Museum of Islamic Art

---

I can cross another item off of "1000 Places to See Before You Die." I picked Matt up at his hotel at 3 this afternoon and we headed to the Doha Museum of Islamic Art. Qatar's current leader, is looking to turn his country into the leading cultural center of the Middle East and this museum is one of the masterpieces.

We were not disappointed! The musuem is free, except for the temporary exhibits, and there is so much to see. There are four floors and they are loosely divided by artifacts, region and time. A few of my favorites were the calligraphy area, where there were just amazing scrolls and books - my absolute favorite were the tiny octagonal shaped Qurans, complete with special cases, dating about 500 years ago. The glass exhibition was ok, but there was an auditorium which had a film on how glass is made, presented by Corning glass (this makes me want to visit Corning's Glass Museum when I go home to visit). Other interesting exhibits were huge old jars, intricate door panels, and beautiful tapestries. I took some pictures but not many of the art.

The most breathtaking aspect was the museum itself. It is a beautiful building designed in a cube like structure with a perfect view of the Doha West Bay skyline. If you are ever in the area, it is definitely worth a visit. We spent three hours there and I still have not seen it all. I will be back.

In the meantime, enjoy some photos.

---

Photos

Walkway to museum
pleasant walk and the weather is perfect

Tiles
Shows how the tiles are pieced together

bird
designed with gold, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, jade, and onyx

Auditorium
Where we learned about making glass

Courtyard
beautiful!

Doha West Bay skyline
my home is the blue outlined buildings on the left

Moi
a rare picture of me

Comments

[Amber]

pretty
reminds me of the Getty. The outside is as much a draw as the art inside! Very pretty!

[Romsa]

Great photos!
Hello Pookie I agree with Amber. The exterior of the museum is pretty awesome. Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos. And thanks for being awesome.

[Steve]

What did you learn about making glass that you didn't know before?

[Islamic Art]

Hi Guys ,Thanks for sharing the article.
http://www.islamartshop.com

[lexispence10]

Steve
They showed a film of the whole process for various types. Super-heating it, pulling the glass out by rotating it quickly and blowing, how to apply different colors, designs, shapes, handles, etc. Lots to learn! :)