Pics: Why Egypt hosts the world's biggest Islamic Art Museum

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Mon, 11 Sep 2017 - 11:53 GMT

BY

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 - 11:53 GMT

Museum of Islamic Art façade, by: Sami Abbas. Courtesy: Creative Commons via Wikimedia

Museum of Islamic Art façade, by: Sami Abbas. Courtesy: Creative Commons via Wikimedia

CAIRO - 10 September 2017: Egypt's Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo is the largest museum of its kind in the whole world.

Its main wing displays its invaluable artifacts divided into the different eras; Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman Islamic era.

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The museum from inside. Photo for Egypt Today


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The museum from inside. Photo for Egypt Today


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The first piece at the entrance of the museum: Quraan from the Umayyad era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Marbel panel from the Mamluk era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Jars and dishes from different Islamic eras. Photo for Egypt Today


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Stucco panels from Iraq during the Abbasid era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Wooden panels from the Fatimid era. Photo for Egypt Today


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One of the museum's fountains. Photo for Egypt Today


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Wooden portable Mihrab from Al-Azhar mosque. Photo for Egypt Today


It has a wide range of aesthetic pieces, including wood panels, ceramic dishes, metal tools, whole doors, lanterns, fountains, mihrabs, and minbars from historic mosques.

After browsing the museum for some time, visitors will trace the evolution of Islamic art through different Islamic eras.


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Two flint windows from the Ayyubid era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Another fountain. Photo for Egypt Today


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Wooden panels from the Ayyubid era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Wooden ceiling Mamluk era, Photo for Egypt Today


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Wooden portable Mihrab from Sayyida Nafisa mosque. Photo for Egypt Today


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Ceramic tiles from Iran. Photo for Egypt Today


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Stucco stain-glass window. Photo for Egypt Today


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Copper ewers, basins, and cases from the Mamluk era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Glass bonbonnaire from Mohamed Ali dynasty. Photo for Egypt Today


Another wing in the museum is different, yet equally interesting. The pieces of this section are classified according to different themes: medicine, science, calligraphy, textile, daily life, and gardens.

Among this eye-opening collection are surgical instruments, medical books, scales, sand clocks, astrolabes, Persian carpets, copies of the Quran, tombstones, musical instruments and a myriad of other things.

The museum is one large floor, yet has enough exhibits for at least two hours of interesting browsing. The museum's interior was designed with a neat setting and depends on the natural light which makes it among the most comfortable museums in Egypt to visit.


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Quran from the Mohamed Ali dynasty. Photo for Egypt Today


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Ceramic foundation slab from Ottoman era. Photo for Egypt Today


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Marbla door from Afghanistan. Photo for Egypt Today


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Sample of bride trousseau from the daily life section. Photo for Egypt Today


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Ceramic tiles from Ottoman Turkey. Photo for Egypt Today


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The science section. Photo for Egypt Today


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Manuscript on the medical herbs at the medical section. Photo for Egypt Today


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Headstone from Iran at the calligraphy section. Photo for Egypt Today


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Wool carpet from the Ottoman era at the textiles section. Photo for Egypt Today


What makes this museum the best of its kind is the large number of antiquities and their intactness.

The museum's tickets are fairly affordable. Foreigners are charged LE 20 ($1.13) per adult and LE 10 per student; Egyptians are charged LE 10 per adult and LE 5 per student. A photography ticket costs LE 50.

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