Museum · Cairo
Museum of Islamic Art
A museum in the Bab al-Khalq district of historic Cairo, holding a vast collection of Islamic woodwork, metalwork, ceramics and manuscripts.
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The story
The museum began in the 19th century, when Islamic pieces were first gathered in the courtyard of the al-Hakim Mosque, and a committee for the preservation of Arab monuments was created in 1881. The foundation stone of the present building in Bab al-Khalq was laid in 1899, and it opened officially in December 1903 behind a neo-Mamluk facade. It took its current name in 1952. In January 2014 a car bomb near the police headquarters across the street damaged the building and many objects. After about three years of restoration it reopened in January 2017. The museum keeps well over a hundred thousand objects, of which only a portion is on display in its galleries.
Good to know
- The museum holds more than 100,000 objects, but only a small share is on display in the galleries.
- The present building was designed in a neo-Mamluk style and opened in 1903 in the Bab al-Khalq district.
- Its holdings include woodwork, plaster, metal, ceramics, glass, textiles and Qur'an manuscripts from across the Islamic world.
- It closed after the 2014 bomb damage and reopened in January 2017 following about three years of restoration.
Visiting tips
Per the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities site: listed hours are 9:00 to 17:00 daily, and foreign adult entry is EGP 340 (EGP 170 students). Please check hours and prices before visiting, as they can change.