L'Institut du Monde Arabe

This building sits right on the Seine, and thanks to the roof-deck provides an amazing view of the center of Paris.  Inside there is a museum dedicated to artifacts from the Arab world.  Many ceramic items, rugs, and illustrated pages from the Koran are on display here.  There were also a lot of astrolabes, a tool once used by astronomers.  I was surprised by the presence of very old glass vessels, which have survived intact! 

Institute du Monde Arabe windows

One striking feature about this building is its windows, which close almost like an aperture in a camera and allow limited amounts of light to enter. (-Alicia)