Architecture World: The Museum of Islamic Art

May 9, 2009

The Museum of Islamic Art - I.M. Pei Architect

The Museum of Islamic Art is located on the south side of Doha’s Corniche on a man-made island sixty meters from the shore. A new C-shaped peninsula provides protection from the Persian Gulf on the north and from unsightly industrial buildings on the east. A park of dunes and oases on the shoreline behind the Museum offers shelter and a picturesque backdrop.

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),
The museum is connected to the shore by two pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge. 200 feet tall lanterns mark the boat dock on the west side of the Museum, creating a grand entrance for guests arriving by boat.

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),
“This was one of the most difficult jobs I ever undertook. If one could find the essence of Islamic architecture, might it not lie in the desert, severe and simple in its design, where sunlight brings forms to life?
I believe I found what I was looking for in the Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun in Cairo (876-879). The small ablutions fountain surrounded by double arcades on three sides, a slightly later addition to the architecture, is an almost Cubist expression of geometric progression from the octagon to the square and the square to the circle. This severe architecture comes to life in the sun, with its shadows and shades of color.”
I.M. Pei

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),
On the north side of the Museum a 45 meter tall glass curtain wall, the only major window, offers panoramic views of the Gulf and West Bay area of Doha from all five floors of the atrium.The Museum is composed of two cream colored limestone buildings, a five-story main building and a two-story Education Wing, connected across a central courtyard.

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),click 2 enlarge

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),click 2 enlarge
The main building’s angular volumes step back as they rise around a 5-story high domed atrium, concealed from outside view by the walls of a central tower. An oculus, at the top of the atrium, captures and reflects patterned light within the faceted dome.

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),click 2 enlarge
A geometric matrix transforms the dome’s descent from circle to octagon, to square, and finally to four triangular flaps, which angle back at different heights to become the atrium’s columns.

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art)
The treasures from the permanent collection are exhibited on two floors of galleries that encircle the atrium. The galleries feature dark grey porphyry stone and Louro Faya, a Brazilian lacewood that was brushed and treated to create a metallic appearance, which contrast with the light-colored stonework of the rest of the Museum. To protect the fragile antiquities on display, the exhibition rooms feature specially designed cases and lighting.

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),click 2 enlarge

Image(copyright the Museum of Islamic Art),click 2 enlarge
“I remained faithful to the inspiration I had found in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, derived from its austerity and simplicity. It was this essence that I attempted to bring forth in the desert sun of Doha".
I.M.Pei