Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

"The Museum of Islamic Art is more influenced by the mosque of Ibn Tulun than any other building. This mosque is very austere and beautiful, and it has the most refined geometry. What inspired me most was the small ablution fountain in the middle of a large courtyard. The little building is a poem."

-I.M. Pei, The Architect

I learnt something invaluable during my visit to Qatar's Museum of Islamic Art, and that is: even brilliant minds find their inspiration in the works of others.

As I approached the entrance of cubically-shaped museum, I knew that I had seen it somewhere... in fact it felt as if I had been to it before. I had read a bit about how the architect had travelled the Islamic world to gather ideas on traditional Islamic architecture to manifest them in the Qatari museum... but I had never thought that he would use one small feature from Ibn Tulun's mosque to create a whole museum...

See if you can spot the similarities for yourself:



A word about the exhibition on display: the treasures this tiny building contains are preeminent jewels of the Islamic civilization. I could not tell whether the artwork on display originated from Egypt, Turkey, Iran, India, Spain, or China...a testament that Muslims shared one cultural identity throughout the ages.

The Triumphant II

Photos of Al-Mu'izz Street by night during Ramadan (August 29, 2010).

The Triumphant I

Photos of Al-Mu'izz Street around sunset (August 26th, 2010).

Pavilion VIII: The Prayer Room

I have recently discovered this jewel on the Lawn. There's not much too it. Three simple candle holder-shaped lamps, a creaky wooden floor, a beige colonial style fireplace mantle that contrasts sharply with the burgundy lining at the bottom of the walls. At first glance, its very difficult to attribute any functionality to this room. Its very minimalist with absolutely no decor, no indicator of a purpose.

Yet, there is so much spirit and serenity just by being here. The first time I passed by this room, I found a 1st year sitting in one of its corners reading a novel. I wasn't quite sure if I'd come to the right place at first, but after inquiring, she answered, "Yes, this is the Prayer room. I just come here in between classes because its quite."

The rustling shadows of the trees outside were slowly caressing the whole room. There was something so peaceful about being here that made me come back more and more. Between classes, I would look forward to escaping into this new world, where I could simply sit and meditate. I try to make the trip at least twice here. Its 9:28 and I feel like I've accomplished a feat getting through my daily prayers, so I decided to dedicate an entry to this room. This room that brings me so much comfort despite its simplicity.

I once wrote an entry titled Where Does God Live? and this room reminded me of it. In this case, I believe that God's presence is everywhere. Yes, even in a 19th Century colonial room at the University of Virginia. I think they keep the room undecorated because of UVa's secular tradition, but I actually like it that way. It expresses the true essence of Islam, i.e. its not by superficial appearances and rituals that one sincerely believes in God, but rather in the subliminal and profound intentions behind his thoughts and actions.

I have come to admire this room. At first, it deceived me for being another Lawn room, but now I understand that it is so much more. Never be judgmental. As a matter of fact, I would like to keep this room unadorned and minimalist. With no visual indicators, it enlightens one about religion and how it should really work...

I look forward to coming back to this room more often. Hopefully, merely sitting and meditating here can teach me more secrets of life.

Where Does God Live?

I once read somewhere something along the lines of:

I looked for God in a church; I could not find Him.
I looked for God in a mosque; I could not find Him.
I looked for God in my heart, and I found Him.

These sage words have remained with me since. Belief in God, I believe, is an internal as the deepest corner of the heart, where His sacred temple resides. I have always thought to myself, does the location and techniques we use to worship Him really matter? Imagine if we could convert a consumerist hub like a mall, with all its luscious space, into a mosque. Or rather, what if it were a universal mosque, where Jews, Christians, and Muslims can worship God in their own approach; because isn't it the same God after all?

Yet, I do have to admit that I was stunned by what I witnessed yesterday. I never thought about it, but to this day, we continue to build our houses of worship in old-age architecture. Why is that? Is religion not compatable with modernity? Hence, for the first time in my life, I had witnessed a modern-style architecturally built mosque; it was simply revolutionary. Not only that, but the mosque's designer was a female, quite a feat in and of itself in the Islamic world.

I was flabbergasted when first reading an article about the construction of this mosque sometime ago on a bbc article, but visiting this mosque yesterday was a completely different experience. The simplicity and modernity of the mosque's interior and courtyard emitted such a tranquility I had not experienced at a mosque before. Even the design of the mosque itself took theological philosophy into consideration, which I thought was remarkable. Although the designer had placed the prayer section for women behind that of the men, it had elevated them to allow them a better glimpse of the mosque's internal view. I thought this to be very much in line with the notion that heaven is underneath mothers' feel in Islam, i.e. the mosque symbolizing heaven.

Overall, I feel like Islam has always encouraged architecture as a means of positively influencing believers. This is not an Islamic concept on its own, but one of all faiths. Yet, since our childhood, we are told that a mosque is God's home. No wonder why the architects of Istanbul's graceful mosques have meticulously strived to manifest God in their work. I recall reading in Alain de Botton's Architecture of Happiness that Islamic theologians strived to write beauty into matter in the construction of mosques, because ultimately beauty beauty translanted into purity and goodness of faith. This was the believe that by absorbing the beauty of architecture, one could become a better person. This is very much in line with the teachings of Avicenna's teachings that "God is the source of every beautiful thing."

I believe that the moral of this story is that with modernity in Islam can still come beauty...