Yet another positive news for Muslims and Islam in Hong Kong as various news streams including SCMP reported that an exhibition featuring 90 works, including Islamic carpets, ceramics and manuscripts, from the 10th to the 19th centuries will open in Hong Kong on Wednesday (June 18) amid government efforts to forge stronger ties with the Middle East.
The show, “Wonders of Imperial Carpets: Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha”, is hosted by the Hong Palace Museum and marks the Qatari institution’s debut in the city.
“This exhibition showcases a millennium of cultural exchange between the Islamic world and China and sheds light on the historical roots of today’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Hong Kong Palace Museum director Louis Ng Chi-wa said on Monday, referring to Beijing’s scheme to grow global trade.
Shaika Nasser Al-Nassr, director of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), said dozens of national treasures would be on display and were chosen from a vast 12,000-piece collection. The show marked a “significant moment” for the institution, she added.
“This collaboration reflects our belief that art has the power to connect culture and transcend borders,” she said, adding that they were committed to creating spaces that invited dialogue, curiosity and deeper understanding.
The 17th century “Kevorkian Hyderabad carpet” is among the exhibits. Photo: May Tse
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu led a visit to the Middle East earlier this year, following one in 2023, with the aim of driving more business and people-to-people ties amid escalating China-US tensions and geopolitical uncertainty.
Business leaders from Hong Kong as well as mainland China joined the visit to the Gulf countries of Qatar and Kuwait in May to explore development opportunities in finance, trade and technology. Lee visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2023.
The show’s organisers said it was the first major Islamic art exhibition to be held in the city, showcasing artefacts from the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736), the Mughal dynasty (1526-1857) and the Ottoman dynasty (1299-1923) near modern-day Iran, India and Turkey respectively.
One of the star exhibits is a 16-metre-long wool and cotton carpet from the 17th century that was woven for the palaces of the sultans in Hyderabad, from a region known for diamonds that generated considerable wealth for its Muslim rulers.
“We’re very, very lucky,” Dr Ingrid Yeung, associate curator of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, said, noting that the carpet was not even displayed at the MIA.
She said the curators made a point of including more detailed text panels and featured descriptions in Arabic, Japanese and Korean, available from a QR code for the first time, in addition to the usual Chinese and English, and supplemented by maps and dedicated videos.
The exhibition opens to the public on Wednesday. Photo: May Tse
Exhibits that illustrate the cultural influences between the Islamic world and China in the past include three pairs of utensils – jugs, candlesticks and vessels that are similar in shape and size – but made of Chinese porcelain and brass from different parts of the Muslim world.
“It’s not a religious exhibition. It’s about art and the interconnection of cultures,” Al-Nassr said. “The objects were not necessarily made by Muslims, but it’s under a Muslim ruling government.”
The organisers have also partnered with the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong to organise museum visits and talks for Muslim residents in the city, but details have yet to be announced.
Organisers said they expected 80,000 to 100,000 visitors for the exhibition, which runs from Wednesday until October 6. Tickets cost HK$150 for timed entry and concessionary ones are priced at HK$75.
May Allah bless the event and make it a means for people to study Islam and be guided to it.
Born in Hong Kong, grew up in Scotland and ethnically Pakistani, Adeel primes himself to be a multicultural individual who is an advent social media user for the purpose of learning and propagating Islam while is also a sports fan. Being an English teacher himself, he envisions a bright future for Muslims which he strongly believes can only be done with education.
Adeel Malik
