In 2014, a car bomb went off near Egypt’s Museum of Islamic Art, damaging the building and nearly destroying 179 priceless objects. Thankfully, the museum recently re-opened with not only renovations but most of the priceless Islamic masterpieces have been repaired.
The museum’s collection represents the culture of the Islamic world which, at its height, a thousand years ago, stretched across Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa to continental Europe; and Cairo was one of its capitals.
According to NPR, “the exhibits illustrate a shift from figurative art to an emphasis on calligraphy and geometric and floral designs that is the hallmark of Islamic art after the 9th century.”
“I think the reopening of the museum is extremely important because there’s been so much negative propaganda” about Islam, “ says museum director Ahmed Shoukri. “I think it will show people that this was one of the most advanced cultures — and how better to see it than through art?”
