ACUI Arabian Gulf Tour Continued

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Day 2 in Doha…Culture day!

Our day started with a tour of the Qatar National Mosque. We were split up, so those us who were female could put on full abayas, in addition to our head coverings. Once we were properly attired, we rejoined the rest of our group to meet our incredible guide Adam, a Somali living in Qatar now. He was impressive and passionate about the mosque and his religion, engaging, and willing to answer questions (even tough ones). I think everyone left the mosque with a very different impression of the religion than they entered with. 

After the mosque, we grabbed a quick lunch (Thai or Turkish) and headed off to Museum of Islamic Art. The architecture is impressive, but what else would you expect from an I.M. Pei designed building? The artifacts and art inside range in origin from across the region and from a myriad of periods throughout history. Again, another impressive display of architecture and contents.

We ended the evening with a wonderful dinner at The Katara Cultural Center and a philharmonic concert. We were treated to the world premiere of a new Islamic composition inspired by the Arabic poem titled ‘Rain.’ It was the perfect end to a day of culture.