Qatar: Rome’s Grand Mosque on display in Doha
Until 21 November, an immersive experience combining art, architecture and cultural dialogue. The launch event, held at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, will feature the panel discussion ‘Beyond the Image of the Mosque: Space, Light and Meaning in Rome’, alongside a special screening of the documentary and a discussion between scholars specialising in architecture, Islamic art and heritage conservation
The Great Mosque of Rome comes to Doha with an exhibition project that combines architecture, cultural heritage and digital technologies. The Italian Embassy in Qatar, in collaboration with the Museum of Islamic Art, has opened the exhibition ‘The Great Mosque of Rome – Immersive Experience’, which forms part of the Qatar Creates programme and is open to the public free of charge from 22 September to 21 November.
The initiative offers a digital tour dedicated to the architectural, cultural and spiritual history of the Roman complex, which houses the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italia. Documentary films, virtual reality and interactive content allow visitors to take a virtual tour of the courtyards, the arcades, the prayer hall and the architectural details of the mosque designed by Paolo Portoghesi in collaboration with Vittorio Gigliotti and Sami Mousawi.
Opened in 1995, the Great Mosque of Rome is one of the capital’s most significant examples of contemporary architecture and one of the largest mosques in the West. Portoghesi’s design has developed a style that successfully brings together Italian architectural tradition, Islamic sensibilities, the landscape and the symbolic significance of light.
At the heart of the exhibition is the 24-minute documentary ‘Light upon Light – The Great Mosque of Rome by Paolo Portoghesi’. The film explores the architect’s sources of inspiration and the relationship between materials, craftsmanship, nature and the light within the spaces. The historical images of Portoghesi are accompanied by contributions from Carlo Bianchini and Stefania Portoghesi Tuzi of Sapienza University of Rome, Abdellah Redouane, Secretary-General of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italia, and Cultural Attaché Abdelhak Bouchoi.
The tour also includes a virtual reality experience conceived by the architect Davide Borra and developed by the Turin-based company No Real Interactive. Through guide avatars in Arabic, English and Italian, visitors can explore the mosque’s interior and understand its architectural layout, with an educational approach that combines academic research, audiovisual media and technological innovation.
