The Museum für Islamische Kunst (Museum for Islamic Art) is situated in the south wing of the Pergamonmuseum. Its permanent exhibition showcases the architecture and material culture of Islamic peoples and societies from the 8th to the 19th century. The works of art originate from the vast area stretching from Spain to India. The collection's main focus is on Western Asia and Egypt.

This presentation bring history to life, allowing audiences are able to walk around and through the architecture: the most famous pieces include the stone façade from the caliph’s Mshatta palace (Jordan, ca. 740 AD), the decorative stucco walls from dwellings and palaces in the caliph’s city of Samarra (Iraq, 9th century), prayer niches (Iran, Turkey, 13th century), the wooden ceiling from a domed tower in the Alhambra (Spain, 14th century), and the Aleppo Room, with its vibrantly painted wall panelling (Syria, 1600). There is simply no other collection like it!

Together with objects from residential dwellings, palaces and mosques, these items paint a fascinating picture of the remarkable cultures that created them. On display are standout pieces from 1,400 years of ceramics, intricate ivory and wood carvings, elaborately designed vessels made of metal and glass, or (in temporary exhibitions) incredibly detailed miniature paintings and the elegant strokes of Arabic and Persian calligraphy. The artworks are testament to transcultural and multi-religious contexts, as well as products of cultural exchange between regions, something which forms the foundations of our contemporary world.

The objects in the collection originate from the legal partage agreements pertaining to archaeological excavations, from acquisitions, and from the trading of luxury objects that was common practice from the Middle Ages on – as is the case, for example, with the striking carpets and objects in ivory, which have been admired in Europe for centuries. Even if our objects do not come directly from colonial contexts or other forms of unjust acquisition, we thoroughly investigate any question marks about the provenance of the objects. 

A permanent exhibition by the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.