The blazing sandblasted sunlight of day in Doha dispels the mystery of the nighttime souk. The new Museum of Islamic Art on the crescent shaped harbor hovers like a pyramid or a citadel. The palatial ramp leads to palm trees and a fountain. Inside it is cool and quiet. The large atrium is the main theme with a spiral staircase hardly breaks the vast sense of space inside the museum. The multiple stories of the museum all open up inside to the cavernous central space. The museum is free although the special exhibits cost money. I had only a short time so I stuck to the permanent galleries. And the bathroom. The ladies prayer room and toilet is down one side of a rest area. This area harkened back to earlier Islamic design with a wall with fretwork cut out casting a dramatic pattern of dappled lights on the tables and chairs. Skyscraper high glass panes reveal a rising skyline emerging in the desert along the green waters of Doha… allowing you to emerge from the small dark galleries filled with 8th century glass incense jars the size of a thimble… to a looking glass of the world as Qatar is now… the skating rink and the yogurt marinated chicken kabob photos are from the mall… Doha’s largest…
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