MIA turns into a hub of WC Qatar 2022 events
WITH the long-awaited FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament having started, and fans from all over making a beeline for the biggest ever show of its kind, the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) has a lot that the visitors would not like to miss.
The Museum, as its name suggests, is a one-of-a-kind repository of treasures that shed light on the role of Islamic civilisation in human history and highlight its rich heritage of science and values of tolerance, arts, and beauty.
It reflects the culture, history and creativity of the Islamic nation, promotes its sciences and arts, and provides entertainment in the most magnificent and high-profile forms associated with human spiritual, cultural and aesthetic values.
Ahmed Naji, a resident Egyptian lawyer, said: “The galleries of the Museum of Islamic Art offer visitors expanded interpretive content that put the works in context. There are a number of new resources suitable for children, which makes the museum more attractive to families and young visitors.”
“In the run-up to the World Cup, the galleries have been rearranged according to historical and cultural themes, time periods, and geographical ranges, in a style that reveals a great tradition of Islamic craftsmanship,” added Naji.
“The Museum of Islamic Art is also introducing a new section on Islam in Southeast Asia, focusing on the relationship between different cultures through exhibitions dealing with the trade of goods and exchange of ideas across the Islamic world and beyond,” Naji explained.
“The improved facilities add to the extensive experience. The museum is able to cater to the needs of a larger number of visitors, through its reconfigured entrance, cafes, retail sites, all in new format,” he added.
“The museum showcases Qatar’s international collection of Islamic art, which includes items dating back some 1,400 years,” he concluded.
Navi Atandra, an Indian engineer who lives in Qatar, told the Qatar Tribune: “The museums in the country in a way reflect the contemporary Qatari renaissance in diverse fields including economic, scientific and social, guided by the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
“The Museum of Islamic Art, which has been designated as a special events area for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, is sure to attract a large number of football fans visiting to see the World Cup matches, especially those interested in Islamic civilisation, its arts and creations,” added Atandra.
The museum “stands tall as it were, on an artificial island on the shore of the Doha Corniche, as a beacon in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, to guide anyone seeking knowledge”, Atandra told the Qatar Tribune.
“It is a platform for international dialogue, for building bridges between the past and the present… between East and West. Housing art pieces from three continents of the seventh century to present period, it is also a new international centre for education and creativity,” he said.
Spread over an area of 35,500 square meters, the museum was opened in 2008. It was reopened in October 2022 in a new guise, after a year-long renovation project to improve its facilities and install the new galleries of its permanent collection.
The year also saw the launch of the Flags Square by the Years of Culture programme, which itself aims to deepen understanding between nations and peoples. The Flags Square, a new community destination is located near the Museum of Islamic Art Park. It is a new gathering space, a site for festivals, celebrations and other events.
Natasha Aalagova, a Russian World Cup fan who is here with her family, said: “this place fascinates you with its variety of items on display ranging from manuscripts and ceramic work, to objects made of metal, glass, ivory, wood and precious stones, from to distant past, and from different places ranging from India to Spain to the Middle East”.
“The programme of the Museum of Islamic Art for the World Cup has many educational activities for children and families, which makes it a vital part of society,” according to Saleh Al-Omoush, researcher of Islamic history.
“These exhibitions also highlight in a new and more visitor-friendly way, a variety of Islamic art artefacts, including carpets, textiles, manuscripts, ceramics, wood, ivory, metalwork, stone, glass, coming from areas as far apart as Spain and North Africa to the Far East, and from the earliest period of Islam to the twentieth century,” added Al-Omoush.
“The third floor takes visitors across the Islamic world from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Indian Ocean in the east, focusing on the arts and societies between the eleventh and nineteenth centuries,” said Al-Omoush.
The newly established “Family Track” is a key component in the renovation work witnessed by the museum. The use of modern technologies, interactive displays, and multisensory applications gives visitors, children as well as adults a distinctive experience.