NARRATOR: This is marked “I” as one of our “Investigation” stops:

ELLEN KENNY: Hi, I'm Ellen Kenney. I'm a Research Associate in the Department of Islamic Art. And we have a guest here, Mecka Baumeister, a conservator of the museum. And we're here today to talk about some stunning minbar doors. It's from the minbar that the khutbah, or the sermon on Friday would be given. And it's a set of doors…. that would have once been on the portal of one of these minbars. Mecka is an expert on wood and wood conservation, and she's had a very close, in-depth look at these doors, and has some interesting things to tell us about them.

MECKA BAUMEISTER: The construction technique uses no nails or glue, but relies on close fitting pieces and interlocking joints. This ingenious technique prevents warping of the hygroscopic materials, wood and ivory,…and allows them to expand and contract freely.

ELLEN KENNY: One of the things that I found so fascinating about these doors is not just their own history, but their collection history.

NARRATOR: To hear that story, press PLAY.