View source for Shangri La (Doris Duke)

{{short description|Islamic-style mansion in Hawaii}}
[[File:Shangri La - exterior view.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Exterior view]]

'''The Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design''' is housed in the former home of [[Doris Duke]] near [[Diamond Head, Hawaii|Diamond Head]] just outside [[Honolulu]], Hawaii. It is now owned and operated as a public museum of the arts and cultures of the Islamic world by the '''Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art''' (DDFIA). Guided tours depart from the [[Honolulu Museum of Art]], which operates the tours in co-operation with DDFIA.

Construction of Shangri La took place from 1936 to 1938,<ref name="about">{{cite web |url=http://shangrilahawaii.org/About-Us/ |title=About Us |publisher=Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art |accessdate=March 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318210042/http://shangrilahawaii.org/About-Us/ |archivedate=March 18, 2016 }}</ref><ref>[[Margaret Bourke-White]]: [https://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=062b04804f202f7f&q=source:life Newly built estate, Shangri-la, belonging to American Tobacco Co. heiress Doris Duke and husband James Cromwell] ([[Honolulu]], 1937)</ref> after [[Doris Duke]]'s 1935 honeymoon which took her through the [[Islam]]ic world. For nearly 60 years, Duke commissioned and collected artworks for the space, eventually forming a collection of over 4,000 objects. The structure was designed by [[Marion Sims Wyeth]]. An artistic reflection of the construction of Shangri La can be found in [[Kiana Davenport]]'s novel ''Song of the Exile''.<ref>''To build the house more than two hundred men had labored a year laying the foundation, excavating five acres of lava. [...] She named her fortress Wahi Pana, legendary place.'' Kiana Davenport: ''Song of the Exile''. New York 2000, {{ISBN|0-345-43494-3}}, pp. 11–12</ref>

The building was opened to the public as a museum, the Shangri La Museum for Islamic Art, Design & Culture, in 2002.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |url=http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/History/Timeline/ |title=Shangri La Timeline |publisher=Shangri La Center for Islamic Arts and Cultures |accessdate=January 28, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209013500/http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/History/Timeline/|archivedate=February 9, 2015 }}</ref>

== Collections and exhibitions ==
[[File:Shangri La - pool view with Diamond Head.JPG|thumb|Pool view with [[Diamond Head, Hawaii]]]]
[[File:Shangri La - sea view.JPG|thumb|Sea view]]
The museum displays a wide-ranging collection of art, furnishings, and built-in architectural elements from [[Iran]], [[Morocco]], [[Turkey]], [[Spain]], [[Syria]], [[Egypt]], and [[India]] - among others. Gilt and painted ceilings from Morocco, vivid ceramics from Iran (including the only complete [[lusterware]] [[Ilkhanate|Ilkhanid]] [[mihrab]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shangrilahawaii.org/islamic-art-collection/search-the-collection?id=4334|title=Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture, & Design. {{!}} Search the Collection|website=www.shangrilahawaii.org|access-date=2019-06-04}}</ref> in North America), painted wooden interiors from Syria, pierced metalwork and vibrant textiles from Spain to India (including a magnificent pair of shaped carpets, made for the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor) are among the many highlights. Its multiple buildings on the campus also include The Playhouse (a reduced-scale version of the 17th century [[Chehel Sotoun]] in Esfahan, Iran, now used for public programs and artist residencies).

The outdoor landscaping has a number of gardens, including a formal Mughal garden inspired by the [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalimar Gardens]], as well as terraced water features, a Hawaiian fishpond, tropical gardens and a waterfall, and fabulous vistas of the Pacific Ocean.

The museum also hosts two visual artists per year for onsite exhibitions, workshops, and/or lectures. Recently-featured artists have included [[Hayv Kahraman]], [[Faig Ahmed]], [[Bahia Shehab]], and [[Reem Bassous]].

== Public tours and programs ==
Because it is located in a residential area with limited parking capacity, tours of Shangri La originate at the Honolulu Museum of Art, and tickets must be reserved well in advance. Individual access to the museum is not granted.

Tours last about two and a-half hours, with one and a-half hours onsite at Shangri La. Tours feature the public rooms of the museum, and portions of the grounds, Features include the Entry Courtyard with [[Bahia Shehab]]'s ''My People'' mural, the Mughal Garden, the covered [[Lānai (Hawaiian language)|lānai]] overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and views of the Playhouse/pool/water cascades.

The museum has a calendar of public programs throughout the year, including educational activities, lectures, and performances by the artists in residence, including musicians (such as [[Alsarah]] and the Nubatones), dancers (such as Amirah Sackett), comedians (Tanzila 'Taz' Ahmed and [[Zahra Noorbakhsh|Zahra Noorkbakhsh]] of Good Muslim Bad Muslim), and intellectuals (such as Dr. [[Lonnie Bunch]]).

==Location==
The facility sits on a {{convert|4.9|acre|m2|adj=on}} oceanfront lot in the exclusive Black Point residential neighborhood near [[Diamond Head, Hawaii]]. All tours to Shangri La begin and end at the [[Honolulu Museum of Art]], which occupies {{convert|3.2|acre|m2}} near downtown Honolulu.

As the museum operates under the terms of a conditional use permit from the City and County of Honolulu, visitor access is restricted. Visitors are not permitted to drive or park on-site at Shangri La or in the surrounding residential neighborhood.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Shangri La (Doris Duke)}}
* {{official website|http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/}}
* Interview: [https://www.museumnext.com/2017/12/conversation-konrad-ng Museum Director Konrad Ng, December 2017]

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{{American Tobacco Company}}
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[[Category:Houses in Honolulu County, Hawaii]]
[[Category:Gardens in Hawaii]]
[[Category:American Tobacco Company|D]]
[[Category:Duke family residences]]
[[Category:Museums in Honolulu]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Islamic museums]]
[[Category:Residential buildings completed in 1938]]
[[Category:Hawaiian architecture]]
[[Category:Art museums established in 2002]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in Hawaii]]
[[Category:1938 establishments in Hawaii]]