Conversation: Museum of Islamic Art

Sitting on its own small island in Doha, Qatar, on the Persian Gulf, the brand new "Museum of Islamic Art":http://www.mia.org.qa/english/index.html contains one of the greatest collections of the religion's art and artifacts, including works from throughout the Arab world, Europe and Central Asia. The museum opened its doors in November, and I had the great fortune to visit it earlier this month and to meet there Roger Mandle, who oversees the museum in his role as executive director of the "Qatar Museums Authority":http://www.qma.com.qa/eng/. Mr. Mandle is an art historian and former president of the Rhode Island School of Design. He joined me by phone Thursday from Doha: "[Watch a slide show of I.M. Pei's design and artifacts from the Museum of Islamic Art.]":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/entertainment/art/islamicmuseum/index.html