7 is an high sculpture built by American sculptor Richard Serra and located in the Museum of Islamic Art Park, in Doha, Qatar. Unveiled in December 2011, it is the tallest public art piece in Qatar and the tallest Serra has ever conceived. It is also his first sculpture to be showcased in the Middle East. Constructed from seven steel plates arranged in a heptagonal shape, the work celebrates the scientific and spiritual significance of the number seven in Islamic culture. It rests on a man-made plaza extending into Doha harbour. Background Richard Serra was commissioned by the Qatar Museums Authority to create the 7 sculpture based on the personal recommendation of I.M.Pei – the architect who built the adjacent Museum of Islamic Art. According to Pei, he wanted an artist that would complement the museum and, “connect the aesthetic content of the museum to the possibility of building a public space for the people. The project took around three years between the first contact between Serra and Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (Chair of the Qatar Museums Authority) and the actual unveiling in December 2011, and around one year in the construction phase. Design The original concept for the sculpture was an eight-sided, tall model. This was amended later following discussions with Sheikha Al Mayassa, who was not convinced with the model. Finally, the revised plan involved seven plates of German-made Cor-ten steel assembled in a heptagonal shape and stretching in the air. The design was heavily influenced by the minarets found throughout the Muslim world. A distinctive architectural feature of mosques, these tall spires date back to the seventh century. It is particularly the Ghazni minaret in Afghanistan that was the key inspiration for Serra. Richard Serra also found inspiration in the Quran's repeated use of the number seven and the fact that Persian mathematician and astronomer Abu Sahl al-Quhi was the first person to build a seven-sided heptagonal shape. These three elements would ultimately define and focus the project. Measuring ten feet wide at the base and narrowing to nine feet at the top, the tower's walls are placed so as to include three triangular openings, allowing interplay between the work and the viewer, and between the space of the outside world and the space of the work of art. The sculpture's steel slabs are made from Shanxi Black Granite and are designed to be