ABSTRACT
The Museum of Islamic Art, otherwise known as MIA, has inspired a multitude of discussions and commentaries. The idea of founding a Museum of Islamic Art in Doha very probably emerged in the early 1990s in close association with members of the Al Thani ruling house. During the museum's construction, exhibitions of some of the most outstanding acquisitions to the growing collection were briefly held in Doha between 2001 and 2004. The explicit wish of Sheikha Mozah bint al Misnad, the wife of the Emir, was that the Museum and its collections also serve the education and development of the nation. The Pearls Exhibition' followed in January of 2010, achieving high visibility and numbers of visitors. The choice of pearls as a theme was clearly inspired by the importance of pearls in the economy and history of Qatar and the entire Gulf region.
