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Building bridges

By Tom Coverdale February 2012

Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art has illuminated the regional cultural landscape since 2008
The object lying within the display case is slowly revealed as the angles of the non-reflective glass disappear and an earthenware bowl is brought into sharp relief illuminated by a warm ambient light. With an unimpeded view, one can begin to see the fine detailing of the bowl with its opaque ivory-coloured white glaze and a decorative Arabic inscription written radially and asymmetrically. Painted in the deepest Muslim blue, the restrained and somewhat austere calligraphy reads 'what is done should be done well'.

This evocative and simple object almost floats in space and time, a rare ceramic artefact dating back more than a thousand years when civilised potters in ninth century Iraq were imitating the finest porcelains of China.

This is one of countless priceless objects housed in 18 galleries within the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar's flagship cultural landmark, which opened its doors in December 2008. Since then the museum, which claims to be dedicated to reflecting the vitality, complexity and diversity of the Islamic world's artistic treasures, has attracted more than 600,000 visitors to date.

The museum houses collections of works gathered since the late 1990's including manuscripts, textiles, metal, glass, ceramics, ivory, precious stones and wood. The museum is considered to have one of the world's most complete collections of Islamic artefacts with pieces from three continents including Spain, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, India and central Asia dating from the seventh to the 19th century.

Each of the various artefacts tell their own story, with room-sized silk tapestries and carpets, to the exquisite Jade pendant belonging to Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, with a cameo portrait of his wife which he allegedly wore to help soothe his broken heart after her early death. There are fragile manuscripts on display including what are said to be the earliest known Qur'ans, written within decades of the death of the Prophet Mohammed.

The museum reflects the tiny Gulf state's grand cultural ambitions, in particular those of Shaikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, one of the Amir's daughters, as well as the Qatar Museums Authority.

Acknowledged as the world's largest institution dedicated to Islamic art, the museum's collections resonate as a living manuscript of the book of Islamic art and as the cornerstone of the cultural blueprint that is transforming Qatar into a global cultural capital.

An architectural masterpiece, the museum was designed by revered architect I M Pei, the Chinese-American Pritzker Prize laureate, renowned for landmarks including the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, John F Kennedy Library in Boston and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. Pei was coaxed out of retirement to travel the Islamic world, embracing its culture and heritage and reading and studying Muslim architecture for more than six months.

The five-storey building is situated on the southern end of the West Bay, located 60 metres offshore, creating an imposing cultural citadel.

Over the last three years, the museum says it has been actively building cultural bridges across the world to create deeper understanding on that complex of religion, culture and geography defined as Islam. This involves the actual collections in Doha, as well as special exhibitions from across the world. Later, the museum says it will take selections of its collections overseas.

Currently, the museum is holding two exhibitions. 'The Dream of the King', a temporary exhibition showcasing a unique selection of Baroque to Classicism exhibits on loan from the Dresden State Art collection. The manuscripts of Mohammed bin Zakariya Razi, the prominent scientist, scholar and chemist are also being displayed in a special exhibition.

Michelle Walton, newly-appointed head of the Curatorial & Research department, says the Museum of Islamic Art is a 'new era' for museums worldwide. "As well as the development of the collections, we have a growing educational centre with a library and research and conservation facilities," she notes.

"Certainly, Qatar is looking to build cultural bridges and has a very clear vision of where it wants to be positioned in terms of culture, education and sport in the world. The museum is a world institution comparable with museums in Europe and the USA and it engages with these across the world from Iran, the US and Russia as well as Europe and the Far East," she explains.

As well as the local Qatari community, expatriates and regional visitors, the museum receives schools groups and university students. It also draws many international visitors, academic scholars, heads of state and visiting delegations including Kofi Annan, the former secretary-general of the UN, Yo-Yo Ma, the renowned American cellist and composer, and the archbishop of Canterbury.

The museum has more than 800 separate artefacts on permanent display and a further 4,300 pieces of museum quality held in store for future display and research. The museum is very much a cultural institution with curatorial research conducted in parallel to the daily activities of presenting these fine items to the public.

"One of the misconceptions about Islamic art is that it is purely about Islam, but instead, it reflects a multitude of many influences, cultures, concepts and religions. It is a fusion of all these stimuli involving trade, the transmission of ideas and the advancement of science and literature, as well as being a product of the political and religious climate," Walton explains.

Walton hails from upstate New York and first joined the museum in 2006 as a researcher before being appointed in December 2007 as head of research. Her area of specialism is ancient and medieval glass and she is currently preparing a book on the museum's collection and planning a major exhibition on glass set to open during Ramadan in July 2012.

"We are hard at work developing as an institution, approaching it with authentic research and protocol, laying the frameworks required to cover provenance, research and conservation, leading to a successful transmission, both entertaining and educational," she explains.

"The programmes and plans for future development are mushrooming at an incredible rate. The museum is a living entity, powered by the cooperation and enthusiasm of its people," she concludes.

Upcoming exhibitions for 2012 at the Museum of Islamic Art include "The Gifts of the Sultans," a massive undertaking in the main temporary gallery including 235 items from institutions around the world, running from 18 March until 2 June, and two glass exhibitions on the fourth floor, opening in July.

© The Gulf 2012