“The desert sun plays a fundamental role, transforming the architecture into a play of light and shadows.”
I.M.Pei
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 Persion 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.
The museum is connected to the shore by two pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge. Two 100 feet tall lanterns mark the boat dock on the west side of the Museum, creating a grand entrance for guests arriving by boat
The Museum is the result of a journey of discovery conducted by I.M. Pei, whose quest to understand the diversity of Islamic architecture led him on a world tour.
“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
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.
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.
