The Museum of Islamic
Art in
Doha,
Qatar, symbolizes Qatar's pledge to become the
capital of Islamic culture. Open, but not fully complete,
the building already houses collections of manuscripts,
ceramics, glassworks, and other priceless objects from
Islam's rich past. There are several floors of exhibits,
each displaying objects pertaining to a particular period or
country in the Islamic world.
There are hundreds of awe-inspiring exhibits on display,
including several solid gold ceremonial weapons and even a
jeweled falcon, but there are other less-flashy objects that
should not be missed if you plan to immerse yourself in
Islamic culture. Based on my own experience travelling
through the Middle East, I cannot stress more the importance
of tapestries and calligraphy to understanding the true
nature of Islamic culture. Not only do these take much time
and great skill to produce, but they also contain the
personality of the artist and the context in which they
worked. Essentially you are given a personal snapshot of a
particular person and era. I love tapestries and calligraphy
for this reason.
The museum, designed by world-renowned architect I.M. Pei,
is itself a masterpiece. Opened in late 2008, the building
is meant to act as a testament to traditional Islamic
architecture. The structure features white, geometric walls
not unlike those found throughout the ancient Islamic world.
The effect is perhaps more striking, since the building is
set on an island away from its modern counterparts and is
surrounded by fountains and gardens. The building adds a
traditional subscript to a city rapidly forgetting its past.
The museum hosts visiting exhibits, and presents its own
events. For example, in October 2011, the museum hosted
the
Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic
Art, whose focus was
"God Is Beautiful; He Loves Beauty: The Object in Islamic
Art and Culture." The symposia run for several days and
feature a variety of speakers.
For more information, view the video of our visit to the museum
in November 2011.