As a part of "Crescentrating's Halal Friendly Travel (CRaHFT) Ranking for 2012", we are excited to announce our Top 5 Islamic Art Museums for 2012!
Museums provide vital information about history; they hold ancient artifacts as well as other objects of scientific, artistic, and cultural importance that allows us to visualize and gain an understanding of what life might have been like in the past. Islamic Museums are especially interesting, showcasing objects such as rare manuscripts of the Quran, clothing worn during the time of the Prophet (Peace be upon Him), and ancient Islamic calligraphy among many other thing.
The top 5 Islamic Art Museums are the following
1. Museum of Islamic Art - Doha, Qatar
With its unique design, this museum will definitely catch your eye! The Museum of Islamic Art is the first of its kind in the Persian Gulf area, showcasing ceramics, jewelries, glass work, and much more. The main feature of this museum is its display of ancient Qurans and calligraphy scripts which date back to the 6th century. If you are an art lover, this is the place to be!
2. Museum of Islamic Art - Cairo, Egypt
The beautiful Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo houses artwork from all around the Islamic world and is one of the finest museums in Cairo. The museum holds over 25 galleries that showcase exhibits from different Islamic periods including the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk periods. Its key possessions are a rare manuscript of the Quran and a gold inlaid key to the door of the Ka'bah.
3. Museum of Turkish & Islamic Arts - Istanbul, Turkey
Just across the famous Blue Mosque, housed in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace, is the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. With over 40,000 artifacts displayed in galleries representing dwellings of a particular area, this museum is a must-visit for every traveler! The museum showcases beautiful objects such as carpets from the Seljuk era, Quranic writings ranging from the 7th to 20th century, rare collections of wood works from the 10th to 19th centuries, stunning ceramic art, and much more!
4. Islamic Arts Museum - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Established in the heart of Kuala Lumpur in 1998 is the Islamic Arts Museum, which houses over 7,000 artifacts. This museum also includes a massive library with an exclusive collection of Islamic art books. There are 12 beautifully arranged galleries which provide a wide range of artifacts to see; visitors can find displays of Islamic architecture, and a rare assortment of Qurans, Moghul arts, the China and Malay world galleries, Islamic jewelry from Morocco, and Islamic textiles.
5. Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, Sharjah, UAE
The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization has more than 5,000 Islamic artifacts from across the world. Established in 2008, this museum is unique in its detailed showcase of the teachings of Islam; the first exhibit displays artifacts revolving around the theme of the Five Pillars of Islam.' Another unique and interesting showcase is that of the Muslim Scientists' contributions to astronomy, geography, natural sciences, and the medicine and architecture fields. Furthermore, the museum houses a gallery entirely dedicated to Islamic coinage; other galleries include ceramics and metalwork from the 7th to the 19th century.
We'd like to give a special mention to the Islamic Art Gallery of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Newly opened in 2011, this gallery easily qualifies as one of the top exhibits of Islamic Art in the U.S. The gallery showcases over 1,200 works spanning more than 1,000 years including ceramics, architecture, as well as carpets from different eras. This beautiful museum holds diverse works from the Middle East and Asia.
If you have been to any of these Museums, please share your experience with us!
