Islamic Art galleries at The Met

Islamic Art

About Us

The Met's collection of Islamic art ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions of Islam, with works from as far westward as Spain and Morocco and as far eastward as Central Asia and Indonesia. Comprising both sacred and secular objects, the collection reveals the mutual influence of artistic practices such as calligraphy, and the exchange of motifs such as vegetal ornament (the arabesque) and geometric patterning in both realms.

Our History
Archival photo of display cases

Although the Museum acquired some seals and jewelry from Islamic countries as early as 1874, and a number of Turkish textiles in 1879, it received its first major group of Islamic objects in 1891, as a bequest of Edward C. Moore. Since then, the collection has grown through gifts, bequests, and purchases, as well as through Museum-sponsored excavations at Nishapur, Iran, in 1935–39 and in 1947. Until 1932, when the Department of Near Eastern Art was established, all of these objects were overseen by the Department of Decorative Arts. By 1963, the number of objects had increased to a point that necessitated an official departmental division between the Ancient Near Eastern and the Islamic portions of the collection, and the Department of Islamic Art was founded.

In 2011, after an extensive renovation, the Museum opened fifteen dramatic new Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia. The greatly enlarged and freshly conceived galleries highlight both the diversity and the interconnectedness of the numerous cultures represented, with multiple entryways that allow visitors to approach the galleries—and the art displayed within—from different perspectives.

Read more about the rich history of Islamic art at the Museum.


View More Department Info
"Tahmuras Defeats the Divs", Folio 23v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi  Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
ca. 1525
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
ca. 1180
"The Elephant Clock", Folio from a Book of the Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by al-Jazari, Farrukh ibn `Abd al-Latif, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Farrukh ibn `Abd al-Latif
Badi' al-Zaman ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari
dated 715 AH/1315 CE
Bowl with Eagle, Muslim Ibn al-Dahhan  Egyptian, Earthenware; luster-painted on opaque white glaze
Muslim Ibn al-Dahhan
ca. 1000
Ewer with a Feline-Shaped Handle, Bronze; cast, chased, and inlaid with copper
7th century
Goa Stone and Gold Case, Container: gold; pierced, repoussé, with cast legs and finials<br/>Goa stone: compound of organic and inorganic materials
late 17th–early 18th century
"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi  Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
ca. 1525
Turquoise Bowl with Lute Player and Audience, Stonepaste; glazed (opaque monochrome), in-glaze- and overglaze-painted, gilded
late 12th–early 13th century
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