Qatar's sightseeing is structured around a waterfront and several museums of genuine international ambition. The Museum of Islamic Art — I.M. Pei's last major building — holds one of the world's great collections of Islamic decorative art, covering 1,400 years and three continents in a building whose geometric structure is itself the first exhibit. The National Museum's desert rose disc building covers Qatari natural and human history from the Jurassic sea floor through pearl diving to oil discovery. The traditional market, the cultural village, and the historic downtown museum houses complete the circuit. The Inland Sea dune landscape and the Al Thakira mangrove kayaking extend the sightseeing into natural terrain. Tours by locals often make the place feel warmer, sharper, and more personal. It really hits differently.