voice-over: this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. as an art critic and

ajournalist, ifeel like a very lucky man indeed, because i get to spend tons of time inside museums — places i've loved ever since i was a boy. and during my working life, i've witnessed something astonishing — how radically they've changed. the days of museums as grand, intimidating treasuries for dusty objects. they're long gone. they're becoming much more dynamic and inclusive places, less solemn, less elitist, less west—centric, too. museums, i believe, are really having a moment, and that's what i want to explore. that's part of the story here — what's the museum about? which history do you want to tell? i really feel proud to be standing here and looking at these beautiful pieces from my country. good experiencel for my kids also. they laugh if you were bobbing about in a boat on this exact spot in the arabian gulf half a century ago, what would you have seen? not the futuristic cityscape

before me today, that's for sure — because in recent decades, doha has witnessed unbelievably rapid change. i can't help thinking that the same is true of art history. this excitingly dynamic discipline that's always evolving. that's certainly the case with our ever expanding understanding of islamic art — the speciality of an extraordinary and recently revamped museum that's filled with masterpieces fashioned everywhere from the mediterranean to southeast asia, all housed in a stunning limestone building which i've travelled to qatar to explore. i'm hoping here not only to experience for myself some horizon broadening work from the islamic world, but also to gain insight into what we mean by islamic art. so, this is quite exciting.

i wasn't sure if it was going to happen, but it's now been confirmed that i'm being whisked by golf buggy to meet the sister of the emir of qatar, who's going to tell me all about the history of this museum, which was the brainchild of herfather. so, i'm glad that i did come, despite the heat, in a jacket — and i've even, just in case this would happen, packed a tie. let's see if i actually remember how to do one up. i'm thrilled to be seeing this building at first hand. it was designed by the renowned chinese—american architect im pei — the man behind the glass pyramid at the louvre. sitting within its own landscaped park, it's an impressive synthesis of classical islamic architectural ideas with an open atrium filled with light. but i don't have time to take it all in just yet.

it wouldn't do when meeting royalty to be late. it's so lovely to meet you. nice to meet you. thanks for making time. thank you for having me. no, thanks for having me. thank you for having me! thanks to her role as chairperson of qatar museums, sheikha al mayassa is an influential player on the international arts stage, and she wants to welcome me before this beautifully preserved ottoman reception room. it's so elaborate! yes, this is a new installation of the damascus room. it's a 19th century room, so it was during the ottoman empire. this was an average home in damascus. it was a very prosperous city at the time. but also there's a european influence in terms of pattern and design with the inlay of the glass on the wood and the lacquer. gold leaf is being used, as well, but also it gives you an idea of how people used to live. tell me a little bit about the genesis of this museum.

when my father decided to build a museum of islamic art, he approached im pei, and first he said, no, he's not interested. he knew nothing about our part of the world. he's just retired and he had no interest. but between him and my mother, they were able to convince him. he did have conditions, in the sense that he wanted the museum to stand alone on an island, and as you see, this museum stands by itself. this land was built for this museum. so it's a reclaimed island. i think i also read that he spent several months travelling through the middle east, to really study. you can see, he's brought different parts of the islamic world into this museum. there's the fountain downstairs. it's influenced by his visit to granada, alhambra palace. there's another influence, which is the fatima mosque in egypt. so, he brought in what he thinks, let's say, the best islamic architecture into this building. but i think the difference in this museum is probably the first museum of this calibre on islamic art in a muslim country.

it allows us to expose it to a muslim population, because people have seen islamic collections in the biggest city of the west, whether it's europe or the us. so, it allows us to reinterpret things within the context of this part of the world, within the context of the east. so, having heard all about the building, i think it's time to acquaint myself with the collection. i thought i'd pop in to the gift shop and pick up the official guide, which is here. the only thing is, it's quite big — i think it's nearly 600 pages — but it does give you a real sense of the scope of this collection that spans 1,400 years worth of history, and contains all sorts of objects that were produced everywhere from spain in the west, all the way through to southeast asia. with such a vast timeframe and artefacts from so many different cultures, i want to understand how we can even define islamic art.

so, i want to begin here, with one of its classic forms. frankly, i think it would be remiss while making a programme about islamic art not to feature a beautiful patterned carpet. and this is a particularly fine specimen in the museum's collection. it's almost six metres long, and it dates probably from the 16th century, when it was made in one of the great carpet producing centres in iran — tabriz. it's a wonderful design against a red ground that at first glance feels as though it's abstract, but when you spend some time with it and inspect the design, actually, there are loads of motifs from the natural world. and then you realise that this isn't just a world of tranquillity and harmony, because you have all of these moments of surprising bloodshed, ferocity, the brutality of the natural world. the whole thing has this wonderful sense of... well, it's not quite harmony, because there's a real red

in tooth and claw aspect to the natural world that's being depicted — but, nevertheless, it feels like the setting is one of great paradise, something in which you can revel and enjoy. that mix of the decorative and the surprisingly naturalistic is also a hallmark of another of the museum's treasures, which i've been dying to see for myself... ..but it's not from what we in the west might think of as islam's heartland. it was excavated in present day spain. curator mounia chekhab—abudaya has agreed to tell me more about it. it's, i would say, one of the masterpieces of the collection, probably made in the late 10th, early 11th century, in al—andalus in spain.

it strikes me that you've got two competing impulses, because one is quite naturalistic and there are some absolutely charming details, like the nostrils that are slightly flared, and then these twitchy ears that seem to be almost like a periscope coming up, and the mouth, which feels like it's emitting sound — but the other impulse is, look at all this pattern, including this big medallion on its breast. what do we know about the original purpose and function of this object? as of today, it's still being catalogued as a fountainhead. fountainhead... it would have had water going through this pipe, going into the pedestal, through the feet of the animal, the body, and then flowing through the mouth, which is why it has this shape. but recently, the senior curator at the louvre museum, gwenaelle fellinger, who did extensive research on a similar piece, found out that it might be a piece of an automaton. so, maybe a mechanism, a water clock, that would have

been indicating, for example, time. just remind me what was going on in spain at that time in terms of the islamic world. the islamic rule in spain started in 711. when the muslims arrived in spain, they set up new irrigation systems and new technological advancements in terms of water management. i think what makes this piece very important is the fact that it really reflects the refinement of the court society that had built very prominent buildings in al—andalus, where you would have exquisite architecture, but also very detailed pieces such as this. what is its secret, that it can still speak to people in the 21st century? i think al—andalus is very dear to the arab world as a glorious period of islam, to this heritage that they feel they've lost. this sense of mourning for these past days that have seen so many advancements, so there's a sense of nostalgia with al—andalus.

there was something just so delightful about that — that perky brass hind with its coiffed mane and those flaring nostrils. looking at it, i was transported to the golden age of al—andalus on the western edge of the islamic world, where you have to remember it would have been animated within a palace courtyard by the sight and sound of water gushing — and while it was made using techniques from the ancient mediterranean world, that coat is also covered with tight geometric designs that also crop up far away — in syria, for example — and that cultural cross—pollination is what i'm hoping to discover even more about. i'm at the museum of islamic art in doha. the building sits in its

own immaculate park — the setting, surprisingly, perhaps, for a monumental sculpture by one of the greats of western contemporary art. pretty much any western textbook about islamic art will tell you, often on the very first page, that a preoccupation with geometry is one of its chief hallmarks. and that, i sense, is what's being celebrated by this 80 foot high steel sculpture, its verticality clearly interacting with the skyscrapers across the bay, by the american artist richard serra, whose work, i have to say, i really love. it's constructed from seven steel plates ingeniously propped together, and it's titled simply 7, because it's playing upon, drawing upon, alluding to, the spiritual and scientific significance of the number seven within the islamic world.

it's a number associated with wholeness — and hoping to find out more about how art has reflected islam's religious principles, i've come to the museum's conservation department, where i've been granted special access behind the scenes. here, the deputy director wants to show me one of the most sacred objects in the collection as it's prepared for display. this is a real treasure. a parchment sheet from one of the most beautiful and luxurious korans ever made. the blue qur�*an is considered as one of the most precious objects created in the islamic world. it is from the late ninth century, probably from north africa or spain. it is written in kufic

and outlined by a dark ink. they've put glue on it and then they would brush the gold leaf so we can come up with this beautiful golden script. so the final step of that process is to actually polish the gold leaf? yes. a painstaking process. highly meticulous. the calligrapher is extremely highly skilled. it's quite noticeable, even for someone like me who's not familiar with arabic, but it appears that these very elongated marks come throughout to describe some of the letters and so on. there are certain letters that the calligrapher have elongated, mainly for visually pleasing rather than functional object. it's a design choice? yes, it's a design. the gold is so crucial here, and that interplay of the gold against this deep, rich indigo background, aesthetically seems to be so important. yeah, it's the contrast between the gold and blue. it's what makes it really beautiful. amazing, actually. it's one of my favourite objects in the museum. is it?

yes. why? i think it represents the value and the culture of islamic art. it is very simple, yet it's highly sophisticated and beautiful when you look at it. i know that the blue qur�*an�*s the main event today, but when i came in, i couldn't help noticing that this is in the conservation studio. this looks really familiar to me, cos i feel i've seen imagery like this in museums in london. we are looking at the folio from the imperial mughal album, illustrating the story of hamza known as hamzanama. this illustration tells the story of the fiancee of hamza. she passed away before their marriage. it's full of incident and detail. i think it's a nice contrast with the blue qur�*an where we were looking at highly stylised, nonrepresentational imagery in the form of calligraphy, and here, anyone who thinks that you neverfind representational

forms in islamic art, well, just take a look at this. actually, in islamic art and manuscripts that tells poetry or stories, there are lots of figurative representations. and this feels like one of the most action packed stories you could hope to encounter — but, at the same time, there's still that absolutely classic islamic interest in ornament and geometric pattern. something like this rug — it appears as though it's quite flat, but your eye is drawn right around, thanks to the use of these patterns and devices. you've got this, like a helter—skelter ride, which takes the eye all the way down to the coffin. to the main scene, yes. beautiful calligraphy and exquisite korans are exactly what you'd expect to find at a museum of islamic art — but with objects here produced by so many cultures, i'm intrigued, too, by some of the more surprising things they've decided to show. such as these beguilingly delicate,

golden and mysterious ornaments. i really adore these. they feel like fashion accoutrements of some description. could they have been worn? part of a headdress or something? it could have been possible. you see that the base, it's a little bit concave, so it's supposed to be put on something roundish. was it a head? we don't really know. we decided to put it together with this tree ornament, which is much, much older. there are about 2,000 years... you're kidding? ..between these two objects. it's very interesting, the continuity, the endurance of this specific symbol in particular, which is a tree of life. there's a wonderful detail with the top ornament. you have, what, fruits? what do they represent? they might be pomegranates. the pomegranate has a very specific meaning within asian folklore to do with abundance and fertility.

can i tell you what i find so tantalising? it looks to me as though those leaves, if someone is wearing this and in motion, they would be actually moving — a sense of a breeze ruffling through the leaves. it's a kinetic sculpture, in essence. and sometimes also sound, somehow clanging, as you move. can i ask a question? yep. i'm struggling a bit with the whole definition of islamic art, because i look at this incredible juxtaposition and i come away thinking neither piece... clearly, one is pre—islamic and the other is so indebted to that that you can't really call that islamic either. so, what's it doing here? i think you can ask the same question to so many of the objects that we have on display here and in our collection. this is in this museum because it has been produced in a geographical area that at that time was ruled by a muslim ruler. we have to agree, "ok, it's islamic art. "we know that it is problematic." and then when visitors come here, we try to debunk

the whole idea by showing how diverse it is. if anyone can define what's meant by islamic art, surely it's the museum's director, julia gonnella. so now we come in... ahh! ..to the boys' room. this is the boys' room. right, 0k. it's extremely dramatic. what's the date of this set of armour? it's 0ttoman. the mia has an amazing collection of arms and armour. what's this? a pair of coral inlaid, flintlock pistols? yes. they are quite beautiful. they're amazing, actually. they're amazing. i'm wondering whether we can interrogate this term islamic arta bit, and kind of work out what it means. i think the term islamic art per se isjust extremely difficult, and it has been invented by some western art historians. i wonder how much that western perception, if you like, has dictated understandings of islamic art, because a lot of really wonderful art forms within islamic art will be things that historically in the west were considered decorative arts.

slightly lower down, perhaps, the aesthetic pecking order, as it were. has that influenced the way people in the west perceive it? yeah, absolutely. i think, when they opened this, they wanted to challenge this perspective here because they want to present it as art and not as decorative art. but, really, the concept of art itself is a bit weird, because you have the artist and "he's a genius" and so on. actually, these people were all geniuses. it's just you don't make such a drama out of it. but that's part of the story here. what's the museum about? what rich history do you want to tell? an extensive recent rehang of the museum's collection now evokes stories that matter to the full range of people who today call doha home. i'm from india and i can relate to it because this is my culture. i really feel proud to be standing here and looking at these beautiful pieces from my country. for us to see — for me to see, for my son to see, and then the future generations. there's the red line. i think it looks - like the trade line.

the trade route. it connects the history where islam reached indonesia and how it spread, because indonesia has become, like... the biggest population... exactly. the biggest muslim population in the world. very good experience for my kids also. - yeah. they laugh museums today are as much about the present as the past, and this one hopes to inspire a new generation of artists and makers by asking them to respond to its collection. and i'm meeting one of them — lebanese fashion designer roni helou. this has a really sculptural presence. there's this patchwork punk sensibility where everything's been stitched together very prominently. it has an apparition—like quality, as though suddenly we're in a haunted persian realm and the rug is turning into this figure before our eyes. can i have a look? you're meant to walk around it, right? yeah. i wanted to create a piece that people can interact with.

so, you want people to step on it? exactly. i want people to step on it. normally, you're really kept behind something. step on and touch it. it's a carpet. it's a used carpet. what are the rugs? these are actually vintage persian carpets that i collected from flea markets in lebanon. the title of the piece is untold stories, because this is a patchwork of different carpets that were in homes at some point, you know, in somebody�*s life in lebanon. the whole testimony of what happened in those houses — there are stories behind them, you know. in a sense, a museum that's devoted to "islamic art," is quite a peculiar concept because the term, which was anyway invented by western art historians, encompasses so much — and the collection here at the museum of islamic art is astonishingly, mind—bogglingly diverse, spanning continents, centuries. the artefacts that are on display, they all come

from the islamic world, but many of them are also related to other cultures and traditions, sometimes even more so. but what i love about this beautiful museum is that it isn't afraid to challenge the very label of islamic art that appears, as it were, above the door. and if the story that this place tells is surprising and complex, doesn't thatjust reflect history's reality? besides, its history lesson is never repressive and rarely passes up an opportunity to revel in aesthetic splendour. for more on inside museums, go to bbc.com.

hello there. christmas, for most of us, looks likely to be a mild one. in fact, on friday we had a pretty typical story, quite a lot of cloud around and temperatures 13 degrees across the south coast. but look at this, in the northern isles, just a daytime maximum of one celsius. and yes, there were some snow showers as well. that's because the far northeast of scotland stuck in this cold air. this weather front the dividing line between cloudy and milder conditions down to the south. but as that weather front bumps into the cold air, we're likely to see some snow, 2—10 centimetres forming across higher ground. gradually, that snow will revert back to rain through the day, some of it quite heavy across western and central scotland. cloudier, damp conditions at further south and west. the best of the breaks in the cloud, perhaps east anglia and south—east england. but it is going to be another mild story for most of us. once again, 12—13 degrees,

but staying in that cooler air for the far north—east of scotland. now, as we move into christmas eve, once again, the wind direction subtly changes to a southwesterly. milderstill, but look how many isobars. christmas eve is going to be a windy day. so if you're heading off to friends and family, keep abreast of the forecast. tune in to your bbc local radio station for traffic updates. there will be outbreaks of rain as well coming in from the west at times. but again, it will be mild for most of us with those temperatures potentially 15 degrees. it has the potential, christmas eve, to be the warmest on record. we'll keep you posted with developments of that. as we move out of christmas eve into christmas day, well, we are likely to see some rain around. little in change in the forecast. it stays quite mild for most of us. there will be outbreaks of rain. still in that colder air across scotland, so here we could see a few flakes of snow in those showers. but it's a great day for staying indoors and indulging, really, particularly where that wet weather is sitting and those temperatures

peaking, once again, generally between 9—11; degrees. but there is a glimmer of good news as we head towards boxing day. the weather fronts will gradually ease away. a ridge of high pressure builds. so if you want to get out, get some fresh air and walk off some of the excess of christmas day, you have a chance to do that on boxing day. dry, settled, and sunny for most. merry christmas.

live from washington. this is bbc news. after days of delays the united nations passes a measure demanding more humanitarian aid for gaza but stops short of calling for an immediate truce.

translation: 13 votes in favour and zero votes against. - two abstentions. hamas pledges not to release any more hostages until the war ends, as we learn an israeli—american believed to have been taken by hamas has died. and the us supreme court says it won't fast track a decision regarding potential immunity for former president donald trump. i'm helena humphrey, good to have you with us. after days of negotiations to avoid a us veto, the un security council has approved a resolution demanding large scale aid deliveries to gaza. it stops short of calling for a ceasefire between israel and hamas. 13 council members voted for the resolution. the us and russia abstained. the resolution was sponsored by the united arab emirates, whose ambassador to the un, says the decision �*responds to the dire situation on the ground'.

the palestinian ambassador to the un, called it a step