Museum of Islamic Art

Yesterday I went to the Museum of Islamic Art. This museum can not be done in one day. You need to budget at least two days, as evidenced by the fact that I only got through the first two floors of static displays. There is so much to see. As I learned this morning while reading the paper, a former resident of Qatar has published a photographic book about Qatar, which was on sale in the gift shop there.

Unfortunately, Erik was too efficient and showed up while I was in the gift shop, so I bought a few magnets and rushed out. People giggle at me a little bit because drivers are different here. At home, you do not make the taxi wait or you will be facing a long walk home. Here they show up early, and they do not run away if you don't materialize within 30 seconds of their arrival. AND they are pleasant. Wow. Maybe I will be brave over the next few days and make the driver wait. Probably not :D

Back to the museum!!! Lots of things to see. It is very well guarded, too. There was at least one guard in every room and they made their presence known but were unobtrusive. A couple of times I got lost because I was too busy staring at displays and not paying attention to where we were going I lost my mother and they helped me around the rooms. Again, I am perpetually amazed at how friendly everyone is here, even when there might be a language barrier. A word of caution: do not, and I mean, do not try to touch things. I watched the guards very quickly respond to a tour group of ADULTS who kept on trying to climb onto this horse and rider display, then try to get on this rug, which had to be about 50ft long. Firstly, shame on you people!!! "Do not touch" means do not touch and yes, this means you. Who climbs on a thousand year old carpet? Tsk, tsk, tsk. A very coordinated response from security personnel very quickly and quietly took care of things. Seriously, it was like ninjas took care of everything, it was that fast.

But rowdy, obnoxious tourists were not why I went :) I am only posting a few photos of my trip there. I have many, many pictures but these are my favourites, and sorry about the flash spots!!!

This is a one piece panel carved from stone. It comes from India and is dated to the 15th century. The photo does not do it justice. Well, none of the photos do these beautiful artifacts justice, you have to see them in person. This huge panel was carved in one piece. ONE PIECE. The detail, even 600 years later, is stunning.

 This is an Iranian watercolour Qu'ran. There is gold leaf in the painting and the geometric designs on the pages are amazing. To think that scribes sat patiently through this, working for years on a single book is awe-inspiring. I have many photographs of different Qu'rans that were displayed in the museum but this one is my favourite. It comes from the late 1500s. 

This is a page from a book, although I'm not sure what book it comes from. It is also Iranian, from the same period as the Qu'ran above. This is gold leaf and mainly blue pigment as well.

This is a piece of Persian tile that is about 500 years old. The colours are still stunning. The geometry of the designs is very precise. Blue, gold, and copper were the most predominant colours in use in many of the displays

 Iranian or Turkish, I can not remember. This is a bowl that was made at a time when the people of Persia were having much contact with cultures from China and the art was beginning to reflect the Chinese cloud motifs. 

Another beautiful Iranian tile, from about the 10th century. We often think of our ancient ancestors the world over as being somehow primitive because they aren't like us. This couldn't be further from the truth. The mathematical planning in a design like this, and the others, points to a high degree of knowledge. Such use of numbers has been referred to as "Sacred Geometry" because not everyone was privy to the mathematical formulae used in the creation of artistic renderings. Every time I look at these photos I want to crochet something, but yarn seems to be the one thing that eludes me in Qatar.

 This is an Iranian oil lamp from the 12th century. It is very small and contains a lot of fine detail around the handle and spout. 

This is absolutely breathtaking in its beauty in person. This is a jeweled falcon, from India. Falcons have been revered the world over for thousands of years, and even to this day in Qatar. The streets are dotted with large posters of Falcons and also Oryxes. People are very proud of their falcons here. I am told that Qatar Airways gives falcons first class treatment when they travel on a QA plane, but I don't know if that is true. I suppose if my mother gets hired on with them, I will get to find out:) My mother said that when she was teaching in Doha, some of her students brought in their falcons to show her. One summer a falcon moved into the tree in my backyard in Canada and graced us with its presence all throughout the summer and early fall.

 These are Syrian bracelets from the 16th century. Beautiful and heavy looking!!! The details in the facing around the gemstones are just amazing. 

These are Central Asian jars, from either the 9th or 10th centuries. The thing that always amazes me when I go to a museum anywhere, is that the things which our ancestors made, would probably still be useful today. Can we say the same thing about the goods we manufacture now?