Saudi Arabia's First Islamic Art Museum Opens in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia's first museum dedicated entirely to Islamic art has opened in Jeddah, bringing together more than 1,000 artefacts spanning 15 centuries of history, craftsmanship and design.

The House of Islamic Arts features works from across the Islamic world, including pieces from China, India, the Maghreb and Andalusia, highlighting the diversity of artistic traditions, materials and techniques that developed across different regions over the centuries.

A major focus of the collection is Arabic calligraphy, with rare Qur'anic manuscripts tracing the evolution of Islamic script as both a literary and artistic tradition. Among the highlights are a 2.6-metre textile inscribed with one-third of the Holy Qur'an in microscopic script and a manuscript in which every letter incorporates one of the Names of Allah.

The museum also houses thousands of Islamic coins dating from the early Islamic state through the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and later dynasties, offering visitors a chronological look at the development of trade, governance and monetary systems across the Islamic world.

Alongside its permanent collection, the museum will host temporary exhibitions, workshops, lectures and interactive displays designed to explore the history and continuing legacy of Islamic art.