Islamic Arts Museum
Interest in the Islamic arts
has grown tremendously in
recent years. Reflecting this
awareness, in December 1998
Malaysia became home to
Southeast Asia’s largest
museum of Islamic art. The
building occupies 30,000
sq.m., situated amid the
leafy
surroundings of Kuala
Lumpur’s
Perdana Botanical Gardens.
The Islamic Arts Museum
Malaysia houses more than
seven thousand artefacts, as
well as an exceptional
library
of Islamic art books.
The art objects on display
range from the tiniest pieces
of jewellery to one of the
world’s largest scale models
of the Masjid al-Haram in
Mecca. The aim is to create a
collection that is truly
representative of the Islamic
world.
Instead of concentrating on
works from the heartlands of
Persia and the Middle East,
IAMM also puts the emphasis
on
Asia. China and Southeast
Asia
are especially well
represented. The third
component of the Malaysian
melting pot is India, which
is
also given special status.
India, China and the Malay
world are in an exclusive
category.
Other parts of the collection
are displayed according to
type of artefact rather than
geographical origins in the
museum’s 12 galleries.