Julia Gonnella – författare

For more than seven years, Syria has been undergoing one of the worst human tragedies worldwide. This once proud and splendid country, with its fabled cities of Damascus and Aleppo, has been largely destroyed. Great parts of its population have been forced to leave, which has led to one of the major refugee migrations of recent history. Syria's fate affects everyone, especially its neighbours in the Middle East. It is for this reason that the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha has chosen to draw attention to Syria's unique cultural heritage, illuminating its key role in artistic and intellectual world history and, at the same time, seeking to safeguard the irreplaceable legacy that is in such danger.