DOHA: Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) has reached more than one million Facebook fans, topping the leader board of museums in the Middle East and North Africa region, and joining the top 10 global list.
As of Sunday, MIA had 1,028,540 fans and to highlight the milestone, it will instal photo backdrops resembling a Facebook page around the museum to encourage visitors to share photos using the tag #MIAmillion.
A series of ‘Thank You’ videos has been posted online, featuring museum staff of different nationalities thanking fans from around the world. The initiative is part of MIA’s sixth anniversary celebrations since it opened its doors to the public. MIA has become an instantly recognisable, iconic feature of Doha and one of the city’s most popular destinations for local and international visitors.
The appeal and success of MIA’s expansive collection of Islamic masterpieces, its gallery space, restaurants, views and exhibitions are evident in the growth in visitor numbers and the museum’s popularity with local schools, levels of engagement with communities of fans and followers online and the increasing range and breadth of events being organised.
Monthly and yearly visitor numbers have been increasing steadily since 2012, and over 1.5 million have passed through its doors since it opened in 2008. MIA has welcomed over 14,500 schoolchildren to its galleries and Education Centre in the past one year through its Schools Outreach Programme, helping take MIA into the heart of the community and teach young people about Qatar’s origins to illuminate its future.
Aisha Al Khater, Director, MIA, said: “Over the past six years, MIA has grown from strength to strength. We have evolved and developed in step with the local community as we share our masterpieces, exhibits and knowledge. We’re not just a museum, we’re also a centre of knowledge and inspiration and a destination of choice for local and international communities, reflecting the diversity and depth of our culture. We want to share the knowledge of our experts with everybody, and make the most of expertise we have.”
The Peninsula
