All photos by Baba Tamim

After more than a year of planning, AlBahie auction opened its doors at Katara Cultural Village late last week as collectors bid on some 240 lots of sculptures, paintings, furniture and other cultural items.

The catalog for last week’s auction focused on Islamic and Orientalist art, highlighted by a rare 19th century mother-of-pearl Ottoman cabinet with gold, silver, turquoise and ivory with an estimated value of US$180,000.

Other items included manuscripts, jewelry and collections of books, including a selection of 17 titles on T.E. Lawrence, famously known as Lawrence of Arabia, that was expected to fetch at least $650.

Thoughts?