Greatly enlarged and completely renovated, the New Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia reopened last month at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art after eight and a half years. In 19,000 square feet of space, the galleries — organized by history and geography — showcase pieces from the museum’s collection of 12,000 works of art, such as carpets and textiles, pottery, calligraphy, painting and architectural elements.
“The opening of these extraordinary new galleries underscores our mission as an encyclopedia museum and provides a unique opportunity to convey the grandeur and complexity of Islamic art and culture at a pivotal point in world history,” said Thomas Campbell, director, Metropolitan Museum of Art. “In sequence, the 15 new galleries trace the course of Islamic civilization, over a span of 13 centuries, from the Middle East to North Africa, Europe and Central and South Asia.”
Shown here is Gallery 459, part of the Koc Family Galleries—Carpets, Textiles and the Greater Ottoman World, and which includes the Simonetti carpet, center, ca. 1500, over 29 feet in length.
PHOTO: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York