums appointed Julia Gonnella as new director of MIA.

Facilities

The museum hosts the restaurant IDAM led by the head chef

Alain Ducasse Alain Ducasse (; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide. Early life and career ...

. The restaurant is inspired by French Mediterranean cuisine. IDAM also offers master classes in cooking artisanal bread and raw foods. The museum has a park, workshops for schools and the general public, and a library that provides information about Islamic Arts in both English and Arabic. The library also has nine study rooms.

Architecture

The museum is influenced by ancient

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ...

yet has a uniquely modern design involving geometric patterns. It is the first of its kind to feature over 14 centuries of Islamic art in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. Occupying an area of , the museum is on an artificial peninsula overlooking the south end of

Doha Bay Doha Bay is the bay bordering Qatar's capital city of Doha. Doha was established on the south bank of the bay.Sheikh Hamad. It opened to the general public on December 8, 2008. At 91 years of age, the museum's architect,

I. M. Pei Ieoh Ming Pei
– website of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners ( ; ; April 26, 1917 – May 16, 2019) was ...

had to be coaxed out of retirement to undertake this enterprise. He traveled throughout the Muslim world on a six-month quest to learn about Muslim architecture and history and read Muslim texts to draw inspiration for his design. According to Pei, the light fountain in 9th century Ibn Tulun Mosque of

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

was the inspiration.Solaiman Abdullah Elkhereiji, ''Islamic Architecture Past Present & Future''. SAK, Jeddah, 2016, p.67. Retrieved 8-21-2017. Declining all proposed sites for the museum, he suggested a stand-alone island for the structure to avoid encroachments by other buildings in the future. It was built off an artificial peninsula, approximately off the

Doha Corniche The Doha Corniche ( ar, كورنيش الدوحة) is a waterfront promenade extending for along Doha Bay in Qatar's capital city, Doha. Annual celebrations of national holidays such as Qatar National Day and National Sports Day are centered on ...

and surrounded by a somewhat crescent-shaped park. Pei requested that the museum spaces be designed by his collaborator on the Louvre project, Wilmotte & Associates, who then assembled a design team including Plowden & Smith (conservation consultants), Isometrix Lighting + Design (lighting consultants), and SG Conseil (AV Consultants) under Turner Projacs. Along with this design team, Leslie E. Robertson Associates was the structural engineer for the project. The main building consists of the five floors, the main dome, and the central tower. It is connected with the education ward via a large central court. Pei utilized creamy

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

for the outer facades to emphasize the various shades during the different times of the day. The five floors are covered by a glass facade to the north, and it provides a panoramic view of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

. The interior of the building is decorated by several Islamic arts, and the large metallic chandelier hung over the main staircase of the lobby. Many elements found in Ibn Tulun Mosque are represented in the building as an abstract form. This enables the agreement with values and principles of the postmodern architecture historical trend which synchronize the modernity and the historical Islamic architectural identity.

Renovation 2022

As preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Museum of Islamic Art announced in June 2021 that it would be closed for renovation works until autumn 2022, to upgrade its main entrance, galleries, lecture hall and further indoor spaces. In June 2022 MIA Director Julia Gonnella introduced the museum's revised concept of an 'immersive cultural experience' to attract additional visitors and to enable families and young visitors to explore

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...

. In August 2022 the official reopening date was confirmed for 5 October 2022 with an increased number of more than 1,100 mostly newly acquired exhibits on display. The renovations provided better accessibility and an improved educational environment including digital presentations and subjects interesting to younger visitors. The museum also added a 3-D tour to its website. The museum reopened on 4 October 2022, during the National Cultural Event of "Qatar Creative", which provides an opportunity to bring together Qatar's creative industries with the wider public community. Its 18 newly renovated galleries, covering an area of 480,000 square feet, display Islamic art from the seventh to the 20th centuries, divided according to their historical eras and their cultural and geographical backgrounds, which allows visitors of modern Doha an extended insight into Islamic history. The renovated museum's first exhibition, ''Baghdad: Eye's Delight'' presents the traditions and history of Iraq's capital. The exhibition includes also objects loaned from the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York and the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Collection

The Museum of Islamic Art represents Islamic art from three continents over 1,400 years. Its collection includes metal work, ceramics, jewelry, wood work, textiles, and glass obtained from three continents and dating from the 7th to the 20th century. The museum houses a collection of work gathered since the late 1980s including manuscripts, textiles and ceramics. It is one of the world's most complete collections of Islamic artifacts, with items originating in Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Central Asia.

Manuscripts

An important Quranic manuscript within the collection is MS.474.2003.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions organized by MIA include: * Ferozkoh: Tradition and Continuity in Afghan Art, March 2013 to July 2013. * Steel and Gold – Historic Swords from the MIA collection, May 2013 to December 2013. * Hajj: The Journey through Art, October 2013 to January 2014. * Radiant, January 2014 to March 2014. * Kings & Pawns: Board Board Games from India to Spain, March 2014 to June 2014. * Ceramics of al-Andalus from April 2014 to August 2014. * The Tiger's Dream: Tipu Sultan, September 2014 to February 2015. * Mughal and Safavid Albums, September 2014 to February 2015. * Marvellous Creatures: Animal Fables in Islamic Art, March 2015 to July 2015. * The Hunt: Princely Pursuits in Islamic Lands, September 2015 to January 2016. * Qajar Women: Images of Women in the 19th century Iran, April 2015 to June 2016. * Muhammad Ali: Tribute to a Legend, July 2016 to February 2017. * Imperial Threads: Motifs and artisans from Turkey, Iran and India, March 2017 to January 2018. * Powder and Damask: Islamic Arms and Armour from the Collection of Fadel Al-Mansoori, August 2017 to May 2018. * Syria Matters, November 2018 to April 2019. * Set in Stone: Gems and Jewels from Royal Indian Courts, October 2019 to January 2020. * A Falcon's Eye - Tribute to Sheikh Saoud Al Thani, August 2020 to April 2021. * Baghdad: Eye’s Delight, October 2022 to February 2023. * Safar, October 2022 to January 2023. * Raku Kichizaemon XV·Jikinyū: A Living Tradition of Japanese Pottery, November 2022 to March 2023. * Yayoi Kusama: My Soul Blooms Forever, November 2022 to December 2022.

Gallery

File:Doha skyline from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar.jpg, The use of arches and water features central to Islamic design File:IslamicArtMuseumDohaSkyline.jpg, The museum with the city skyline in the background File:Islamic Museum Doha - panoramio (14).jpg, Panoramic view of trees in the MIA park File:Islamic Museum Doha - panoramio (7).jpg, Stone writing Museum of Islamic Art File:Fisherman on the Doha Corniche next to the Islamic Museum.jpg, Fisherman on the next to the Islamic Museum File:Museum of Islamic Art Park, Doha.jpg, Museum of Islamic Art Park (MIA) File:Doha, Museo con banderas 01.jpg, Museum Entrance File:Vertical Panorama of Foyer and Main Staircase - Museum of Islamic Art - Doha - Qatar (34492841612).jpg, Vertical Panorama of Foyer and Main Staircase

References

External links

*
Virtual tour of the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha
provided by Google Arts & Culture * {{Authority control

Museum of Islamic Art, Doha The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is a museum on one end of the Corniche in Doha, Qatar. As per the architect I. M. Pei's specifications, the museum is built on an island off an artificial projecting peninsula near the traditional '' dhow'' ha ...

Art museums established in 2008 Art museums and galleries in Qatar Decorative arts museums Islamic museums

Textile museums Buildings and structures in Doha Religious museums in Qatar