Islamic art museum
Islamic art museum is one of Cairo’s three main museums and houses a superb collection of antiquities from the different Islamic periods of Egypt’s history.
Visitors interested in Islamic art and design should not miss this museum.
The objects on display have been collected from many mosques and other monuments and it has become one of the world’s most important Islamic museums.
The collection was originally housed in the National Library which was built in 1881.
The library has since been relocated and has made more space available for the exhibits.
There are artefacts from each era of Islamic rule and they are arranged either in chronological order of periods, or in subjects.
collections of textiles, glassware, tapestries and ceramics and calligraphy from throughout the Muslim world.
fine collections of mosque lamps, intricate mushrabiyya window screens and pulpits, inlaid metalwork and Iranian and Turkish carpets and prayer mats displayed in the 23 rooms.
One of the rooms is devoted to weaponry, including medieval swords and suits of armour, another to illuminated Qur’anic manuscripts, calligraphy and books, including some ‘Persian Miniatures’. The oldest of the parchment fragments dates back to the 8th century.
Cairo’s Museum of Islamic Art houses one of the richest collections of artifacts from all periods of Islamic history and all parts of the Islamic world. Structured as a guide, but fully illustrated with superb color photographs, this book suggests a simple but comprehensive itinerary through one of Egypt’s most fascinating museums.
Taking readers through the various exhibits, this useful guidebook explains and illuminates the esthetic and historic importance of the museum’s main works on display, including metalwork, textiles, woodwork, glass, carved stone and ivory, and the art of the book.
Written by one of the leading authorities on Islamic art and architecture, and lavishly illustrated throughout with specially commissioned color photographs, this is the definitive guide to Egypt’s great collection of Islamic art.
