Elisabetta Marabotto of Saffronart on Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art

Doha: Alain Ducasse, the three Michelin star chef, is planning to open his first restaurant in the Middle East by the end of the year. The restaurant will have an enviable location: the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

The museum, which opened to the public in 2008, is located on a private island and boasts a stunning view on the Persian Gulf. The institution also holds one of the best collections of Islamic art in the world, dating from the 7^th to the 19^th centuries, including pieces from Spain to India, and several countries across the Middle East.

The architect in charge of the project, I.M. Pei, managed to combine traditional and modern features in the structure of the museum, expressing Islamic culture and architecture at its best. According to him, “The desert sun plays a fundamental role, transforming the architecture into a play of light and shadows.”

The edifice comprises two wings: a five-storey main building and a two-storey education building connected by an internal courtyard.

The MIA is committed to become the foremost museum of Islamic art in the world, as well as the main centre of learning and research for scholars in the field.

Learn more about Qatar’s impressive museums, including the Museum of Islamic Art, the new Jean Nouvel designed National Museum scheduled to open in 2014, the Orientalist Museum, and Mathaf: The Arab Museum of Modern Art.