Qatar’s Museum Of Islamic Art Highlights Religious Artifacts Spanning 14 Centuries
DOHA, Qatar — The warm sun reflecting off Doha Bay hugging Qatar’s capital city is a sight to behold. Palm trees sway, and large modern buildings pierce the light blue sky. A warm breeze off the bay serves as a brief reprieve from the 82-degree weather that seems to be the temperature Doha gets almost every day this time of year.
In a city where everything is a sensory experience — from the open-air street markets to sleek skyscrapers to new stadiums built for soccer’s World Cup — Doha is both modern and traditional. It strikes a balance like few cities in the world can. It’s a mix of the past and future all at the same time.
There are many ways to get to know a country’s capital city. Reading about history and customs beforehand is certainly a start. Once there, a visitor must become fully immersed. One way to do so is by visiting museums. Qatar certainly has its share of those. For a country that appears to be constantly looking to the future, it also holds its past — and that of the Islamic world’s as a whole — in very high regard.
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The Museum of Islamic Art opened in 2008 and is, according to its website, “one of the world’s premier institutions of Islamic art.” It is just that.
The museum houses many masterpieces connected to Islam. From ceramics to glassware to manuscripts and textiles, the Museum of Islamic Art is the Arab world’s artistic jewel, a repository like no other. It is the only one of its kind to highlight art and culture from the Arab world spanning 1,400 years. The museum features art stretching from Spain to China and in times when Islam once controlled a large chunk of the world.
Islamic texts from the Quran are just some of the artifacts you will find at Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art. Photo courtesy of MIA.
Islam is the world’s second-largest religion behind Christianity, with over a billion adherents. Islam originated in the seventh century near Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation, according to the Quran, took place. Doha, for its part, is trying to be the world’s capital for art and culture with its many museums. The MIA, however, is certainly a centerpiece for it all.
The museum, and more specifically the building itself, is an architectural marvel. It is situated on one end of the 4-mile waterfront known as Al Corniche in Doha. Designed by famed architect I. M. Pei, the museum is built on an island off an artificial peninsula that juts out into Doha Bay. A park dotted by palm trees leads a path to the building.
The museum’s exterior is modern, but its geometric patterns are an homage to traditional Islamic art. Although it was built just 14 years ago, the museum underwent renovations last year to upgrade its main entrance and galleries ahead of the World Cup.
Qatar is a Muslim nation. There are rules that govern all facets of society. The museum reminds visitors to, “out of respect for local culture, please dress modestly. Shoulders and knees should be covered when visiting public places like museums and other government buildings. Entrance may be refused if your clothing is deemed unsuitable.”
While the building is a splendor on the outside, the truly beautiful artwork is located in its five floors of galleries. There are many artifacts that are part of the museum’s permanent collection, but there are also roving exhibits worth seeing.
It’s true that the sports world is focused on Qatar, but the museum’s exhibit on Baghdad, Iraq’s capitol, is a fascinating look at one of the Islamic world’s most important cities. Visitors go on a tour that spans centuries, highlighting Baghdad’s role as a city of power and scholarship.
Despite being plagued by war in recent decades, the exhibit — featuring 160 objects on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and even the Vatican — does an amazing job debunking perceptions, while also highlighting the city’s importance and power in the region and to the world. This is the real beauty of this museum. It may be physically located in Doha, but it is a repository for the rich tapestry that is Islamic art and culture that spans from Europe and North Africa to the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Photography is allowed, with no flash, but many of the galleries are dark in order to set a mood. The lighting sets a mood but makes for some bad photos. The museum also has a restaurant and gift shop on the first floor for those looking for a snack or a souvenir.
The Museum of Islamic Art will feature special hours through Dec. 20 to accommodate soccer fans who have made the trip to Qatar for the World Cup and the final, which will be contested on Sunday. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor at Religion Unplugged and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event.” Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.