The Islamic Arts Museum has 12 main galleries which is classified according to the types of artifacts spread over level 1 and 2. Level 2 of the museum hosts the Quran and Manuscripts Gallery, the Islamic Architecture Gallery, the India Gallery, the Chinese Gallery, the Ancient Malay World Gallery as well as the amazing reconstructed Ottoman Syrian Room dating back to the 19th Century. Visitors can also proceed upstairs to Level 2 which hosts an amazing display of jewelry, textile, arms and armor, ceramics as well as ancient Islamic glass ware.
Exhibition: Al Hajj: The Malaysian Experience
For centuries, Hajj experience overwhelmed Muslims. Muslims around the globe, regardless of their background and race, aim to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam, and to be able to be present in Makkah during specific days to perform particular rituals of Hajj based on those conducted by the Prophet Muhammad SAW. This spiritual experience is a privilege for physically and financially able Muslims. Nevertheless, it never deters Muslims to take the long and arduous journey to reach Makkah for the sake of Hajj. Today, with the establishment of Hajj services and management institution, the preparation has made easy and simple hence alleviated past hardships.
Malaysia has long recognised the importance of facilitating Malaysian pilgrims. The formation of Lembaga Tabung Haji enables Malaysians to gradually save money for the purpose of pilgrimage to Makkah. The service ranges from saving, transportation, accommodation, food as well as guidance, which in turn enriches the sacred undertaking of the Hajj amongst Malaysian pilgrims. As a catalyst Islamic institution with the objective to function as the pillar of economy for the ummah, Lembaga Tabung Haji also encourages Malaysians to take the opportunity to join in the investment industries.
The catalogue and exhibition, Al Hajj: The Malaysian Experience, provides stories of Malaysian pilgrims and Tabung Haji’s presence throughout their pilgrimage. It also brings audiences to the key rituals of Hajj and offers information regarding the world’s biggest pilgrimage on earth. The exhibition, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Tabung Haji, portrays the aspirations and commitment of Tabung Haji as a vital institution of al Hajj in Malaysia. It also unfolds the devotion and determination of Malaysian pilgrims to take steps towards Makkah al Mukarramah.
Architecture
Architecture was one of the earliest expressions of Islamic cultural identity and has retained its importance ever since. Conveying the splendour of this monumental art form in a museum setting has been achieved by using a comprehensive collection of scale models. These range from the colossal grandeur of the holiest mosque in Islam – Mecca’s Masjid al-Haram – to the more desolate beauty of Central Asian mausoleums dedicated to Timur and Amir Albukhari. Every corner of Islam is covered in miniature, including the widely overlooked mosques of China and Southeast Asia. To give a more intimate impression of these sacred spaces, the gallery includes a re-creation of a mosque interior.
Qur'an and Manuscript
The written word is glorified in Islam, and at its summit is the Qur’an. The oldest fragments of the Qur’an are from the 8th century. Their origins are usually unclear, but they are usually attributed to North Africa or the Middle East. The power of their simplicity is self-evident. From around the 11th century onwards, paper took over from the original vellum. Decoration went from the minimalism of early Kufic to later examples adorned with enough gold and colour to overwhelm the words completely.
Scribes were honoured members of Islamic societies, and rulers were also prone to displaying their calligraphic prowess. This encompassed more than sacred texts. Illumination was rare on works of science and philosophy. The Islamic world’s contribution in these areas was valued for its substance rather than its appearance. Works of astronomy, mathematics and medicine looked less spectacular than religious texts but they led the world in scholarship.
India
With the arrival of Babur, the founder of the Mughal empire 1526-1828), the stage was set for the most brilliant flowering of Islamic art in India. The ruling family was of Turkic and Mongol descent, and its most lasting contribution was a synthesis of Central Asian culture with that of India. The Mughals’ achievements were all-embracing. Every aspect of court life was beautified without restraint. They took as much interest in fashion as jewellery, and their architectural achievements remain unrivaled.
The IAMM India Gallery provides a glimpse into the two worlds of the Mughals: public and private. There are many features of Mughal art that diverge from the Islamic mainstream. The most obvious of these is a delight in portraiture. Court life demanded an impressive array of vessels and other types of tableware. Rather than being made from ceramic, they tended to be masterpieces of the metalworker’s art. The Islamic tradition of metalworking, including arms and armour, was taken to an unmatched level of opulence.
The IAMM India Gallery provides a glimpse into the two worlds of the Mughals: public and private. There are many features of Mughal art that diverge from the Islamic mainstream. The most obvious of these is a delight in portraiture. Court life demanded an impressive array of vessels and other types of tableware. Rather than being made from ceramic, they tended to be masterpieces of the metalworker’s art. The Islamic tradition of metalworking, including arms and armour, was taken to an unmatched level of opulence.
China
Whether intended for domestic use or for the huge export market, Islamic art in China has a clear identity. This unique contribution, which had been overlooked by most art historians until recently, is now beginning to receive the attention it deserves. Calligraphy has always been a revered art form in China. This coincides with the Islamic ideal, although the results are often very different from other parts of Islam. The most distinctive works are calligraphic scrolls that take a traditional, Chinese approach.
The written word is found in many other Chinese Islamic media. These include the cloisonné wares that China started to create in quantity during the 15th century. The rich colours of the enamels make a vivid contrast to plain calligraphic belief. The same blending of cultures is evident in bronze altar vessels, originally made for traditional worship and then adapted to suit the tastes of Muslim patrons.
Malay World
The Malay Archipelago has been the most easterly frontier of Islam for the past 500 years. For centuries, Southeast Asia was part of the greatest trading route the world had ever seen. It was a meeting place for different Asian empires, as well as the new trading powers that emerged from the West.
Natural forms abound in the Islamic art of Southeast Asia. Subjects such as stylised plants, fruits and clouds are found in a wide variety of media. On textiles, these are often taken to a degree of abstraction that puts them in the realm of pure geometry. Craftsmanship in wood and metal, especially the creation of kris daggers, is another tradition for which the Malay world was once renowned. An art of Southeast Asia which receives less attention is Qur’anic manuscripts. The collection at IAMM is exceptionally strong on Qur’ans from the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula, an area formerly distinguished for its Islamic scholarship and calligraphic expertise.
Jewelry
Just as many of the world’s finest gemstones come from Islamic lands, so does much of the finest jewellery. The elite of various Islamic societies have generally favoured diamonds, emeralds and rubies, along with pearls and a host of semi-precious stones. The ways that they were worked, and the uses that they were put to, often differed greatly from their European counterparts. Nose and toe rings are two types of personal adornment more commonly found in the Islamic world.
Islamic jewellery falls into two broad categories: the exclusive and the ‘ethnic’. Examples of the latter exist among tribal groupings from Morocco to Xinjiang. The IAMM collection is especially rich in the jewellery of Central Asia; substantial yet graceful, usually crafted from silver and set with agates, carnelians or red glass. At the more opulent end of the scale, there is little to rival the magnificence of Indian jewellery.
Textiles
Islamic textiles were once used to convey status, wealth and religious allegiance. The finest of these cloths were considered to be the very definition of luxury in their own time. Early Islamic textiles are usually found in fragmentary form. The IAMM collection comprises later, more complete examples. Most of these are from the eastern end of Islam. The Safavids and Mughals were responsible for some of the greatest advances in the field. Elaborate woven silks and brilliant colourfast dyes for cottons were hugely popular. Above all, the intricate plant motifs developed in Kashmir made their mark on the world, most notably as the shawls that were later copied by the workshops of Paisley in Scotland.
Textiles were used for decorative as well as sartorial purposes. With the nomadic origins of so many of Islam’s ruling dynasties, it was inevitable that they would continue to value the portability of textiles. For the rest of society, nostalgia played a smaller part than practicality. With a general scarcity of wood, woven products were the obvious choice for wall and floor coverings.
Arms and Armor
Many cultures have put considerable effort into beautifying the arts of war, but in the Islamic world there is a spiritual dimension as well. Religious inscriptions abound. In addition to sophisticated acid-etching techniques and inlays in precious metals, the superb quality of steel with a high-carbon blend was allowed to shine through. Collected for centuries as weapons, and much respected by their opponents in warfare, these objects stand out as works with a sculptural quality.
As with the rest of the world, there are two major categories of Islamic arms: firearms and edged weapons. Blades have a much longer history than barrels. The greatest advance in metalworking was the development of watered steel, associated with Damascus and used throughout the Islamic world. Flexible and yet able to take the sharpest edge, it was ideal for the highest-quality swords, daggers, axes, maces and spears. Islamic armour has also long been admired for its beauty and effectiveness. With the arrival of firearms, aesthetics remained a priority and the imagination of the Islamic gunsmith soared.
Coins and Seals
Up to the modern age, coins throughout the Islamic world shared a certain identity. They were highly calligraphic, with religious inscriptions and details of rulers predominating. Pictorial images have been avoided since early in the development of Islam, although exceptions do exist. As an empire with a keen interest in trade, coins of the Caliphate were distributed around the world. They were imitated as far away as Anglo-Saxon England and discoveries of Umayyad and Abbasid coin hoards happen regularly in Sweden and Russia.
The study of seals is not as advanced as that of coins, although a lot of work is currently being put into the subject. The IAMM has a wide-ranging collection of seals that date back many centuries. The most common materials are jade, agate, chalcedony and carnelian. Metal was also used extensively. Seals, like coins, can be admired as intricate works of art in miniature whilst sometimes offering a glimpse into the past, especially when they have a date inscribed.
Metal Works
Most of the Islamic metalwork that has survived is made of base alloys, although it is clear that these were items of great importance in their own time. Almost no gold or silver vessels exist. Works in brass and bronze reveal a picture of metalworkers gifted with enormous ingenuity and technical ability. Many pieces were signed by their makers, suggesting that they were objects of considerable prestige.
During the early Islamic period, Iran produced some of the finest metalwork the world has ever seen. Sturdy and yet elegant, they show the ability of craftsmen in the Islamic world to transform basic items of utility into refined works of art. Outside Iran, there were other achievements in the field of metalwork. During the 13th century, a school emerged in Mosul that rivalled the expertise of Iran. The Mongol invasion of Mesopotamia drove these artisans westwards, where the Mamluk rulers of Egypt and Syria became patrons of another great flowering of metalwork.
Ceramics
Muslim potters have created wares of outstanding originality. Influences came from many directions, mainly China, but the results are unique to the cultures that produced them. From the austerity of Nishaphur calligraphic bowls to the richness of Kashan lustrewares, there is an unmistakable vigour that puts these works in a special creative category. By trying to reproduce elements of alien ceramic traditions they created new forms, which were in turn copied outside the Islamic world.
The inventiveness of these potters was unrelenting. Calligraphic inscriptions were used to enormous effect in a number of different techniques. Technical innovations allowed for new body types, many of which depended on the composite material known as ‘frit’. The Ottoman Empire’s great contribution is Iznik ceramics. These relied little on calligraphy and a lot on bold floral designs. After the early blue-and-white decoration of the 15th century, the next two hundred years saw the arrival of flowers and other motifs in vivid colours that have never been matched.
Living with Wood
Carving, in various media, has always been a much-admired form of decoration throughout the Islamic world. Craftsmen lavished special care on wood, which in many areas was very scarce. In addition to a shortage of timber, woodworkers have often operated in climates that cause warping and shrinkage. They developed an unrivalled expertise, combining different types of wood with other precious materials, including ivory and mother-of-pearl.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Arts_Museum_Malaysia
http://www.iamm.org.my/i_ex/?p=886
Image References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Islamic_Arts_Museum_Malaysia_sign.jpg
http://vagablonding.com/malaysia/islamic-arts-museum-kuala-lumpur
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