Islamic Art Museum

The Museum of Islamic Art is a museum in Cairo, Egypt. The museum has a 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.

Its historical story is also significant: the museum has conducted archaeological excavations in the Fustat area and has organized a number of national and international exhibitions.

Among its defining features, the museum has a 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. Among its defining features, in recent years, the museum has displayed about 4,500 artefacts in 25 halls, but it houses more than 100,000 objects, with the remainder in storage. Among its defining features, the museum closed for renovations in 2003, and re-opened 8 years later, in August 2010. Among its defining features, although recognition of the Egyptian Pharaonic art was signalled in Cairo by the establishment in 1858 of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities and the Egyptian Museum, the appreciation of Islamic art lagged behind. Among its defining features, the Khedive Ismail Pasha approved a proposal to establish a museum of Islamic art in the courtyard of the Mosque of Baibars, but this was...

Typical visits include guided tours, quiet viewing, photography where permitted and learning from on-site interpreters or community guides.

Check opening hours, entry fees, dress expectations and photography rules before arrival. Some sites limit access during ceremonies or maintenance.