Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo
متحف الفن الاسلامى | |
Established | 1903 |
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Location | Cairo |
Coordinates | 30°02′41″N 31°15′10″E / 30.04472°N 31.25278°E |
Type | Art museum |
Director | Ahmed seyam |
Curator | Abbas Hilmi II |
Website | http://www.miaegypt.org |
The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Cairo, Egypt is considered one of the greatest museums 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 4,500 artefacts in 25 halls,
The museum has conducted archaeological excavations in the Fustat area and has organized a number of national and international exhibitions. The museum closed for renovations in 2003, and re-opened 8 years later, in August 2010.[1] The restoration cost nearly US$10 million.[1]
History
Although recognition of the Egyptian Pharaonic art was signalled in Cairo by the establishment in 1858 of the Egyptian
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
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
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.
Design
The museum faces historic Cairo. It has two entrances: one on the north-eastern side and the other on the south-eastern side. A beautiful garden with a fountain once led to the first entrance but was later removed. The entrance on Port Said Street features a very luxurious façade, rich with decorations and recesses inspired by Islamic architecture in Egypt from various periods. The museum is a two-storey building; the lower floor contains the exhibition halls and the upper floor contains the general stores. The basement contains a store connected with the Restoration Section.
Bomb damage
On January 24, 2014, a car bomb attack targeting the Cairo police headquarters on the other side of the street caused considerable damage to the museum and destroyed many artifacts. It's estimated that 20-30% of the artifacts will need restoration. The blast also severely damaged the building's façade, erasing intricate designs in the Islamic style. The National Library in the same building was also affected.[2][3][4]
Reopening
Following the car bomb damage there was a period of reconstruction and restoration, during which the majority of affected artefacts were retained.[5] The museum reopened in January 2017.
Collection
The collection features artifacts from Egypt, North Africa, Andalusia, the Arabian Peninsula and Iran ranging from the 7th to the 19th century. The exhibited artifacts of the right wing of the MIA are divided by the Umayyad, Abbasid, Ayubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The exhibited artifacts of the left wing of the MIA are divided into sections by science, astronomy, calligraphy, coins, stones and textiles, covering various epochs.[6]
Gallery
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Marble jars and stands with engraved ornamentation
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Ceramic tile panel with painted under glaze decoration and transparent glaze overall, 17th century
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Luster painted large dish, Fatimid era
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Marble medallion, the main logo of the MIA
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Two astrolabes of copper, 14th-18th century
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Gilded and enameled glass mosque lamp, Mamluk period
References
- ^ a b c "Largest Islamic art museum reopens after 8 years", CBC News, August 14, 2010, webpage: CBC-14.
- ^ "Cairo Blast Rips Into Islamic Art Museum, Damaging Key Global Collection". 2014-01-26. Archived from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
- ^ "Cairo's Islamic Art Museum bombed". BBC News. 2014. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
- ^ Cairo, Associated Press in (2014-01-26). "Unesco to assess blast damage at Islamic museum in Cairo". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-08-19. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
- ^ "Museum of Islamic Art | History & Collection | Britannica". Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
- ^ "Exhibition areas of the MIA" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
External links
- official Museum of Islamic Art website
- Al Ahram article: Museum of Islamic Art
- AFP article on the Museum of Islamic Art reopening