The Museum of Islamic Arts (MIA) is an art museum located at one end of the seven-kilometer Corniche in Doha, Qatar. Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the museum was built on an island in front of an artificially jutting peninsula near the traditional Dhow port.
A dedicated park surrounds the building’s east and south façades, and two bridges connect the site’s south façade to the main peninsula on which the park is located. The west and north façades feature harbors, demonstrating Qatar’s nautical history. In September 2017, the Qatar Museum appointed Julia Gonnera as the new Director of MIA.
Facilities of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
The museum houses the IDAM restaurant headed by Chef Alain Ducasse. The restaurant is inspired by French Mediterranean cuisine. IDAM also offers artisan bread and raw food baking masterclasses. The museum includes a park, workshops for schools and the general public, and a library with information on Islamic art in English and Arabic.
The library also has nine study rooms. Adjacent to the museum is the waterside plaza “MIA Park” managed by the museum. It features a café, a children’s playground, and a vertical steel sculpture “7” by American sculptor Richard Serra.
Architecture Museum of Islamic Art, Doha
The museum features a unique modern design with geometric patterns while being influenced by ancient Islamic architecture. It is the first exhibition of its kind to display his 14th-century-plus Islamic art in the Arabian countries of the Persian Gulf.
The museum covers an area of he,000 square meters and is located on an artificial peninsula overlooking the southern tip of Doha Bay. Construction of the building was carried out in 2006 by the Turkish company Baytur Construction. The interior of the gallery was designed by the team at Wilmot Associates. The museum was inaugurated on November 22, 2008, by the then-Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad. Opened to the public on December 8, 2008.
About Architecture Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
The 91-year-old museum’s architect, I.M. Pei, had to be persuaded to take on the project. He traveled the Islamic world on his six-month journey, learning about Islamic architecture and history, and reading Islamic literature for inspiration in his designs. According to Pei, the source of inspiration was the well of light in his 9th-century Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.
He rejected all proposed sites for the museum and suggested building a separate island to avoid encroachment by other buildings in the future. Built on an artificial peninsula about 60 meters from Doha’s Corniche, the roughly crescent-shaped he is surrounded by a 290,000 square meter park.
Pei commissioned Wilmot & Associates, a collaborator on the Louvre project, to design the museum space. A design team including SG Consail was formed. Alongside the design team, Leslie E. Robertson Associates served as the civil engineer for this project.
The main building includes five floors
The main building is a five-story building with a main dome and a central tower. It is connected to the teaching station by a large central courtyard. Pei used creamy limestone for the exterior façade to highlight different tones at different times of the day. The five-story north side is clad in a glass façade and offers panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf.
The interior of the building is decorated with several Islamic works of art, and a large metal chandelier hangs from the lobby’s main staircase. Many elements of the Ibn Tulun Mosque are represented in abstract form within the building. This ensures coherence with the values and principles of postmodern architectural history, synchronizing modernist and historical Islamic architectural identities.
2022 renovation Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
In preparation for the 2022 World Cup, the Museum of Islamic Art announced in June 2021 that it would remain closed until autumn 2022 for renovations to modernize its main entrance, galleries, auditorium, and other interior spaces. In June 2022, MIA Director Julia Gonnera announced that the museum will be called an “immersive cultural experience” to attract more visitors and allow families and young visitors to explore Islamic art. announced a revised concept of.
In August 2022, the official reopening date was confirmed to be October 5, 2022, when he increased the number of exhibits, mostly newly acquired, to over 1,100. The refurbishment has improved accessibility and improved the educational environment, including digital presentations and topics of interest to younger visitors. The museum has also added his 3D walking tour to its website
About the national cultural event “Creative Qatar”
The museum will reopen on October 4, 2022, as part of the national cultural event ‘Qatar Creative’, which provides an opportunity to connect Qatar’s creative industries with the wider public. Covering an area of 45,000 square meters, 18 newly renovated galleries display Islamic art from the 7th century to the 20th century according to historical periods, and cultural and geographic contexts, and invite you to visit modern Doha This Offers visitors a broad insight into Islamic history. The first exhibition in Baghdad’s renovated museum:
Eye’s Delight explores the traditions and history of the Iraqi capital. The exhibition also includes loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre in Paris.
collection of Museum Islamic Art in Doha
The Museum of Islamic Art showcases 1,400 years of Islamic art from three continents. The collection includes his metalwork, pottery, jewelry, woodwork, textiles, and glass from three continents, from the 7th century to the 20th century.
The museum houses a collection of manuscripts, textiles, ceramics, and other works collected since the late 1980s. He is one of the world’s most complete collections of Islamic artifacts, including items from Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Central Asia.
Manuscripts Museum Islamic Art in Doha
An important Quranic manuscript in the collection is MS.474.2003.
Exhibition of Museum Islamic Art in Doha
Exhibitions organized by MIA include:
- Ferosco: Traditions and Continuation of Afghan Art, March 2013 to July 2013.
- Steel and Gold: Historical Swords from the MIA Collection, May 2013 to December 2013.
- Hajj: A Journey Through Art, October 2013 to January 2014.
- Radiant: January 2014 to March 2014.
- King and Pawn: Board Games from India to Spain, March 2014 to June 2014.
- Pottery was collected in Al-Andalus: from April 2014 to August 2014.
- Tiger Dream: Tipu Sultan, September 2014 to February 2015.
- Mughal and Safavid albums: September 2014 to February 2015.
- Amazing Creatures: Allegories of Animals in Islamic Art, March 2015 to July 2015.
- hunting: Persecution of princes in Islamic countries from September 2015 to January 2016.
- Qajar women: Images of 19th-century Iranian women, April 2015 to June 2016.
- Muhammad Ali: Tribute to a Legend, July 2016 to February 2017.
- Imperial thread: Turkish, Iranian, and Indian Motifs and Artisans, March 2017 to January 2018.
- Powder and Damask: m Islamic Weapons and Armor from the Fadel Al-Mansouri Collection, August 2017 to May 2018.
- Syria issue: November 2018 to April 2019.
- Engraved in stone: Gemstones and jewels from the Royal Court of India from October 2019 to January 2020.
- Falcon’s Eye: A Tribute to Sheikh Saud Al Thani, August 2020 to April 2021.
- Baghdad: Eye’s Delight, October 2022 to February 2023
- Safar: from October 2022 to January 2023.
- Raku Kichizaemon XV direct entry: A Living Tradition of Japanese Pottery, November 2022 to March 2023.
- Yayoi Kusama: My soul blooms forever, November 2022 to March 2023.
- City Mirage: Baghdad, Wright to Venturi, 1952-1982, October 2022-February 2023.
Conclusion
Islamic art, literature, performing arts, and visual arts passed down to many in the Islamic world since the 7th century. Followers of Islam and those living in Islamic settings have created such a wide variety of literature, performing arts, visual arts, and music that they virtually defy any overarching definition.
In a narrower sense, Muslim folk art can be said to include only that which directly stems from Islamic practice. More generally, however, the term extends to include all art produced by Muslims, whether religiously related or not.
This article describes art created in pre-Islamic times by Arabs and other peoples of Asia Minor and North Africa who eventually embraced the Islamic faith.
