Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Islamic Art, in Cairo
, Egypt
, is considered one of the greatest in the world, with its exceptional collection of rare woodwork and plaster
artefacts, as well as metal, ceramic
, glass
, crystal
, and textile
objects of all periods, from all over the Islamic world.
In recent years, the museum has displayed about 2,500 artefacts in 25 galleries, but it houses more than 102,000 objects, with the remainder in storage. The collection includes rare manuscripts of the Qur'an
, with some calligraphy written in silver ink, on pages with elaborate borders.
The Museum has conducted archaeological excavations in the Fustat area and has organized a number of national and international exhibitions. The museum had been closed for renovations since 2003, and it was re-opened in August 2010, after 8 years. The restoration cost nearly US$10 million.
, the appreciation of Arab and Islamic Art lagged behind. The Khedive Ismail approved a proposal to establish a Museum of Arab Art in the Courtyard of the Mosque of Baibars
, but this was not carried out until 1880, when Khedive Tawfiq
ordered the Ministry of Endowments (ar: الاوقاف - Awqaf) to set it up.
Julius Franz, an Austrian Scholar of Hungarian Descent, the Head of the Technical department at the Awqaf, proposed in 1881 that the ruined Mosque of the Fatimid
Caliph al-Hakim
, adjacent to the Bab Al-Futuh
, to be a provisional seat for the Museum. A Gallery was accordingly furnished there in the eastern arcade, consisting initially of 111 architectural pieces taken from other Monuments.
Matters improved the same year when Khedive Tawfiq
approved the "Committee of Arab Antiquities", whose duties included running the Arab Museum, and providing it with objects as well as preserving the monuments. As a result, the arcades of the mosque were filled to overflowing. In 1884, a two-storey structure was built in the courtyard to house the collection of 900 objects, although its staff consisted of only one curator and a door keeper.
In 1887 Max Hertz, also Austro-Hungarian, replaced Julius Franz, and began making many changes. He suggested the name of the Museum back then as the gallery of Arab Antiquities (ar: دار الاثار العربية - Dar Al-Athar Al-Arabiya). By 1895 the collection numbered to 1,641, and the new building became too crowded, so he requested the Awqaf to build a larger Museum. In 1899 the foundations were laid for the present larger building in the Bab Al-Khalq area of Cairo.
The new and current building was designed by Alfonso Manescalo, and was completed in 1902 in neo-Mamluk style, with its upper storey housing the National Library. The old museum in al Hakim was demolished in the 1970s, during refurbishment of the mosque there.
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, is considered one of the greatest in the world, with its exceptional collection of rare woodwork and plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
artefacts, as well as metal, ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
, glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
, and textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
objects of all periods, from all over the Islamic world.
In recent years, the museum has displayed about 2,500 artefacts in 25 galleries, but it houses more than 102,000 objects, with the remainder in storage. The collection includes rare manuscripts of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, with some calligraphy written in silver ink, on pages with elaborate borders.
The Museum has conducted archaeological excavations in the Fustat area and has organized a number of national and international exhibitions. The museum had been closed for renovations since 2003, and it was re-opened in August 2010, after 8 years. The restoration cost nearly US$10 million.
History
Although recognition of Pharonic art was signaled in Cairo by the establishment in 1858 of the Department of Antiquities and the Egyptian MuseumEgyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....
, the appreciation of Arab and Islamic Art lagged behind. The Khedive Ismail approved a proposal to establish a Museum of Arab Art in the Courtyard of the Mosque of Baibars
Baibars
Baibars or Baybars , nicknamed Abu l-Futuh , was a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France and he led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked...
, but this was not carried out until 1880, when Khedive Tawfiq
Tewfik Pasha
HH Muhammed Tewfik Pasha ' was Khedive of Egypt and Sudan between 1879 and 1892, and the sixth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.-Early life:...
ordered the Ministry of Endowments (ar: الاوقاف - Awqaf) to set it up.
Julius Franz, an Austrian Scholar of Hungarian Descent, the Head of the Technical department at the Awqaf, proposed in 1881 that the ruined Mosque of the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
Caliph al-Hakim
Al-Hakim Mosque
The al-Hakim Mosque is a major Islamic religious site in Cairo, Egypt. It is located in "Islamic Cairo", on the east side of Muizz Street, just south of Bab Al-Futuh...
, adjacent to the Bab Al-Futuh
Bab Al-Futuh
Bab al Futuh is a gate in the walls of the Old City of Cairo, Egypt, facing north. It was finished in the year 1087. It stands at the northern end of Muizz Street....
, to be a provisional seat for the Museum. A Gallery was accordingly furnished there in the eastern arcade, consisting initially of 111 architectural pieces taken from other Monuments.
Matters improved the same year when Khedive Tawfiq
Tewfik Pasha
HH Muhammed Tewfik Pasha ' was Khedive of Egypt and Sudan between 1879 and 1892, and the sixth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.-Early life:...
approved the "Committee of Arab Antiquities", whose duties included running the Arab Museum, and providing it with objects as well as preserving the monuments. As a result, the arcades of the mosque were filled to overflowing. In 1884, a two-storey structure was built in the courtyard to house the collection of 900 objects, although its staff consisted of only one curator and a door keeper.
In 1887 Max Hertz, also Austro-Hungarian, replaced Julius Franz, and began making many changes. He suggested the name of the Museum back then as the gallery of Arab Antiquities (ar: دار الاثار العربية - Dar Al-Athar Al-Arabiya). By 1895 the collection numbered to 1,641, and the new building became too crowded, so he requested the Awqaf to build a larger Museum. In 1899 the foundations were laid for the present larger building in the Bab Al-Khalq area of Cairo.
The new and current building was designed by Alfonso Manescalo, and was completed in 1902 in neo-Mamluk style, with its upper storey housing the National Library. The old museum in al Hakim was demolished in the 1970s, during refurbishment of the mosque there.