Hotels near Museum of Islamic Art

The Museum of Islamic Art sits on its own island 60 metres off the Doha Corniche, and the building is half the reason to go. I. M. Pei came out of retirement in his nineties to design it, travelling the Muslim world for months before settling on the ablution fountain of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo as his model. What he produced is a stack of cream limestone cubes that changes shape as you walk around it, wrapped around a five-storey atrium and a north window that frames the West Bay skyline.

Reopened in 2022 after an 18-month redisplay, the collection spans 1,400 years and three continents: Mamluk enamelled glass, Iranian lustreware, Mughal jades, an Ottoman helmet inlaid with silver, and a page of the 9th-century Blue Quran written in gold on indigo parchment. Adult entry is 50 QAR (about 13 EUR), under-16s go free, and the museum closes on Tuesdays. Two hours covers the permanent galleries. MIA Park outside runs south along the water past a dhow harbour to Richard Serra's steel sculpture at the tip.

Pro Tip: Take the lift straight to the top floor and work downwards. The window over West Bay is the best photograph in the building and it stays empty for roughly the first 30 minutes after the 09:00 opening.