This autumn, the Qatar Museums Authority will present a comprehensive vision for the Museum of Islamic Art. Eight museums and exhibition halls, in addition to exhibitions of new museums under construction, will present the most ambitious program in the country.
The Qatar Museums Authority said in a statement that the program will start in September, while exhibitions, including the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art after renovation in October, will run until 2023. The Museum of Islamic Art is an iconic landmark in the very heart of Doha designed by American-Chinese architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, will present the museum’s collection in a completely new, thematically interpretive content to attract audiences both at local and international level.
Al Nasr, Deputy Director of the Museum of Islamic Art, in an exclusive interview with Al-Qatari news agency, said that the design of the museum in its new form includes its development inside and outside, which ensures the flow of visitors and facilitates their service. Al-Nasr pointed out that all the improvements made to the building met the vision of the Jean-Michel Wilmotte design team and were implemented in collaboration with Ashgal Public Works Authority and in coordination with the French company “Wilmott & Partners”.
Sheikha Al Nasr also talked about the most characteristic features of the project. Thus, a special room was dedicated to a 3D visual presentation that tells the history of creation of the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, allowing visitors to visualize the museum building in the context of the urban fabric of modern Doha. Al Nasr noted that permanent galleries were designed to provide visitors with extensive interpretive content that puts the artworks in a conceptual and purposeful context to explore Islamic heritage, while ensuring the use of multiple media to display the content and create a cultural environment appropriate for families and appealing both to children and parents.
There are 12 children’s interactive stations in the museum halls on various themes related to Islamic civilization and art, where young visitors can learn something about astronomy and see Islamic jewelry and coins.
Al Nasr explained that features of the museum’s renovation include the creation of entirely new sections in the Museum of Islamic Art, noting that there would be a hall dedicated to the Holy Quran, where its history and influence on Islamic civilization would be narrated, and a hall for religious rituals, where visitors would learn how prayer, pilgrimage and umrah had been reflected in the culture and art of Muslim peoples.
The exhibitions will focus on the importance of science, learning and teaching in Islam, linking these topics to school curricula, and introducing to some regions of the Islamic world.
Since Qatar prepares to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 in the autumn, the Deputy Director of the Museum of Islamic Art noted the museum’s preparations for welcoming foreign visitors and mentioned the most important exhibits that would be on display during this period. About 70% of these collections have not been exhibited before, the most important of which is a page of the Blue Quran from Andalusian Umayyad era Spain, dating back to the XIX century Hijra, written in golden ink. She added that curtains of the Kaaba, dating back to the Ottoman era, would also be on display.
Among the activities accompanying the opening of the museum in its new format is the organization of a hall for families and young people on the fourth floor, where several programs will be launched. For instance, the Youth Gathering at the Museum of Islamic Art program is an informal gathering of young people on Saturdays to create their own creative projects with the support and guidance of museum staff.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
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