Museum of Islamic Art

What Museum of Islamic Art does

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is a cultural institution located on the Doha waterfront in Qatar, operating under Qatar Museums. Designed by architect I.M. Pei and opened in 2008, the museum houses a collection spanning approximately 1,400 years of Islamic art across three continents, with a particular focus on artefacts from the Arab, Persian, Mughal, Turkish, and Andalusian traditions. The institution is structured around permanent galleries, temporary exhibition halls, a dedicated library housing 21,000+ books and 2,000 rare manuscripts, an educational programme, and on-site hospitality including the IDAM by Alain Ducasse fine-dining restaurant and the MIA Café. It also operates as a research node, holding membership in IFLA and partnering with academic institutions including the Cambridge School of Art (Anglia Ruskin University).

MIA's revenue mechanics combine ticketed general admission, timed-entry exhibitions, school and group programmes, library and research services, on-site retail (gift shop), and F&B operations through its restaurant partnerships. The institution extends its footprint beyond Doha through outbound travelling exhibitions (e.g., the 2026 display at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul) and inbound cultural diplomacy programmes (e.g., the Uzbekistan Foundation's "Heritage in Motion" exhibition). Digital channels include an online collection catalogue, multi-language audio guides, and virtual-tour infrastructure — primarily visitor-experience tooling rather than monetised products. Operationally, MIA is sustained primarily by Qatar Museums funding rather than ticket revenues, and is positioned as both a public-facing cultural amenity and a state-backed soft-power asset within Qatar's diplomatic and tourism economy.

The audience is highly distributed: domestic Qatari visitors, Gulf-region cultural tourists, international museum tourists, school groups, academic researchers, and institutional partners. There is no B2B customer base of material significance, and the diversified audience mix — combined with state-level sponsorship — materially reduces revenue concentration and churn exposure relative to a commercial operator.

Name

Museum of Islamic Art

Legal name

Museum of Islamic Art

Website

https://mia.org.qa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Museum of Islamic Art is a Doha-based cultural institution operating under Qatar Museums, housing a 1,400-year collection of Islamic art across three continents. It serves tourists, residents, researchers, and school groups via galleries, temporary exhibitions, a dedicated library, F&B, and education programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum and Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Islamic art museum
• Cultural exhibitions
• Art education programs
• Museum library services
• Art gift shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Doha

HQ country

Qatar

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission Tickets: General admission tickets provide entry to both temporary exhibitions and permanent collection galleries. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or upon arrival at the museum.
2. Gift Shop Sales: On-site and online gift shop offering art-inspired gifts, replicas of collection items, jewellery, stationery, accessories, glasswork and publications.
3. IDAM Restaurant: Fine dining restaurant operated by Alain Ducasse on the museum's top floor, offering contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with Arabian influences. Includes lunch and dinner service.
4. MIA Café: Café in the museum atrium offering light bites, beverages, fresh juices, salads and hot drinks.
5. Library Services: Research services, study rooms, copying/scanning services, and access to rare book collections for researchers and students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Museum of Islamic Art is a cultural institution that curates, preserves, and exhibits a world-class collection of Islamic art spanning three continents and over 1,400 years. Its core offering includes permanent collection galleries and temporary exhibitions, supported by a research library, educational programs for schools and families, on-site dining (IDAM by Alain Ducasse and MIA Café), and a gift shop selling art-inspired products and collection replicas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MIA Library: The museum's specialized library featuring over 21,000 books on Islamic art, including rare books collection of 2,000 items
• MIA Café
• IDAM by Alain Ducasse
• MIA Gift Shop
• MIA Park
• MIA Flag Plaza

Products and services

• Permanent Collection Galleries and Temporary Exhibitions On-site museum experience presenting one of the world's greatest collections of Islamic art across permanent collection galleries and temporary exhibitions, intended for the general public, tourists, schools, and researchers.
• MIA Library Research Services Specialized research library offering access to over 21,000 books, 2,000 rare books in English and Arabic, electronic catalogues, academic databases, study rooms, and bibliography assistance for researchers, students, and scholars.
• Educational Programs and School Visits Curriculum-linked educational programs, school tours, guided visits, workshops, and hands-on learning experiences for students from early childhood through university level, including special needs schools.
• MIA Gift Shop Retail operation offering art-inspired gifts, replicas of collection items, jewellery, stationery, accessories, glasswork, and publications, available on-site and online for visitors and online shoppers.
• IDAM by Alain Ducasse Restaurant Fine-dining restaurant located on the museum's top floor offering contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with Arabian influences, with interior designed by Philippe Starck.
• MIA Café Atrium café designed by Philippe Starck offering light bites, beverages, fresh juices, salads, and hot drinks for museum visitors.
• Multilingual Audio Guides Audio guide tours of the museum's comprehensive collections, available in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese, designed for use in the galleries or remotely from home.
• Online Collection Portal Digital collection database providing public access to the museum's collection including metalwork, ceramics, jewellery, woodwork, textiles, and glass, available globally.
• International Travelling Exhibitions Curated travelling exhibitions such as 'Islamic Art: A Journey of Splendor' presenting masterworks from the MIA collection at partner museums internationally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 21,000 books in the library collection
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Qatar MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Museum of Islamic Art is a member of Qatar Museums, which operates an expanding network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art and programming across Qatar. Qatar Museums provides corporate sponsorship, press, careers, and event hosting services.
• Alain DucasseflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlain Ducasse's Michelin-starred restaurant IDAM operates on the top floor of the museum, offering contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with Arabian influences. The restaurant celebrates high standards and sophistication steeped in the Islamic golden age. Design created by Philippe Starck.
• Cambridge School of Art (ARU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Spinning Art Label Design Lab for Health and Wellbeing workshop is organized in collaboration with Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University, focusing on design and health and wellbeing.
• Uzbek Foundation for Development of Arts and CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion' exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Uzbek Foundation for Development of Arts and Culture, representing the latest initiative to showcase Uzbek arts and culture internationally.
• Orazio Bagnasco (B.IN.G.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MIA Gastronomy Collection was founded by Orazio Bagnasco as the Bibliothèque Internationale de Gastronomie (B.IN.G.) and subsequently acquired and donated to Qatar Museums by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2017.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Victoria and Albert Museum: London museum with extensive Islamic Middle Eastern collections, decorative-arts focus, scholarly library, and active education/public programming. Comparable in curatorial depth on Islamic decorative arts (ceramics, textiles, metalwork) that align with MIA's collection strengths.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York's flagship encyclopedic art museum, which houses one of the largest Islamic art departments globally. Operates at far larger scale but shares the MIA model of permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, multi-language accessibility, scholarly library, and gift shop/retail revenue.
• British Museum: London-based encyclopedic museum with substantial Islamic world collections, comparable library/research services, blockbuster temporary exhibitions, and global travelling-exhibition partnerships. Functions as a benchmark for MIA's collection management, conservation, and exhibition programming standards.

Direct peers

• National Museum of Qatar: Sister institution within Qatar Museums, also an architecturally iconic Doha landmark (Jean Nouvel design) with a cultural-heritage collection. Shares the same parent organization, cross-ticketing potential, and tourism funnel — the most direct operational and governance peer.
• Louvre Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat Island-based universal museum and the closest geographic and conceptual peer to MIA. Operates as a state-funded Gulf cultural landmark with comparable cross-civilization collection scope, blockbuster travelling exhibitions, and similar tourism-driven revenue model, directly competing for Gulf cultural tourism itineraries.
• Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art: Doha-based museum under Qatar Museums focused on modern and contemporary Arab art. Same parent network, shared marketing channels and membership base, and operates as a complementary cultural venue within the same tourism cluster as MIA.
• Aga Khan Museum: Toronto-based museum dedicated to Islamic art and cultures, with a comparable curatorial focus on masterpieces spanning the Islamic world. Similar mission in scholarship, conservation, and public programming around Islamic artistic heritage, and a similar revenue mix of admissions, memberships, retail, and donor/state support.
• Institut du Monde Arabe: Paris-based museum and cultural center dedicated to Arab and Islamic civilization, with rotating exhibitions, a research library, and a Jean Nouvel-designed landmark building. Highly comparable to MIA's combination of architecture, scholarly programming, and Arab-Islamic collection focus.
• Museum für Islamische Kunst (Berlin): Berlin's Pergamon Museum complex houses one of the world's leading collections of Islamic art, with a comparable scholarly depth, library/research resources, and travelling exhibition practice. Directly comparable as a flagship Islamic-art museum at a national/state institution.

Emerging players

• Jameel Arts Centre: Dubai-based contemporary arts institution with adjacent programming on Arab and Islamic artistic heritage. Operates at smaller scale but competes for Gulf cultural tourism, scholarly attention, and travelling-exhibition co-production partnerships relevant to MIA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/QMAchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/MIAQatar
• Instagraminstagram.com/miaqatar
• Xx.com/MIAQatar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qatar-museum-authority---museum-of-islamic-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Museum of Islamic Art