Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia Official page of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM)
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Completed in 1204 AH (1789 AD) as a traditional 30- juz set, this Indian Qur’an chronicles generations of devotion and p...
08/06/2026

Completed in 1204 AH (1789 AD) as a traditional 30- juz set, this Indian Qur’an chronicles generations of devotion and physical adaptation. Forty years later, a formal waqf (endowment) statement and seal reading “Abduh al-Raji Hassan or Hussain Muhammad” were added to every volume, and by 1276 AH (1860 AD) the set was refashioned into 60 volumes, with illuminated headpieces added to each new half-juz. A note from the same year records a family prayer gathering featuring famed reciters, confirming that this extensive structural split was complete. Adjustments to the presentation of this sacred text are a testament to the living history of Islamic culture.

This Songket Jantung Limar from Palembang, Indonesia combines two distinct weaving techniques. The first is the kain lim...
04/06/2026

This Songket Jantung Limar from Palembang, Indonesia combines two distinct weaving techniques. The first is the kain limar, a silk textile decorated with bunga cogan (royal standard motif) and produced using a single-weft ikat technique, in which small bundles of weft threads are tie-dyed before weaving. The second is songket, a supplementary-weft technique that incorporates gilt-metal threads. The textile derives its name from the exceptionally fine quality of these gilt-metal threads, known as benang mas jantung, literally meaning “the heart of the golden thread”. The square shape of this cloth indicates that it was worn as a man's headdress, known as a destar or tanjak.

This sword is inscribed to the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605 AD). Executed in gold nasta‘liq inlay along the back e...
01/06/2026

This sword is inscribed to the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605 AD). Executed in gold nasta‘liq inlay along the back edge of the blade, a Persian couplet records the sovereign’s name and reads: “The sword that like thunder causes a sigh of pain / the sword has gained eminence [being that of] Jalal al-Din Akbar Shah, the Conqueror”. A secondary inscription on the spine of the blade invokes a protective religious statement: “The head of the foe is under Dhu’lFaqar (the sword of ‘Ali), when lonely, Allah is the companion”. Characteristically for elite Mughal weaponry of this period, the blade itself is of European origin, likely to have been manufactured in Germany or Italy.

Eid al-Adha, marks the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage. The association with Mecca is maintained in this sitarah, o...
27/05/2026

Eid al-Adha, marks the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage. The association with Mecca is maintained in this sitarah, or door curtain, which is part of the Kiswah draping the Ka’ba. Produced during the reign of King Faisal bin Abd al-Aziz al-Saud, in 1964, it is embroidered in metal thread on black silk velvet. Measuring over 6 metres in height, it is entirely covered with verses of the Qur’an. During the Umayyad Dynasty (662 – 750), the Kiswah used to be changed twice a year. It was embroidered and sent from Egypt to the Hijaz as the centrepiece of the Mahmal procession. In 1927, King Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia decided that the Kiswah should be produced in Mecca, an honour that has been continued ever since.

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As the Hajj season approaches, the material culture of pilgrimage is represented by two exceptional objects that capture...
25/05/2026

As the Hajj season approaches, the material culture of pilgrimage is represented by two exceptional objects that capture the journey to the holy sanctuaries of Mecca and Medina. The first is a rare copy of the Kitab Futuh al-Haramayn (The Book of Revelations of the Two Holy Sanctuaries) by the polymath Muhyi al-Din Lari. Dated 1003 AH (1594-95 AD) and signed by Mir Hadi Ibn Mir Ibrahim, this Persian poetic guidebook contains 18 illustrations in gouache and gold, serving as a visual and spiritual roadmap for pilgrims. The colophon reveals it was copied directly at the sacred mountain of Jabal Abu Qubays, making it a prized memento produced within the holy precinct.
Accompanying this literary guide is a 17th-century pilgrim flask from the Deccan, India. Cast in brass, its distinctive crescent-shaped body and heavy suspension rings reflect a robust yet elegant design well suited for the rigours of maritime and overland routes.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Ottoman workshops actively produced decorative tiles depicting the Kaʿba and its sacred ...
21/05/2026

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Ottoman workshops actively produced decorative tiles depicting the Kaʿba and its sacred surroundings. These tiles adorned the homes of pilgrims who had completed the Hajj and were often displayed on the qibla wall of mosques and private residences. Rendered in a bird’s-eye view, the composition portrays the Kaʿba draped in its black kiswah, the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad), the Zamzam Well, the Maqam Ibrahim, and the prayer stations associated with the Hanbali, Hanafi, and Maliki schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Also depicted are the domes used for storing carpets and candles, all enclosed within the precinct of the Great Mosque Masjid al-Haram. A century later, in 1881 AD (1299 AH), the military marshal ʿAbd al-ʿAziz Husni produced a more precise representation of the Sacred Mosque, the Kaʿba and its surroundings, documenting Mecca during the late Ottoman period under the Sharifate of Mecca.

In observance of the upcoming Hari Raya Haji, we reflect on the sacred legacy of the Dhul-Hijjah with this magnificent 2...
18/05/2026

In observance of the upcoming Hari Raya Haji, we reflect on the sacred legacy of the Dhul-Hijjah with this magnificent 29-volume set of Sahih al-Bukhari.
Commissioned in Medina between 1841 and 1844, this Ottoman-era masterpiece was produced for Sherif Pasha, the Sheikh of the Prophet’s Mosque. Each volume is a testament to devotion, featuring elegant naskh calligraphy by Mehmed Rasikh al-Bursawi and opulent gold illumination.
Recognized as an authoritative record of prophetic traditions, the Sahih al-Bukhari highlights a series of guidance for Muslims when they perform Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam. A list of patrons within the first volume suggests a communal effort to finance this monumental task—an inspiring reflection of the spirit of sacrifice and community at the heart of this season.

The metal-wrapped thread of this brocaded textile is typical of the exquisite taste of the Mughal royal court and the ad...
14/05/2026

The metal-wrapped thread of this brocaded textile is typical of the exquisite taste of the Mughal royal court and the adaptation of Persian weaving techniques. While the exterior of the robe is brocaded with Persian-style floral sprays in red and green silk thread, the lining is of red silk with gold stripes. The shape of the robe is known as angarkhi, which is a shorter from of an angarkha, characterised by an insert panel over the chest. This style of robe was not only worn by the Mughal royal court but also by colonial English officers, as depicted in miniature painting and portraits. This robe is believed to have belonged to either Henry Vansittart, who was the Governor of Bengal from 1759 to 1764, or his brother George Vansittart, who was in Bengal from 1761 to 1776.

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.

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