Elite Traveler September-October 2016

whose money made it possible. That the building was designed by the Chinese-American architect responsible for the Louvre Pyramid in Paris says a lot about how serious Qatari royals are in positioning their tiny emirate globally; I. M. Pei was enticed out of retirement in his 80s. Built on its own island of reclaimed land at Pei’s insistence – to ensure it would not be crowded out or ruined by future development – the building has an air of secular religiosity. It is strong and striking, but its arches are welcoming, its cool limestone exterior calming. The use of two huge semi-circles of glass to resemble eyes above a veil is inspired. They give the impression that anyone approaching is being watched. Just across the water and jutting out into the bay between Doha’s ever-growing skyline and the museum is the sculpture 7 . It sits on a purpose-built plinth created partly from the spoil generated during the museum’s construction and is the work of the American minimalist sculptor, Richard Serra. He took inspiration from an Afghan minaret. Seven steel plates, geometrically arranged, rise to create an 82-ft tower. The figure seven is spiritually significant in Islamic cultures. The Koran speaks of seven heavens and several hajj rituals involve the number, including pilgrims walking seven times around the Kaaba in Mecca. In the sculpture’s design, account had to be taken of wind speeds across the bay as well as, crucially, the temperature (and therefore expansion) the piece experiences in Doha’s midday sun – at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit in June, July and August. This is public art, again created to feed into the conversation that Qatar is having with itself and others. If Serra’s first piece of public art here was bold, his latest is intrepid – as are those who visit. This piece, named East-West/ West-East, is an hour’s drive from Doha into the desert of the Zekreet Peninsula. The sculpture consists of four skinny pillars, each up to 50ft high and set between crumbling cliffs. They span over half a mile of desert in a landscape that is sweaty and dusty for much of the year. The imposing pillars will age, rust and change color – grey through orange, brown and towards deep amber – more quickly here in the Brouq Nature Reserve’s sandy, salty, scorching environment than Serra’s sculptures elsewhere in the world, but then the Qatari art scene is not afraid of speed. Serra has said he loved the potential that having two planes – one at ground level, one elevated – gave him as an artist who uses space as his main material. It has allowed his pillars to create a point of reference; before the sculpture was erected there was no way of knowing where one stood in relation to the wider landscape. Now, there is a destination, a place for art where one did not exist before. The same could be said of Qatar. Julia Wheeler is a freelance journalist and was the BBC Gulf Correspondent based in Dubai, 2000-2010. She has written the book Telling Tales: An Oral History of Dubai .

Clockwise from left: Sheika Al Mayassa, head of Qatar Museums Authority; the imposing Museum of Islamic Art; a beatifully decorated albarello jar

THE DETAILS

terms, the Bedouin could only carry with them what could be strapped to the backs of their camels. Indeed, most of the pieces in the iconic Museum of Islamic Art, or MIA, derive from beyond the shores of the southern Gulf. Critically, one of the achievements of this spectacular museum is that it leads the inquisitive on a journey through Pan Arab culture and society, past and present. Within its fortress-like exterior are exquisite ceramics, glass, metalwork, textiles and manuscripts. Highlights include a 10th century astrolabe from Iraq, a navigational tool first used by the Ancient Greeks before being developed by Arab scientists. From Cairo, the doors of a 14th century Egyptian minbar (mosque pulpit) display the intricate patterns of geometry so widespread in Islamic art: here, wood beautifully and elaborately inlaid with ebony and ivory. One of my favorite pieces is a gold coffee cup holder, or zarf in Turkish. Like the cardboard sleeves slipped over takeaway drinks today, but with far more elegance and aplomb, it protected a 19th century drinker’s fingers from scalding cups of coffee. Each diamond and ruby has been hand-cut by a lapidary to fit perfectly into the floral motif. The exhibits in Doha’s MIA also point to links beyond the Arab sphere. An albarello jar was used by apothecaries to store drugs or ointments. The example on show here was created in the Damascus of the 15th century, but the European-style shield at its center suggests it was destined for use in the Italian city of Florence. Similarly, the pomegranate vase pattern found on floor coverings throughout the Muslim world is on display at the MIA in the form of a 19th century Chinese silk and cotton carpet. It demonstrates the spread of Islamic ideas and motifs way beyond their Middle Eastern origin. If the contents of the MIA provide insight into the Arab past, then the building itself gives hints about the future of the country

Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art mathaf.org.qa Tel +974 4402 8855 or +974 4402 8830 Museum of Islamic Art mia.org.qa Tel +974 4422 4444 Richard Serra’s 7 qm.org.qa/en/project/ 7-richard-serra Richard Serra’s East-West/ West-East qm.org.qa/en/project/ east-west-west-east- richard-serra

Photos: Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images, Brigitte Lacombe, Qatar Museum Authority/Rick Van Lent, courtesy of the Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar