Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 6
10117 Berlin
Germany
- Arts
- Democracy and community development
- Heritage
- International/Cultural relations
- Religion
- Research
- Youth and education
The Museum of Islamic Art in the Pergamon Museum Berlin is the only institution of its kind in Germany, the oldest outside the Islamic World (founded 1904) and counts with its approximately 93.000 pieces as one of the major collections of Islamic Art worldwide. Its encyclopaedic collection covers the material culture of urban centres for nearly 1400 years, spanning geographically from the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco to the Indian subcontinent. Recognising this unique position of the museum as well as a directive, it is taking a stance in civic discourses against one-sided debates on culture and migration, uses its expertise to cooperate with schools and other institutions for education, and initiates projects to connect different communities in the society, in and out of the museum space itself.
The Pergamon Museum on Museum Island is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. Every year up to 900.000 visitors go to see the Museum of Islamic Art and over 600 schools work with the educational material produced by the museum. With its rich art and archaeological collection, the Museum of Islamic Art is one of the leading research institutions dedicated to the material culture of the Middle East and neighbouring regions. The institution houses important collections of archival photographs on Islamic art and architecture as well as an internationally outstanding library focused on art, architecture and archaeology in the world of Islam. It continually expands its international cooperation network with research institutes and museums worldwide and in particular with the source countries of our collections.
Besides its focus on the promotion and research of Islamic art and culture, other core areas of the Museum of Islamic Art include the restoration of historic objects, active engagement into the protection of cultural heritage supporting 12 UNESCO world heritage sites, and the advancement of (trans-)cultural education in Germany and beyond.
The Museum preserves, studies, restores and communicates the cultural memory of Muslim societies from the Mediterranean to the Pacific, and from Antiquity to the Modern Age. From this particular focus arise museological and scientific duties, but at the same time a civic role. This is all the more the case taking into account the difficult public discourses on Islam and migration in Europe and beyond.
Targetinggroups that, in the broadest sense possible, reflect the social realities in Germany, the Museum of Islamic Arts places a special emphasis on (trans-)cultural education and community work. Especially its regional focus on North Africa and the Middle East appeals the museum team to focus on German Muslim communities and people with personal ties to source countries of our collection. Thereby the strength of the encyclopaedic collection to be able to showcase multiple offers for identity building, in short its possibility to act as a cultural reservoir, can be used for diverse audiences. The Museum of Islamic Art develops these perspectives in projects like a cooperation of local mosque communities and youth centres called “Tamam” to create materials for cultural education and empowerment, or the award winning initiative “Multaka” which trains refugees to guide tours through museums in Berlin, connecting art works and exhibition themes to their own lives and perspectives. At the same time expectations of visitors are to be met to experience another culture in order to find answers to their modern-day questions.
Within the next years the Museum of Islamic Art will move within the Pergamon Museum building and nearly triple its exhibition space. The new layout and concept will unite the multiple aspirations and demands to a present day exhibition of Islamic material and visual culture in new and innovative ways to present the cultural legacy of Muslim societies to a local and an international audience, i.e. to the 4 million visitors of the Museum Island annually.