Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia Official page of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM)
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This illuminated collection of surahs, originating from early 19th-century Qajar Persia, represents a pinnacle of privat...
11/05/2026

This illuminated collection of surahs, originating from early 19th-century Qajar Persia, represents a pinnacle of private devotional luxury. The manuscript, which includes significant chapters such as Al-Fatiha, Ya-Sin and Al-Mulk, is a masterwork of contrast and light. Its most striking feature is the use of deep indigo blue handmade paper, which serves as a celestial backdrop for the gold naskh script.
The calligraphic ex*****on is particularly refined, with the text reserved within 'clouds' against a solid gold ground, a technique that enhances the sacred nature of the word. Completed with a floral lacquer binding, this complete 12-folio volume stands as a testament to the sophisticated synthesis of artistic craftsmanship and spiritual practice in 19th-century Persian book arts.

Daggers and knives were very popular during the 18th and 19th centuries throughout the Ottoman Empire. This small jade-h...
07/05/2026

Daggers and knives were very popular during the 18th and 19th centuries throughout the Ottoman Empire. This small jade-hilted knife has a dark damascened wootz blade embellished with gold arabesques. The hilt is finely adorned with circular bands and floral motifs in kundan (gold foil) studded with rubies. Watercolour drawings depict Ottoman janissary officers of various divisions, each in their official costume, with small bladed weapons in the cloth girdles wrapped around their waist.

Dated to 1030 AH (1620-21 AD), this calligraphy panel features the "Musk Pen" of the legendary Mughal master 'Abd al-Rah...
04/05/2026

Dated to 1030 AH (1620-21 AD), this calligraphy panel features the "Musk Pen" of the legendary Mughal master 'Abd al-Rahim 'Anbarin Qalam. Originally from Herat, 'Abd al-Rahim was so highly favoured by Emperor Jahangir that he was granted this distinctive title. The Persian quatrain is composed in elegant black nasta'liq script, set against a backdrop of gold floral illumination. The visual splendour is enhanced by mid-17th-century margins, finely decorated with gold-outlined polychrome floral sprays and clouds, a hallmark of the refined aesthetic during the reign of Shah Jahan. With its poetic celebration of kindness and exalted status, this work remains a rare testament to the talented lineage and technical mastery that defined the Mughal court.

Enamelled and gilded glass is among the most prized forms of Islamic artistry, greatly admired by collectors in Europe a...
30/04/2026

Enamelled and gilded glass is among the most prized forms of Islamic artistry, greatly admired by collectors in Europe and America during the 19th century. This charger was made by J. & L. Lobmeyr, a Vienna-based glass company, founded in 1823, known for decorative objects inspired by non-European traditions. Its production reflects the era’s interest in the 'Orient', especially art evoking the Islamic world. The Lobmeyr designers adapted historical motifs into new forms appealing to Western tastes. This 19th-century work draws on Mamluk brass chargers (1250–1517), reinterpreting intricate patterns and calligraphy in glass and showing Islamic art’s strong influence on European design.

Exploring the foundations of Islamic aesthetics, this marble capital from the Umayyad Dynasty (661–750 AD) marks a trans...
27/04/2026

Exploring the foundations of Islamic aesthetics, this marble capital from the Umayyad Dynasty (661–750 AD) marks a transitional moment, with earlier classical and Sasanian traditions beginning to integrate into a new identity. The piece features intricate scrolling vines and leaves that closely resemble the architectural splendour found at the Great Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. From its sprawling courtyards to the intricate mosaics and carved stonework, the mosque’s architecture reflects the emergence of arabesque design. By adapting the semi-naturalistic motifs of the eastern Mediterranean, Umayyad artisans created a visual language that would have new religious and artistic meaning.

This firman is a royal decree issued by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the 34th ruler of the Ottoman Empire (1876-1909). The fir...
23/04/2026

This firman is a royal decree issued by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the 34th ruler of the Ottoman Empire (1876-1909). The firman was written on 24th Safar 1314 AH (4 August 1896 AD) in an elegant diwani script alternating in gold, black and red ink. A tughra -- the calligraphic monogram or a signature of the Ottoman Sultans -- is written prominently in gold ink at the top of the decree. This tughra contains the following inscription: ‘Abd al-Hamid Khan ibn ‘Abd al-Majid, al-Muzzafar da’iman. The phrase ‘al-Muzzafar da’iman’ means' Ever Victorious’. This tradition, which had started six centuries before, ended with the reign of the last Ottoman sultan, Mehmed VI (r.1918-1922).

These three artefacts are from Kashan, Iran, of the 12th and 14th centuries. They represent a golden age of Persian craf...
20/04/2026

These three artefacts are from Kashan, Iran, of the 12th and 14th centuries. They represent a golden age of Persian craftsmanship. From the elegant silhouette of a long-spouted ewer and a multi-handled storage jar to the bold relief of a calligraphic architectural tile, the striking 'Persian blue' is a defining aesthetic of Islamic ceramics, especially those of the Seljuk and Ilkhanate empires.

Derived from copper oxides, the vibrant turquoise finish does more than just decorate; it transforms the surface into a shimmering, glass-like skin. From daily domestic utility to grand architectural ornamentation, the turquoise alkaline glaze is a testament to the technical sophistication and enduring beauty of medieval Iran.

Dated Ramadan 1120 AH (November 1708 AD), this Qur’an is attributed to Ahmad al-Nayrizi, one of the foremost masters of ...
16/04/2026

Dated Ramadan 1120 AH (November 1708 AD), this Qur’an is attributed to Ahmad al-Nayrizi, one of the foremost masters of the naskh script during the Safavid period. The pages featuring Surah al-Fatihah and the beginning of Surah al-Baqarah, are richly illuminated with intricate arabesque designs framed by finely drawn geometric borders in gold ink. The manuscript is bound in a Persian-style cover, stamped with a central medallion and surrounded by cartouches, four corner pieces, and a pair of floral buds — a characteristic of Safavid bookbinding.

Dating from the 17th century, this gilt-copper Ottoman water flask (matara) is a luxurious reworking of a form tradition...
13/04/2026

Dating from the 17th century, this gilt-copper Ottoman water flask (matara) is a luxurious reworking of a form traditionally crafted with leather. Made of two pieces of carved gilded copper, known as tombak, the vessel has a slender pyramid shape specifically associated with the Hajj pilgrimage and the collection of sacred water from the Zamzam well. The mastery of the metalworker is visible in the shallow-carved borders, which cleverly mimic the functional stitching found on its leather counterparts. Decorative bands across the front feature elegant floral sprays and cartouches, while the underside is hidden away with a six-pointed star and stylised cypress tree motifs. This gilt-copper vessel represents the transformation of a humble traveller’s tool into a prestigious object of material culture.

The renowned French glassmaker Emile Gallé (1846-1904) began to experiment with enamelling on glass in the late 1870s. H...
09/04/2026

The renowned French glassmaker Emile Gallé (1846-1904) began to experiment with enamelling on glass in the late 1870s. His works were inspired by Ayyubid-Mamluk luxury glassware whilst expanding on its decorative and chromatic range. This enamelled flask features a mounted archer firing backwards — a recurring theme in many examples of Mamluk enamelled wares of the 13th century. Additional decorative motifs include scrolling vine patterns rendered in black enamel and outlined in gold.

Produced around 1580 AD, this Iznik water bottle serves as a vibrant example of the bold, nature-inspired aesthetics of ...
06/04/2026

Produced around 1580 AD, this Iznik water bottle serves as a vibrant example of the bold, nature-inspired aesthetics of the late 16th-century Iznik workshops. The vessel is distinguished by its extensive use of a bright emerald green, paired with deep-blue and reddish-brown accents. Its most striking feature is the overlapping fish-scale pattern, a local decorative technique that first emerged in the 1520s and evolved from a simple animal motif into a sophisticated background texture. Detailed with fine white highlights on the tips of each scale, the repeating patterns flow across the bulbous body and elongated neck, separated by rhythmic bands of geometric and floral borders. This piece reflects Ottoman ceramic innovation in blending structural elegance with natural elements.

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