The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo… 120 years of heritage and rarity
120 years have passed since the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, which contains more than 100,000 antiquities and rare artistic masterpieces, which are part of the artistic and historical heritage of Islamic civilization over the course of 12 centuries.
The museum includes pieces from India, China, the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Egypt and the Andalusian civilization.
The 120th anniversary of its opening was celebrated through various activities, according to Ahmed Siam, director of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, who told Asharq Al-Awsat: “They transformed the educational section of the museum into a simulation of art Islamic, starting from the neighborhood and the house through reproductions of ancient decorations: «It expresses Islamic civilization and history».
The US Ambassador to Cairo and some participants (Cairo Museum of Islamic Art)
In late December 1903, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II opened the House of Arab Antiquities (now known as the Museum of Islamic Art) in the Bab al-Khalq area of Cairo’s historic center, which contained approximately 3,000 rare antiquities and masterpieces of different eras and countries. It was one of the possessions of Egypt’s ruling Alawite family, as its kings and princes donated many rare pieces to the museum.
Siam explained that the museum celebration featured artistic performances of Mawlawiyya and religious songs performed by Syrian singer Ahmed Suleiman, and that the guest of the episode was singer Mahmoud Al-Tohamy. He underlined that the celebration, which was held in collaboration with the Medad. The Foundation for Cultural Heritage and Arts of Saudi Arabia was attended by numerous officials, including the American ambassador to Cairo, Hero Mustafa.
Part of the museum collection (Cairo Museum of Islamic Art)
The US Development Agency provided support to restore the facade of the museum building after it was damaged in violent incidents nearby in 2014.
Among the museum’s rare collectibles are a carved limestone tombstone dating from the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, a gold dinar dating from the era of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, and a cast bronze jug attributed to Marwan ibn Muhammad, the last Umayyad ruler, who was found near his burial place.
A Russian artist participates in the celebration (Cairo Museum of Islamic Art)
Professor of Islamic Antiquities at the Faculty of Archeology of Fayoum University, Dr. Walid Khalil, considers the Museum of Islamic Art “one of the largest museums in the world” and explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that it includes a variety of different applications arts and artefacts from the east to the west of the Islamic world.
Khalil pointed to rare examples from the museum’s collection, such as the neck of Prince Katbugha al-Mansouri’s Katbugha candlestick, which has inscriptions and letters in human forms depicting warriors, dating back to the 13th century AD, and portable wooden mihrabs such as the Sayyida mihrab Ruqayyah and Sayyida Nafisa.
A glass chalice with shiny decorations from rare pieces preserved in the museum (Cairo Museum of Islamic Art)
The core Museum of Islamic Art began with around 111 pieces during the reign of Khedive Ismail, and its holdings doubled after receiving donations from rare collections. He also relied on excavations and the purchase of antiques in his funds, and on excavations in Fustat and According to the Egyptian Information Authority, Mount Dronka in Western Assiut (southern Egypt) played a important role in enriching it.
A gold dinar in the name of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo)
The professor of Islamic antiquities added that “the core of the museum began during the reign of Khedive Ismail, and was called the Arab Museum or House of Arab Antiquities,” and stressed that “the building itself has an archaeological character.” explaining that “it is composed of two floors and includes many antiquities applied to the arts”, Islamic objects such as ceramics, pottery, wood, textiles, metals, weapons and coins, as well as a very rare group of glass candlesticks.
The Museum of Islamic Art decorates the center of Cairo (Al-Mathaf)
The museum contains about 13,000 books, also includes 1,170 rare manuscripts from different countries, as well as a group of unique decorations decorated with ornaments. It was closed for renovation in 2002 and reopened in 2010, and part of it was destroyed in the course of 2014. including Sayyida Ruqayyah’s mihrab, Sultan Hassan’s lamps and Abdul Malik bin Marwan’s jug, considered one of the rare pieces. The museum was restored and inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2017.
2023-12-31 14:28:01
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