The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), in collaboration with the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, recently finished its a week-long campaign to mark Islamic World Heritage Day, celebrated on 25 September, and to raise awareness within the wider community of how the museum uses modern technology to preserve its extensive collections from the natural elements.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced the launch of Islamic World Heritage Day during the 11th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers, held in Tunis on 17 December 2019, an occasion to consolidate the importance of human heritage in nations’ memories.

Through a series of social media posts, MIA is promoting an awareness of the purpose and measures used in the museum to protect its collections . The posts highlighted how the MIA Conservation and Collections teams uses a variety of modern technology to guard against the natural elements and manage the collection

Dr. Julia Gonnella, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art, said: “Qatar Museums is delighted to support the inaugural Islamic World Heritage Day, which provides us with the opportunity to celebrate our rich Islamic heritage and to highlight the efforts of our teams efforts to protect and preserve our collections. The harsh desert climate in Qatar means that extra special care needs to be taken and we utilise modern technologies, amongst other methods, to preserve our collections for future generations, and the week-long campaign has enabled us to raise awareness about the extensive efforts that go into protecting these artworks and artefacts.”

The social media posts also encouraged children to join in a simple experiment that demonstrated the effects of exposure to sunlight on colors to convey the importance of careful preservation of artworks.

For more information about Qatar Museums, please visit qm.org.qa