Mubarak to open Museum of Islamic Art

Egypt State Information Service

President Hosni Mubarak opens within days the Museum of Islamic Art in the heart of Old Cairo after the Ministry of Culture finalized its renovation which took several years.

The Islamic museum holds more than 100,000 artifacts representing different Islamic arts.

Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni said during a tour in which he inspected the museum after renovation that the museum has been provided with the most up-to-date light and security systems.

The Museum of Islamic Arts is one of the finest museums in Cairo .

The museum's extensive collection of over 10,000 pieces includes mainly Egyptian art, but there are pieces from elsewhere in the Islamic world, as well.

Arranged according to medium, the exhibits illustrate every era of development, from Ummayad to Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Memluk works.

The artworks include woodwork, ceramics, glass, metalwork, textiles, and carpets.