Adeel Malik
Hong Kong had its first Islamic art display in June 2025, and now the National Museum of Korea will open its first gallery dedicated to Islamic art, marking a major step in expanding its global cultural exhibitions, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Islamic Art Gallery, located on the third floor of the museum’s Permanent Exhibition Hall. To commemorate the launch, the museum is hosting a joint exhibition with the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, titled ‘Islamic Art: A Journey of Splendour’.
The show runs for 11 months and features 83 artefacts on loan from Doha in Qatar.
Since launching the World Arts Gallery to showcase diverse cultural heritages, the National Museum has held a series of exhibitions from major museums around the world.
This is the first time it is presenting Islamic culture in a permanent exhibition space.
“Since it is difficult for us to build a global collection of great works, we have sought ways to introduce Islamic art to local and international visitors through cooperation with leading institutions,” museum director, You Hong-june, said during a media preview of the exhibition at the museum Thursday.
You described Islamic culture as “a world of fantastic artistry”, noting its complex geometric and calligraphic patterns reflect a sophisticated and modern sensibility.
Shaika Nasser Al-Nassr, director of the Doha museum, said Korea and Qatar, though geographically distant, have long been connected through historical trade routes stretching from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.
She expressed hope that the upcoming exhibition would deepen cultural ties between the two nations while highlighting the global legacy of Islamic art.
The exhibition explores more than a millennium of Islamic art from the 7th to 19th centuries, divided into three sections: religious art, cultural exchange and expansion, and Islamic courtly art and manuscripts.
A major feature of the gallery is a media art recreation of the ‘Reception Room of a Nobleman in Damascus’ – a signature space of the Doha MIA – designated to realistically convey the ambience of the golden age of Islamic culture.
The joint exhibition is scheduled to run till October 11, 2026
