Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum | ペルガモン博物館のイスラム美術 | 柏林佩加蒙博物馆的伊斯兰艺术 | 페르가몬 박물관의 이슬람 미술 | Arte islámico en el Museo de Pérgamo | Art islamique au Musée de Pergame | Islamische Kunst im Pergamonmuseum | Sztuka islamska w Muzeum Pergamońskim

The Pergamon Museum in Berlin is world-famous for its incredible collection of ancient artefacts, including the iconic Ishtar Gate, a breathtaking reconstruction of Babylon’s monumental entrance. However, on the upper floor we can visit the Museum of Islamic Art, which showcases over a millennium of Islamic artistic and cultural achievements. It contains a wide variety of artefacts, including intricately woven Persian carpets, ceramic tiles, manuscripts, and fine metalwork from various regions such as Iran, Turkey, and Egypt.

One of the highlights of the collection is the Aleppo Room, a remarkable example of 17th-century Syrian interior design. This beautifully preserved wooden panelling once furnished the reception hall of a wealthy Christian merchant’s home in Aleppo, then part of the Ottoman Empire. The room’s walls are adorned with vibrant floral motifs, geometric patterns, and inscriptions in Arabic, blending secular and religious imagery in a way that reflects the multicultural nature of life in Aleppo at the time. The panels were sold to a collector in 1912 and later donated to the Pergamon Museum, where they’ve been carefully displayed for over a century. You cannot however admire this room at close as it is hidden behind a glass.

Aleppo Rooom in Museum of Islamic Art at Pergamon Museum

While exploring the museum, my attention was particularly drawn to the collection of prayer niches, known as mihrabs. Several of these mihrabs are on display, each one intricately decorated with geometric designs, calligraphy, and floral motifs. A mihrab is a semicircular recess in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of prayer (qibla), which is the direction Muslims should face during prayer – towards Mecca. Mihrabs can be made from various materials, such as marble, ceramics, or wood, and their decorations often include geometric patterns, calligraphy featuring verses from the Qur’an, and plant motifs, characteristic of Islamic art. The mihrab serves both a practical and symbolic function – it is the central point of the prayer space in a mosque and helps worshippers unite in prayer towards the holy city of Islam.

Prayer niches in Museum of Islamic art at Pergamon Museum

The collection of the Museum of Islamic Art at Pergamon Museum was established at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, during a time when interest in Eastern art and culture was growing in Europe. During this period, German archaeologists and researchers conducted numerous expeditions to countries in the Middle East, such as Syria, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. From these expeditions, many Islamic art pieces, including ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and manuscripts, were brought to Berlin.