Islamic Art Galleries Reopen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

"The Damascus Room," an intact 18th-century reception room from an upper-class Syrian home.

Fountain at "The Damascus Room" 

Moroccan courtyard with intricately carved arches and a fountain was created by Moroccan craftsmen specifically for The Met

11-foot high 14-century Iranian prayer niche

Fountain created by Moroccan craftsmen specifically for The Met

Islam-inspired art is the newest attraction at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the reopening of Islamic Art Galleries last Tuesday. After 8 years of renovations and expansion and $40 million of work, the former Islamic Wing of the museum reopened as the "Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia." The 15 galleries spanning 19,000 square feet, almost a third more than before the reopening range from displays of palatial Persian carpets and Quranic calligraphy to pottery, silver work, wood carvings and mosaics. In all, the galleries display around 1,200 art pieces covering over a millennium of Islamic culture and conquest.