Shangri La offers free kamaaina tours

Beginning on October 6 and on each following first Wednesday of the month, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art in cooperation with the Honolulu Academy of Arts will be offering free admission for kamaaina visitors to Shangri La, the famous oceanfront estate at Diamond Head. The estate is home to more than 3,500 pieces of Islamic art, a collection that Doris Duke began amassing during her travels to the Middle East in 1935.

Admission to Shangri La is permitted by reservation only and comes with a guided tour of the grounds and the collection housed at the estate.
For reservations, call (808) 532-3853).

For more information, visit http://www.shangrilahawaii.org.

The roots of Shangri La lie in Doris Duke’s decision to build a seasonal home in Honolulu after her honeymoon in 1935. On her honeymoon, she visited Muslim countries for the first time and her journey also included an extended stay in Hawaii. Finding herself captivated by Islamic cultures and enamored with Hawaii, Doris Duke designed her new home in collaboration with architect Marion Sims Wyeth to evoke the beauty and character of each. Shangri La borrows architectural elements and artistic sensibilities from regions of the Islamic world, and blends them with a distinctly Hawaiian landscape that features sweeping ocean views, exotic gardens and a 75-foot saltwater pool.