MIA to present ‘Syria Matters’ exhibition

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha will present a major exhibition entitled Syria Matters on November 21 as part of its 10-year anniversary celebrations as Qatar’s first world-class international museum, it was announced.The exhibition, under the patronage of Qatar Museums (QM) chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, draws on MIA’s own spectacular collection, shown alongside loans from other world-renowned international museums, including the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of Ancient Near Eastern Art in Berlin, the Berlin State Library, and other significant QM collections.It is co-curated by MIA director Dr Julia Gonnella and Rania Abdellatif.Syria Matters takes as its subject the extraordinary cultural heritage of Syria, illuminating Syria’s key role in the artistic and intellectual history of the world.So much of this precious heritage has been tragically lost through the destruction of its fabled cities of Palmyra and Aleppo, as well as countless other cultural heritage sites, during the bitter civil war.According to QM, this exhibition will bring to life the multifaceted layers of Syria’s architectural and cultural history going as far back as the country’s early pre-Islamic past and will explore its many contributions to world history.Qatar Museums said part of the exhibition installation includes a specially-designed immersive experience of several key sites such as the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus and the Citadel of Aleppo, giving visitors a unique experience of these remarkable locations.