What are the Museum of Islamic Art opening hours?

Saturday to Thursday 9:00–19:00, Friday 13:30–19:00, closed Tuesdays. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Check the museum's site for holiday changes.

How long do you need at MIA?

Ninety minutes covers the highlights; two to three hours if you like museums. Add 30 minutes for the park and the skyline photo.

How do I get to the Museum of Islamic Art?

It is at the southern end of the Corniche next to Souq Waqif. National Museum metro station (Gold Line) is a 10-minute walk; taxis drop at the entrance; every city tour we run stops here.

Museum of Islamic Art Doha | Hours, Tickets & Highlights

I. M. Pei's masterpiece on its own island — what to see, when to go and how to pair it with the souq.

The Museum of Islamic Art is the most-searched attraction in Qatar and the one building every first-time visitor should walk into. I. M. Pei came out of retirement at 91 to design it, insisted on its own artificial island so nothing could ever be built beside it, and filled it with 1,400 years of art from Spain to India. Entry is free. Here is how to see it well.

At a glance
Entry	Free
Hours	Sat–Thu 9–19, Fri 13:30–19, closed Tue
Metro	National Museum (Gold Line)
Time needed	1.5–3 hours
Best photo	MIA Park at 4–6 pm

Hours, tickets and getting there

	Details
Entry	Free (temporary exhibitions QAR 25–50)
Hours	Sat–Thu 9:00–19:00 · Fri 13:30–19:00 · closed Tue
Location	Corniche, next to Souq Waqif and the Dhow Harbour
Metro	National Museum (Gold Line), 10-minute walk
Time needed	1.5–3 hours
Best light for photos	Late afternoon from MIA Park, looking back at the building and West Bay

The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha at dusk, seen across the water from MIA Park — From MIA Park at dusk — the classic Doha photograph.

Ten things not to miss

1 The atrium — stand under the 45-metre dome and look up at the stepped, faceted ceiling.
2 The north window — a five-storey glass wall framing West Bay's skyline.
3 The Cavour Vase (13th-century Syria), enamelled glass that survived 800 years.
4 The Shahnameh folios — Persian miniature painting at its finest.
5 The Iznik ceramics gallery, tulips and cobalt from Ottoman Turkey.
6 The astrolabes — science and art in brass.
7 The Mughal jade and jewelled daggers.
8 Carpets from Cairo and Kerman, hung so you can see the knots.
9 The 9th-century Qur'an pages in Kufic script.
10 The café on the top floor — order a karak and take the view in.

MIA Park and the crescent

Behind the museum, a crescent of lawn curves out into the bay with a Richard Serra sculpture at the tip. It is the single best viewpoint in Doha for the skyline, free, and at its best from 4 pm when the sun is behind you. Food trucks and a kiosk open in the evenings, and residents picnic here on Fridays.

Pair it with Souq Waqif

The souq is a five-minute walk across the road. Do the museum from 3 pm, watch the sunset from the park, then walk into the souq as the lanterns come on and the cafés fill — that is the itinerary of our guided tour, and it is the best half-day in the city.

BookableMuseum of Islamic Art & Souq Waqif guided tourA licensed guide brings the collection to life, then leads you through the souq's spice, gold and falcon lanes. Hotel pickup included, from $40.Book the guided tour

Tuesday is the closed day. If your only free day is a Tuesday, the National Museum of Qatar (open) is a strong alternative — and we swap it in on private tours.

The building, in three facts

I. M. Pei studied the 9th-century Ibn Tulun mosque in Cairo for months before designing the stacked cubes; the ablution fountain's geometry is the source of the dome.
The island is 60 metres offshore so the museum can never be crowded by neighbours — Pei's condition for taking the job.
The limestone is from France, the granite from the US, and the whole thing was renovated in 2022 with rehung galleries and new lighting.

Galleries floor by floor

Floor	What's there	Time
Ground	Atrium, café, shop, temporary exhibitions	20 min
Second	Early Islam, calligraphy, science (astrolabes), ceramics	40 min
Third	Iran and Central Asia, Ottoman Turkey, Mughal India, arms and jewels	40 min
Fourth	Carpets and textiles; the top-floor café terrace	20 min

Eating at and around MIA

IDAM by Alain Ducasse on the top floor is Doha's most celebrated fine-dining room (dinner, reservations essential). The ground-floor café does good coffee and light lunches. In MIA Park, the kiosks sell karak, shawarma and ice cream from 4 pm. Five minutes' walk, Souq Waqif has every price point.

Accessibility and families

The museum is fully step-free with lifts to every floor, free wheelchairs, baby-changing on each level and a family programme at weekends. Children get a free activity trail at the desk; the atrium's window is the best spot for a quiet break. Photography without flash is allowed.