Five-time American football Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has toured Doha’s landmark Museum of Islamic Art this weekend.
Brady is visiting Doha in his capacity as Best Buddies global ambassador and will join the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Qatar Museums (QM) and Best Buddies participants in Qatar at Khalifa International Stadium on Sunday to officially launch a new partnership to incorporate individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and QM initiatives.
Brady was welcomed to MIA by QM’s chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and MIA director Dr Julia Gonnella, who introduced him to the museum’s spectacular Permanent Collection representing the Islamic art from the 7th to the 19th century, featuring manuscripts, ceramics, metal, glass, ivory, textiles, wood and precious stones from the Middle East, Spain and India.
Brady also toured MIA’s popular 'Powder and Damask' exhibition, which showcases Islamic arms and armour from the private collection of Fadel al-Mansoori. The exhibition includes both edged weapons and firearms, displaying a range of objects from the 17th to the 19th century produced primarily in greater Turkey, Iran and India.
Designed by world-renowned architect I M Pei, the MIA building has become an icon. Standing apart on the waters of the Corniche, it draws influence from traditional Islamic architecture.
The building is made from limestone, which captures hourly changes in light and shade. MIA is also home to IDAM, an award-winning, Michelin-starred restaurant created by chef Alain Ducasse, which hosted Brady for a lunch featuring refined Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of Arabian influence.
