New details have been announced by Qatar Museums (QM) about an upcoming exhibition – titled Ektashif: Uzbekistan – which opens on September 3 at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and features new art by seven Qatari artists, inspired by their travels through Uzbekistan.

The exhibition is being organised by MIA, in collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will be on view until November 28. 

Ektashif: Uzbekistan presents new artworks by Aisha Al Muhannadi, Abdulla Fakhroo, Leena Al Aali, Maryam Abel, Ameena Al Boinin, The Nourah and Hameed Al Qahtani, each of whom participated in MIA’s ongoing Ektashif (meaning ‘discover’ in Arabic) programme, which provides international travel opportunities to artists looking to more fully understand the diversity of the Islamic world’s artistic traditions. Previous iterations of the programme sent Qatari artists to India, Turkiye, Spain and Morocco to develop new skills in traditional Islamic arts. 

Through visits to historical sites and hands-on workshops with master craftsmen, the artists in this year’s programme were immersed in the traditional arts and architecture of Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, strengthening cultural ties between Qatar and the wider Islamic world. Each work in Ektashif: Uzbekistan draws from these travel experiences, reflecting the enduring influence of Uzbekistan, a country whose Timurid monuments, ceramic traditions and living craft practices have long shaped the visual language of Islamic art across Central Asia. The exhibition will be accompanied by a public programme, with details on a panel discussion to follow.

“The mission of Ektashif is to provide Qatari artists the opportunity to engage directly with the places, traditions and living heritage of Islamic art, which spans thirteen centuries of history and stretches across multiple continents,” said Shaika Al-Nassr, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art.

“Uzbekistan’s distinct Islamic heritage, from the brickwork of Samarkand to the ikat fabric workshops of Bukhara, is not only an essential part of this cultural past, but also a source of thriving contemporary practice. The artworks in Ektashif: Uzbekistan suggest how these deeply rooted traditions continue to animate new ways of thinking and new ways of seeing the world.”

Ektashif: Uzbekistan accompanies Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion, the most comprehensive survey of Uzbekistan’s heritage presented in three decades. Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion will draw on more than 3,000 years of Uzbekistan’s artistic and cultural heritage, from the eighth century to the present, through 147 objects, including monumental paintings, Timurid architectural fragments, illuminated manuscripts, ceramics, jewellery and textiles from the collections of MIA and 13 institutions across Uzbekistan, ranging from the Afrasiab Museum in Samarkand to the Margilan Crafts Development Centre.

Together, the two exhibitions form a centrepiece of Qatar Museums’ wide-ranging autumn 2026 season, which includes a slate of openings through the autumn and winter months. The full list of exhibitions may be accessed here.

GO: Visit Qatar Museums – Qatar Museums or Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) – Museum of Islamic Art for more information.