Doha: Re-opening of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in October will introduce a new family trail where “families go and interact and do things together during this whole journey of the new galleries.”
According to MIA Director Dr. Julia Gonnella, this is a crucial component of the museum’s new message where families can sit, talk about, and interact with exhibits.
The Astrolabe gallery is among the galleries she singled out. It has a fresh look and more interactive features. “We will be having an astrolabe and a big screen where people can look just to see how astronauts function, what they are for, with the sky showing the different stars in Qatar.” She said this in a video posted by Qatar Museums on YouTube.
MIA Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, Shaikha Nasser Al Nassr, meanwhile explained how the Astrolabe will be interactive. “The children will have the astrolabe and then they will manoeuvre it and point at a star, and if they point at it correctly, a constellation will appear, so it is learning through doing.” The Astrolabe is a scientific instrument that was used throughout the Islamic world for many centuries.
One of its principal uses in Islam was to determine prayer time and direction of prayer towards Makkah. The museum's screens have been upgraded and films on the gallery’s concept have been included.
“For example in the South Asia gallery, we have jewels. We have films on how these jewels were actually made and also how they were worn because a lot of the jewels we think they’re ladies’ jewels but no, they’re [also] men’s jewels, and so it’s nice to see the part of the turban or part of a sash,” Dr. Gonnella said.
During the unveiling, a brand-new room on Southeast Asia, a first for Islamic Art, will also be unveiled. According to Dr. Gonnella, this has been developed as a result of the substantial population from Indonesia and the Philippines in the country. “We really thought it’s absolutely central to focus on the Islamic art in this part of the region.”
New sections will all be on display in October: trade with China, religion section highlighting the Muslim society and how it’s kept together, the Ummah, and objects connected to Makkah and Haj.
A whole Damascus room will be displayed in the permanent gallery, as well as the Kaaba textile and religious practices gallery. “Damascus room is an interior of a living room from a Damascus house that belonged to the 19th century and it’s been around now [for] three years of conservation where we had to go to the warehouse and check the crates and the boxes, and assemble the whole room with around 170 objects and 280 stone pieces,” said Al Nassr.
The public and visitors to MIA may anticipate additional opportunities for hands-on experience, such as learning how to cultivate a garden in the Islamic Spain section, trying on jewellery, and using a war mask to visually reenact a battle scene.
Al Nassr revealed that MIA’s Majilis will focus on offering immersive projection to highlight the building’s history and its architecture design with I M Pei and how it relates to Doha’s contemporary architecture.
Dr. Gonnella also emphasised the importance of history museums to society and how they continue to serve their primary mission.
“History museums of course talk about the past and not so many people are interested in the past, but the past is actually essential for everyone. It starts with your mother and your grandmother and your great-grandmother. You are what you have come from the past and it’s extremely important to make the past relevant for today and tomorrow, because you learn from the past. You also get inspired and this was one of the key points of the new set-up — that you make it relevant for today. All the topics they touch you, and they make you think.”
