A park of approximately 64 acres of dunes and oases creates a new peninsula behind the Museum, offering refuge to the Persian Gulf from the north and to industrial buildings in the east, in addition to a picturesque backdrop. In the adjacent smaller rectangular room, visitors can appreciate additional ceiling panels decorated with landscape and architectural scenes (64.19), carved stonework (41.3), a pair of vertical panels with fruit and floral designs (which were once part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Damascus Room”; 64.17.1-2), and Duke’s recreation of a masabb, a wall niche with a faceted hood (64.18). The field of Islamic art history is currently experiencing a period of self-reflection and revision. Moreover, there are many examples of non-Muslims creating works of art categorized as “Islamic,” or even “Islamic” works of art created for non-Muslim patrons. Science in Art shows how scientists of the Muslim world made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, mathematics, engineering and medicine. The Mughal Empire (16th-18th century) encompassed most of the Indian subcontinent including present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. 'Idam' means 'generosity', and each dish is a celebration of local tastes, spices and ingredients. Connect here. Given their interrelated and complex histories, the two Damascene rooms at Shangri La occupy a critical role in the historiography of Syrian interiors during the twentieth century. A wide range of activities, information and resources to help you learn more about our collection, special exhibitions and Islamic Art. _ Beginning with the life of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632) and continuing to the present day, Islamic art has both a wide historical range and broad geographical spread, including North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and part of South and Southeast Asia as well as eastern and sub-Saharan Africa. The Language of Islamic Art The first of these floors highlights the visual elements that are found universally in the arts of the Islamic world. A variety of textures and materials, including wood and stone, have created a unique environment for the museum’s stunning collections. The museum building has rapidly become an iconic feature of the Doha landscape. Syrian Room, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art Culture & Design. The faceted dome of the Museum of Islamic Art features an oculus that captures and reflects sunlight: Courtesy of the Museum of Islamic Art. The main building rises five-storeys, topped by a high domed atrium within a central tower. In our latest series, participants from QM choose the three museum objects they would rather be stranded with on a desert island. The precision instruments created as tools for the pursuit of knowledge and scientific thought are also beautiful works of art. Tel: +974 4402 8888, P. O. The Museum of Islamic Art is the result of a journey of discovery conducted by I.M. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Two decades after acquiring and installing the Damascus Room at Shangri La, Doris Duke (1912–93) set her sights on a second late-Ottoman Syrian interior. Objects in the collection represent cultures on three continents, a huge geographical area reaching as far west as Cordoba and as far east as Samarqand, and encompasses works from Spain, North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, India and Central Asia. Visitors can enjoy learning about the magnificent Islamic history, art, culture, sciences, and Islamic discoveries. The MIA park is a social place, with year-round activities, including film screenings, sports events, art workshops and extra exhibition features. During visits to the Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain; to Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal capital in India; to the Great Mosque of the Umayyads in Damascus, Syria and the ribat fortresses in Monastir and Sousse in Tunisia, he found that the influences of climate and culture led to many interpretations of Islamic architecture, but none evoked the true essence he sought. Highlights from this early period include a pair of Egyptian golden bracelets and a series of Córdoban marble capitals, which show the growth of luxury and decorative detailing. While the latter is larger in scale, we notice a comparable language of … Also on view is The Book of Fixed Stars by al-Sufi (Iraq, 1125), one of the earliest surviving illustrated scientific books and an important object in the history of both Islamic science and Islamic painting. In 1934, the al-Khayyat workshop participated in the dismantlement of the so-called Quwatli home (Baumeister et al. Above is an ‘ajami ceiling (64.13), the room’s most splendid single element, which is set off from the walls below by a whitewashed space punctuated by colored-glass windows (Qajar Persian, Ottoman, custom-made Moroccan). However, figural imagery is generally confined to secular architectural contexts—such as the palace or private home (rather than the mosque)—and the Qur’an is never illustrated. Calligraphy. They were said to have come from a house owned by the Quwatlis, a prominent merchant family of Damascus (this association remains to be confirmed). The collection is of major importance, containing a wealth of signed and dated pieces by important makers, such as a Spanish brass astrolabe (1309-1310) that is one of only three surviving astrolabes made by Ahmed ibn Husain ibn Baso, a well-known astronomer and official time-keeper of the great mosque of Granada. On the main floor 750m2 are distributed among the galleries of special exhibitions. In its construction, 200,000m3 of structural fill and 30,000m3 of concrete were used. The main building’s angular volumes step back progressively as they rise around a 164-foot-high domed atrium, which is concealed from outside view by the walls of a central tower. Although the Damascus Room and Syrian Room are noticeably different in terms of media and layout, the twentieth-century “biographies” of both interiors are deeply intertwined. The five-storey 45-metre tall window on the north side gives spectacular panoramic views across the bay. Qatar Museums Authority The Qatar Museums Authority was created in December 2005 to combine the resources of all museums in the State of Qatar. His museum reminds us that building a culture, as much as a political or social agenda, can be a healing act. The Education Wing, scheduled to open late 2009, includes a light-filled reading room in the Museum library, classrooms, workshops, study spaces, and technical and storage facilities. _... : Fisher Marantz Stone NY, Isometrix Lighting and Design, National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage, Qatar Petroleum. Discover the beauty of Islamic art and realise its international influence. The galleries are literally made to allow visitors to appreciate objects of utilitarian origin. For example, the rear walls of these two tazars were once home to the two pairs of gilded doors now on view in the large Syrian Room (64.9.1 and 64.9.2); the original entrance of the qa‘a is now the door of the same room’s utility closet (64.10a–b); and the stonework arcade above the original entrance now adorns the east wall of the small Syrian Room (41.3). An unparalleled piece in the collection is a silk carpet, known as the “Timurid Chessboard Garden Carpet” (Iran or Central Asia, 14th to 15th centuries). Although the central dome of the Museum can remember a certain number of mosque structures, the architect has not aligned his building or his large window in the direction of Mecca. The cream-coloured limestone captures the changes in light and shade during the day. Perhaps the least understood visual component of Islamic art is the figural image. This email address is being protected from spambots. Explore the Museum of Islamic Art website, representing the full scope of Islamic art across three contintents over 1,400 years Of central concern is the validity of the phrase “Islamic Art” to describe the visual culture in question. The quality of a work of art is equally tied to its maker, and while the majority of Islamic art is anonymous, a number of master artists signed their works, desiring to be credited for their achievements, and indeed remain well known. These galleries feature works illustrating a wide diversity of styles, yet a unified aesthetic can be seen through the centuries. The designer played with a subtle range of high quality dark materials that highlight the exposed piece making it the protagonist, despite the huge glass doors in the showcases, operated only by a button, or the dark-carved gray stones that line the walls , all wrapped by a suggestive and intimate light. The “mihrab”, a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the “quibla” (direction that Muslims must face when they pray), is rarely designed as a window, although the elongated and axial shape of the large window The museum recalls this aspect of Islamic architecture. Built of fine materials, such as cream-coloured Magny and Chamesson limestone from France, Jet Mist granite from the United States and stainless steel from Germany, as well as architectural concrete from Qatar, the Museum is composed of a five-storey main building and a two-storey Education Wing, which are connected across a central courtyard. It will bring together people of all ages, people living in the local community and visitors from around the world for enjoyment, stimulation and greater understanding of our cultures through the appreciation of art,” commented Museum of Islamic Art Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. A 16th-century imperial decree, bearing the tughra (or signature) of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, bestows the gift of a palace to his granddaughter.