The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo is considered the largest Islamic museum in the world, as it includes various collections of Islamic arts from India, China and Iran, through the arts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Egypt, North Africa and Andalusia. Khedive Tawfiq issued an order to the Endowments Supervisor in the year 1881 AD to collect all the precious artistic antiques found in mosques and Islamic homes. Thus, for the first time in the world, the Museum of Islamic Antiquities appeared. It was a single room that the public was allowed to visit to study its antiquities. In 1884 AD, Al-Hakim Mosque, bi-Amr Allah, became the headquarters. The House of Arab Antiquities is supervised by the Antiquities Preservation Committee
Museum history.
The idea of establishing a museum of Islamic arts and antiquities began in the era of Khedive “Ismail” in the year 1869, and the idea was implemented during the era of Khedive Tawfiq in the year 1880, when Frantz Pasha collected archaeological artifacts dating back to the Islamic era in the eastern iwan of the Al-Hakim Mosque, bi-Amr Allah, and in 1882 it was The number of archaeological artifacts collected was 111, and after that a small building was built in the courtyard of the Al-Hakim Mosque and called it the “Arab Museum” under the management of Frantzpaşa, who left the service in 1892. The current museum building was opened during the reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II on December 28, 1903. Then, in 1951, the house’s name was changed to the “Museum of Islamic Art.” In 1982-1983, the museum was developed and a hidden garden was added to it. A side door was opened leading to the museum garden. Among the additions that were made during the development process was a hall for the museum’s library, underneath which was a children’s hall, in addition to a hall designated for displaying a collection of textiles and carpets.
Museum description.
The museum has two entrances, one on the northeastern side and the other on the southeastern side, which is the one in use now. The facade of the museum overlooking Port Said Street is distinguished by its Islamic decorations inspired by Islamic architecture in Egypt in its various eras.
The museum consists of two floors: The first contains exhibition halls, and the second contains warehouses and a basement used as a storeroom and for the antiquities restoration department.
The museum includes many archaeological collections dating back to the Islamic era, which number one hundred thousand antiquities. The museum includes Islamic antiquities from various eras, such as the Umayyad, Abbasid, Tulunid, and Persian eras.