Doha hotels collection

For the Museum of Islamic Art, I. M. Pei wanted an island of its own, built out into the bay, so that no tower could ever lean against it. He had found his model in Cairo, in the ablution fountain of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun: bare volumes that come to life only in the sun. The museum's pale limestone plays the same game with shadow. Below, the teak dhows lie at the quay. From the park, the towers of West Bay stand across the water, kept at a respectful distance by the museum's island.