Guests at the luncheon hosted by the Qatar Museums Authority yesterday.

The Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) has honoured employees of various organisations who played a major role in the success of the opening ceremony of the Museum of Islamic Arts (MIA). H E Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, QMA Board of Trustees, felicitated more than 600 people at a luncheon held in their honour yesterday.
“QMA is pleased to honour all those who contributed to making the inaugural ceremony a dream come true,” said Sheikha Mayassa. “MIA is the first one of the many cultural projects on which Qatar is working. These projects will make Qatar a cultural hub and a major tourist destination.”
“The inaugural ceremony showed the world what Qatar has achieved,” said Abdullah Al Najjar, CEO, QMA. “The event was a culmination of the combined work and dedication of many. Qatar has now become a major landmark in the cultural sector.”

The MIA was inaugurated by the Emir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, at a glittering ceremony on November 22 last year. It was opened to the public on December 1. Since then, the MIA has received more than 1,500 footfalls every day and on weekends and holidays the number is more than 7,000. More than 30,000 people visited the museum within two weeks of the opening.

“The MIA, as expected, is attracting the world to Qatar, especially those who know the value of Islamic art. It had played a major role in the evolution of the society and culture of the Islamic society. It has proved to be capable of responding to various environments; it has stood the test of time, spreading to east and west,” said Najjar.

The inaugural ceremony mesmerised more than 1,000 specially invited guests with spectacular fireworks and a majestic performance by world-renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma and his team.
“The MIA’s opening was made possible due to the visionary direction of the leaders of Qatar, who provided us with both material and moral support. The inauguration is one of the memorable days for the whole of Qatar. QMA values the dedicated work of all who strived as a team and made the event the biggest one in the 2008,” he said.
Source: THE PENINSULA