Museum of Islamic Art

"When the I. M. Pei–designed Museum of Islamic Art first opened in 2008, just months before Pei’s 92nd birthday, it was the first major project in Qatar to set architecture-loving hearts aflutter. Now, after an extensive enhancement project, its dramatic interior spaces are looking better than ever. Spanning 1,400 years of history, the museum’s galleries have been reimagined and reinstalled, introducing new visitor trails and child-friendly resources as well as more than 1,000 newly conserved or acquired objects displayed for the first time."

"When the I. M. Pei–designed Museum of Islamic Art first opened in 2008, just months before Pei’s 92nd birthday, it was the first major project in Qatar to set architecture-loving hearts aflutter. Now, after an extensive enhancement project, its dramatic interior spaces are looking better than ever. Spanning 1,400 years of history, the museum’s galleries have been reimagined and reinstalled, introducing new visitor trails and child-friendly resources as well as more than 1,000 newly conserved or acquired objects displayed for the first time. There’s also a new gallery exploring the building’s creation story, which charts Pei’s journeys through the Islamic world before he finally settled on the fountain at Cairo’s Ibn Tulun Mosque as his inspiration for the museum." - Nicola Chilton

"The Museum of Islamic Art is a good place to get a crash course on Middle Eastern history—and responsible for putting Doha on the map as an emerging cultural center."

"Coffee at the Most Impressive Atrium in the City Museum of Islamic Art Café, located in the atrium of the museum, overlooking the Doha Bay and skyline, combines French with Arabic cuisine in a limited, but superbly delectable, selection of homemade signature creations. The high-end menu, on a user-friendly iPad, includes a selection of foods created by Adam Ducasse, the famous chef preparing the food in the exclusive IDAM restaurant upstairs and a collection of teas and coffees, as well as mocktails. This mixture of Arab-French cuisine, the mind-blowing architecture of the museum, the view, the peaceful atmosphere of the atrium, make this café a mandatory stop after an afternoon at the museum or a stroll along the corniche."

"A Hodgepodge of International Arts and Crafts MIA Park bazaar is an open air market held every Saturday of the winter months at the Museum of Islamic Art Park. This is the place where local and expatriate artisans come to sell their wear in over 150 stalls: jewelry, handmade and imported clothes, books, souvenirs, homemade food, and a wealth of unusual gifts. The bazaar is not just a place to find handmade items, vintage clothing, homemade food or artisan accessories, the place is also a congregation of international cultures and a hodgepodge of languages and cadences. There is a Colombian merchant selling hobo-chic clothes, a Thai woman selling yoga pants, a baker who goes by "The Cookie Man," a stall of Filipino food, and the list goes on. The bazaar opens from 11 am to 6 pm, which gives its visitors enough time to browse the stalls, have a picnic on the beautifully manicured grounds of the park, fly a kite, lay on the grass and stare into the infinite blue sky."