A 700-year-old limestone artefact, which was once part of the historic Khamis Mosque but lay forgotten in the National Museum’s storage area, has been dusted off and placed on display to help celebrate International Day of Islamic Art.
The event was marked by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) with a pop-up exhibition at the Bahrain National Museum yesterday, highlighting its collection, alongside an architecture webinar featuring various experts from the Arab world. Baca director general of culture and arts Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa inaugurated the celebrations.
“Our next mission is to renovate the Islamic and manuscript halls at the national museum,” Shaikha Hala added, during a tour of the exhibits.
She also noted that although there have been many additions to the Dilmun halls over the years, the Islamic section still retains the original showcase from the establishment of the museum in 1988.
‘Intersections II’, which is now on display in the museum’s permanent exhibition halls for the next three months, features many donated artefacts from personal collections and by people discovering the items by chance while digging.
Baca museums and archaeology director Dr Salman Al Mahari hosted a tour of the displays, highlighting a newly-added 300-year-old gravestone from Jid Al Haj, donated to the museum by a resident of the village.
Dr Al Mahari, accompanied by Professor Robert Carter from the local British archaeological mission, also presented an artefact of previously unknown significance, which the museum team had found in the museum’s storage room.
The artefact, a 14th century limestone inscription once part of Khamis Mosque, mentions the construction or restoration of an eastern minaret – consistent with historical records.
Many of the items on display have recently been added to the collection. The opening was attended by British Ambassador Roddy Drummond, his wife Yasmin, and US chargé d’affaires Maggie Nardi.
The exhibition will be open every day, apart from Tuesdays, from 8am to 8pm, until February 18, 2022.
Meanwhile, the ‘Architecture in Islamic Art’ webinar hosted nine short lectures by Arab researchers, including Bahrain University interior design assistant professor Dr Tamadher Al Fahal and Dammam University architecture Professor Mashary Al Naim.
Prof Al Naim challenged the idea of Islamic art as a monolith, highlighting its rich multi-faceted heritage that spans time and geography.
Dr Al Fahal addressed a common misconception that geometry in Islamic art is the result of religious doctrines barring the depiction of faces. She stated that, instead, shapes and abstraction in Islamic art reflect deep mystical and spiritual ideas of God.
UAE Architectural Heritage Society chairman Rashad Bukhash announced the development of a national database for all architectural sites. Last month, the GDN reported that the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage in Bahrain is also constructing a similar database, to combat trafficking of cultural artefacts. In 2019, Unesco declared November 18 as International Day of Islamic Art commemorating Islamic heritage and artistic expression, following a proposal by Bahrain at the 40th session of the organisation’s General Conference.
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