Location: Doha, Qatar.

Architect: I.M. Pei.

Qatar Museums opened the iconic Museum of Islamic Art to the public in 2022 following a year-long facilities enhancement project and the reimagination and reinstallation of its permanent collection galleries. Flag Plaza, a new community space initiated by the Years of Culture programme, was also inaugurated. Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, said the museum was a transformational moment for Qatar, marking the nation’s emergence as a new global cultural destination and paving the way for establishing other major museums and cultural institutions in the region. The Museum of Islamic Art, an architectural tour de force designed by internationally acclaimed Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei (1917-2019), was opened by Qatar Museums in 2008 under the leadership of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa. It is a leading institution for Islamic arts and, its patrons hope, a platform for international dialogue and exchange bridging past and present, East and West. The reimagining of MIA’s collection galleries introduces a comprehensive visitor trail, creates expanded interpretive materials to help contextualise the masterworks, and provides new mobile and child-friendly resources to make the Museum more accessible for families and younger guests. MIA also introduces a new section on Islam in Southeast Asia with a focus on the connection between different cultures through exhibits on the trade of commodities and the exchange of ideas across the Islamic world and beyond. The enhanced and expanded experience eases visitor flow to serve a larger audience with a reframed entrance and upgraded cafés and retail locations.