Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo
متحف الفن الإسلامي
One of the world's richest collections of Islamic art, with around 100,000 objects, including woodwork, ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts and carpets.
The Museum of Islamic Art opened in 1903 in a neo-Mamluk style building that it shares with the National Library. It was damaged by a car bomb in 2014 and reopened in 2017 after restoration. The galleries are organised by dynasty and material, moving from the Umayyads and Abbasids through the Fatimids to the Mamluks and Ottomans. Highlights include Mamluk mosque glass lamps, carved wooden pulpits, silver-inlaid copperware, Iznik tiles, Quran manuscripts, scientific instruments and Persian carpets. The displays are clear, the English labels are thorough, and visitor numbers are low. Foreign adult admission is about EGP 300–500, and it is open roughly 09:00–17:00. The museum is on Bab al-Khalq Square, about a 5-minute taxi ride from Khan el-Khalili.
Opening hours
About 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Bab Zuweila
- Abdeen Palace
- Wikala of al-Ghuri (Tanoura Dance)
- Al-Muizz Street
- Khan el-Khalili
- Al-Azhar Mosque
- Al-Rifa'i Mosque
- Al-Azhar Park