Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo in Cairo
Middle East

Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo

Cairo · Egypt · Founded 1881

Holding one of the world's most important collections of Islamic art, with works from across fourteen centuries.

About Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo

Founded in 1881 inside the Mosque of Baybars, the museum moved to its current Mamluk-revival building on Bab al-Khalq Square in 1903.

After damage from a 2014 bombing, the museum reopened with refreshed displays of more than 4,500 objects spanning calligraphy, ceramics, textiles, and metalwork from across the Islamic world.

Collections & Highlights

Mamluk metalwork
Iznik ceramics
Quranic manuscripts
Inlaid wood and ivory minbars

Frequently Asked Questions

A small ask before you go

You've just explored one of humanity's greatest collections of beauty. Art has the power to move us, inspire us, and change how we see the world. But millions of people will never see beauty like this — not because the art isn't there, but because they can't see at all.

Preventable blindness, caused by conditions like cataracts and trachoma, affects people of all ages across the world's poorest communities. A small gift — for the cost of a museum ticket — can provide a simple surgery to restore someone's sight and transform their life.