Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is a museum of Islamic art on Jalan Lembah Perdana in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the edge of the Perdana Botanical Gardens. Opened in 1998, it holds more than 7,000 artefacts in twelve galleries and is the largest museum of Islamic arts in South-East Asia. Open daily, it suits anyone interested in architecture, manuscripts and decorative arts.

A 30,000 square metre building near the National Mosque

The museum opened on 12 December 1998 and stands within walking distance of the old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the National Mosque. The building covers about 30,000 square metres and combines modern construction with traditional Islamic decoration. Its turquoise tiled domes rise above the trees, and the main entrance takes the form of an iwan, a vaulted portal, decorated by tile workers from Iran. Inside, further domes and painted ceilings are as much a part of the display as the objects below.

Twelve galleries on two levels

Level one covers architecture, with large scale models of famous mosques and shrines, the Qur'an and other manuscripts, and the arts of India, China and the Malay world. These Asian galleries show how Islamic design adapted to local traditions.

Level two is arranged by material: arms and armour, textiles, jewellery and coins, and three galleries for metal, wood and ceramics. The museum is also known for its early Islamic glassware.

A restored 19th-century Ottoman room

The best-known single display is the Ottoman Room, a complete decorated room from the early 19th century, reassembled in the museum after a long restoration. Conservators shared the data from that work with international colleagues, including research on painted wood in tropical climates, and a study of its methods appeared in the journal Studies in Conservation in 2010.

The museum also runs research and conservation departments, a library, a children's gallery and temporary exhibitions that change during the year. It won a Platinum award in the culture, arts and heritage category of the Kuala Lumpur Mayor's Tourism Awards in 2014.