Museum of Islamic Art

The Museum of Islamic Art is the building most people picture when they think of Doha. Designed by I. M. Pei, with interior galleries by Wilmotte Associates, it opened in late 2008 on an artificial peninsula just off the Corniche at the southern end of Doha Bay, close to the old dhow harbour. The pale limestone exterior is a stack of geometric blocks rising to a central tower, and Pei drew on the fountain of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo. Inside, a tall atrium with a large chandelier over the main staircase leads up to a glass wall on the north side that looks out over the water.

The permanent collection spans roughly the seventh to the twentieth centuries and comes from Spain and North Africa across to Iran, India and Central Asia. Expect metalwork, ceramics, glass, jewellery, woodwork, textiles and manuscripts, including a page from the indigo-dyed Blue Qur'an. The museum closed in 2021 for a refurbishment and reopened in October 2022 with 18 renovated galleries and more than 1,100 objects on display, many of them shown for the first time. Temporary exhibitions run alongside the permanent galleries, so check the programme before you go.

The museum opens from 9am to 7pm on Saturday to Tuesday, from 9am to 9pm on Thursday and from 1.30pm to 7pm on Friday, and it is closed on Wednesday. Tickets can be reserved online. Allow two to three hours for the galleries, and longer if you plan to eat here. Audio tours are offered, the MIA Library holds more than 21,000 books on Islamic art, and there is a gift shop.

It suits almost everyone: first-time visitors, design lovers, families with older children and anyone escaping the midday heat. For a meal with a view, IDAM by Alain Ducasse sits on the top floor, while MIA Café is a simpler stop for coffee and a snack between galleries. As at any religious-art museum in the region, modest dress is the sensible choice.

Parking on site is limited and fills quickly at weekends, and the car park closes during major events in the park, so a taxi is often easier; there is a taxi stand inside the parking area. Outside, MIA Park is open around the clock, with lawns, cafés, a children's play area and Richard Serra's tall steel sculpture 7. Late afternoon is a good time to walk the park as the light softens over the bay, and Souq Waqif is a short taxi ride away for dinner.