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| Families at the new park’s playground yesterday |
Hundreds of residents, mostly families, thronged the Museum of Islamic Art Park yesterday to enjoy its ambience amidst fun activities for children organised as part of the official opening of Doha’s latest recreation venue.
The park, located on the museum grounds, is designed by Pei Partnership Architects of New York.
Apart from its scenic allure due to its closeness to the bay, the park features many green spaces where families can relax while children enjoy themselves in a playground equipped with bungee jump trampolines, bouncy castles, swings and other attractions.
As part of the opening events, a local cultural troupe serenaded the visitors while children watched a magic show, were taken on horse, donkey and camel rides, had their faces painted and spent some time drawing and colouring.
Four large-screen televisions at different locations in the park aired children’s shows and family programmes.
Some of the features that add to the beauty of the 68-acre public space are a 250-foot-long and 75-foot-wide sculpture plaza on a pier surrounded by water with stairs that rise up from the water’s edge and a 2km lighted pedestrian pathway shaded by palm trees.
The pier was created to support Richard Serra’s newly commissioned sculpture titled 7, the artist’s first public work in the Middle East.
The 7, which is Serra’s tallest vertical sculpture to date, is 10 feet wide at the bottom and nine feet wide at the top and comprises seven steel plates that are 80 feet high, eight feet wide and four inches thick.
Visitors to the park can enjoy complimentary WiFi access. Refreshments are available in one cafe and two kiosks. There are also gift shops selling souvenirs.
Another attraction of the park is a small cove created for water activities such as paddle boat rides. This facility is expected to open soon, according MIA Park operations co-ordinator Robert East.
“We are hoping to bring between 14-16 two- and three-seater paddle boats to the cove very soon and also to ensure that the area around 7, which is closed to access now is also open soon,” East said.
Some of the park visitors who spoke to Gulf Times described it as an appropriate addition to Doha’s leisure destinations.
“This is a very good and important free space as it seems to have everything. However, I’ll suggest that ample shading be provided soon in order to make the place usable during the hotter months,” said landscape architect Lee Allen, a Doha resident from the UK.
“The park is a nice addition to Qatar’s leisure venues. It is very spacious for family outings,” said Garon, a resident from Belarus.
