Qatar—Rising like a Cubist pile of sugar lumps on a man-made island in the Persian Gulf, the brand-new Museum of Islamic Art will open its doors on November 22. Designed by I.M. Pei, his 376,740-square-foot creation (with a soaring inner 5-story domed atrium, a rare-books library, and separate prayer halls for men and women) will house over 700 works of Islamic art, spanning 3 continents and 13 centuries. As far as the state of Qatar is concerned, Dubai can have its fancy hotels and casinos: They’ll take the art and culture, thanks.

 

Museum of Islamic Art: Doha, Qatar; 974/48-59-88-88; mia.org.qu.

  "Art Island" originally appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Culture+Travel. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Culture+Travel's Fall 2008 Table of Contents.