 The
museum of Islamic art is truly a wonderful reservoir of Islamic antiquities.
It has a vast supplement of about 10200 artifacts that one cannot explore in a
single day. The museum displays arts from the different Islamic eras that
Egypt passed through including the Fatimid, Turkish and Persian periods. From
the Fatimid Period, one can find a fine collection of wooden panels, which are
the only surviving pieces of the Western Palace of Al Kahira Palace. And
people love the craftsmanship of the Mihrabs of the tombs of Sayeda
Ruqayya and Sayeda Nafeesa
From the Ayyoubid Period one may find the beautifully carved wooden tabut
(casket) of Al Hussein in addition to fine inlaid brass candlesticks. From the
Mamluk period there is a collection of enameled mosque lamps as
 well
as inlays of metal, wood and marble on pieces of furniture and various
objects. And the Tatar El Higaziya provides us the minbar from their Madrasa
(Mausoleum). The boxes of the Quran that once belonged to Sultan Shaaban are
real pieces of art representing meticulous crafting. The beautiful Iranian and
Turkish carpets are simply eye catching. The courtyard area contains a lovely
nineteenth century Fountain obtained from the Monasterli Palace on Rhoda
Island.
  These
antiquities are only a fraction of the displays in the museum. They are only
examples of the most prominent artifacts in the museum. The museum of Islamic
Art is in Bab El Khalq Square in the Egyptian library. Take Port Saed Square
to reach the intersection with Muhammad Ali St. in Ahmad Maher Square. The
museum is open throughout the week from 9 am to 4 p.m. except on Fridays, when
it is open from 9:30 am to 11:30 am and from 1:30 p.m. to 4p.m.
On the other hand, in you take a look at Cairo you will find Islamic
architecture every where. Old (Historic) Cairo is an open museum of the
beautiful architecture of Islam where one may find that geometrical shapes are
the main elements of this fine art. This is because in Islam it is thought
that images of people is a return to pagan idolatry ages. So instead, Islamic
art is uses designs (arabesque). Islamic art has changed with the change of
ruling periods. This evolution of
 Islamic
art started from the Fatimid period. Examples of architecture of the Fatimid
period are the Azhar mosque and El hakim Be Amr Allah mosque. The following period
was that of the Ayyubids, and the citadel is the best example of the art
and architecture of this time interval in Egypt. The Mausoleum of Sultan Al
Mansour Qalawon symbolizes the Bahri Mamluk period. The Circassean Mamluks
follow the Bahri Mamluks and they built many educational buildings like the
Mausoleum of El Zahir Baybers and the mausoleum of Sultan El Ghuri. The mosque
of Mohammed Ali embodied the Ottoman period.
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