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The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art is a satellite of the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece. It features one of the world’s most important collections of Islamic art.

 

Introduction to the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art opened to the public on July 27, 2004. It’s housed in two Neoclassical buildings in the Kerameikos district donated by Lambros Eftaxias. The collection features Islamic art from the 7th through the 19th centuries. Artifacts such as ceramics, metalwork, gold, woodcarvings, glasswork, textiles, weapons, and more are on display.

Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Benaki Museum of Islamic Art


 

Visiting the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

Admission to the museum is €9 for adults, €7 for seniors over 65, and free for anyone under 22 (as of August 2024). It’s open Thursday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Check the official website for more info.

Lobby

 

Café

The museum includes a café on the top floor with an outdoor terrace. There are great views of the Kerameikos archaeological site from there. The café is open during museum hours but closed throughout the month of August.

Café
Terrace
View of Kerameikos archaeological site
View of Kerameikos archaeological site

 

Lobby of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

First of all, before exploring the museum, make sure to admire some of the artifacts on display in the lobby. During my visit, there was a beautifully carved wooden door to a mosque and a pair of 20th century wooden chairs from Egypt.

Door to a mosque
Door to a mosque
Chair from Egypt, 20th century
Chair from Egypt, 20th century

 

Excavation

The galleries at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art are situated on alternating floors of two Neoclassical buildings that have been merged together. On your way up to the first gallery, you may notice some ancient remains. After 1996, when the buildings were being reinforced and renovated for their conversion to the museum, workers discovered a section of the ancient city wall of Athens and an ancient tomb. The museum modified the building plans to preserve the finds and make them accessible to visitors.

Ancient ruins


 

Gallery I at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

The first gallery of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art covers the Islamic world from the 7th to the 12th century. Items on display include ceramics along with a handful of metal and glasswares.

Gallery I at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Gallery I

Most of the works in the first gallery are from Egypt, with ceramics and textile works standing out. Textile production was the most developed industry of the Islamic world during this period, and fabrics were a symbol of social status and prestige.

Ceramic ware from Iran and Egypt, 10th-12th century
Ceramic ware from Iran and Egypt, 10th-12th century
Textiles from Egypt and Yemen, 8th-12th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Textiles from Egypt and Yemen, 8th-12th century
Jewelry, coins, and other items

Fatimid wares from Egypt in the 10th through 12th century reflected their good relations with the Byzantine Empire, Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), and the Islamic Emirate of Sicily. Metalwork from Egypt and Iran mostly consisted of items for everyday use made of copper alloy. Glass vessels were also made mostly for everyday use.

Fatimid ware, Egypt, 10th-12th century
Fatimid ware, Egypt, 10th-12th century
Metalwork from Egypt and Iran, 7th to early 13th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Metalwork from Egypt and Iran, 7th to early 13th century
Glass vessels from Egypt, Syria and Iran, 8th-12th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Glass vessels from Egypt, Syria and Iran, 8th-12th century

 

Umayyad Doors from Iraq

Among the most interesting pieces in this gallery are a pair of doors from Iraq during the late Umayyad period in the middle of the 8th century. According to the information panel, the carvings represent “the so-called ‘tree of life’ in the midst of dense foliage and under a lobed arch.”

Pair of doors; Iraq; mid-8th century
Pair of doors; Iraq; mid-8th century

 

Inscribed Mat from Tiberias

Nearby is a mat inscribed with good wishes for the owner. It was made at a royal workshop in Tiberias, which was an important weaving center in the eastern Mediterranean.

Mat inscribed with good wishes for the owner; Tiberias; 10th century
Mat inscribed with good wishes for the owner; Tiberias; 10th century

 

Tombstone from South Arabia

Finally, there’s a basalt tombstone from south Arabia. It’s dated 1080 and the inscription reads:

“Uthman, son of Asim, son of al-Bistami, who died on the 20th day of the month of Rajab of the hijra year 473.”

Inscribed basalt tombstone; South Arabia; 1080; Gift of Maurice Nahman


 

Gallery II at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

The second gallery covers the Islamic world from the 12th to the 16th century. It features many of the same materials as the first gallery.

Gallery II at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Gallery II
Ceramics from Iran and Syria; 12th-13th century
Ceramics from Iran and Syria; 12th-13th century

This period in time saw the introduction of new techniques. For metalwork, inlaying with gold, silver, and copper was introduced in eastern Iran during the 12th century. This transformed ordinary brass objects into luxury items. In the 13th century, Mosul, northern Syria, and Damascus became major metalworking centers. Cairo followed in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Metalwork with inlaid decoration from Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Egypt; 13th-15th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Metalwork with inlaid decoration from Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Egypt; 13th-15th century

For ceramics, the Persians developed a white ceramic body with possibilities for moulding and painting. This was similar to how the Chinese produced ceramics at the time.

Ceramic ware from Iran; 12th-early 13th century
Ceramic ware from Iran; 12th-early 13th century
Ceramic vessel shaped like a cat
Ceramic vessel shaped like a cat

 

Highlights in Gallery II

Impressive items include a pair of 15th to 16th century wooden doors from Egypt and late 12th to early 13th century tiles with relief Quranic inscription from a mosque in Iran. There are also marble panels from late 15th century to early 16th century Egypt, inlaid with red and green pigment, depicting an arabesque and a palm tree.

Pair of wooden doors with geometric decoration; Egypt; 15th-16th century
Pair of wooden doors with geometric decoration; Egypt; 15th-16th century
Tile with relief Quranic inscription from the wall revetment of a mosque; Iran; late 13th-early 14th century
Tile with relief Quranic inscription from the wall revetment of a mosque; Iran; late 13th-early 14th century
Marble panels, part of architectural decoration, carved in the champleve technique and inlaid with red and green pigment. One panel depicts an arabesque and the other a palm tree; Egypt; late 15th-early 16th century

 

Stone Mihrab from Iran

One of the most interesting artifacts in Gallery II is a 12th century stone mihrab from Iran. It contains an inscription on the arch reading “In the name of God the Most Compassionate, the Merciful”, which is the opening verse of the Quran.

Stone mihrab bearing a floriated Kufic inscription and the representation of a hanging mosque lamp; Iran; 12th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Stone mihrab bearing a floriated Kufic inscription and the representation of a hanging mosque lamp; Iran; 12th century

 

Gallery III at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

The third gallery of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art covers the Islamic world from the 16th to the 17th century. During this period, in addition to ceramic works from Iran, we start to see Ottoman ceramics as well as calligraphy from both nations.

Gallery III
Calligraphy sets and works from Iran and Turkey
Calligraphy sets and works from Iran and Turkey

 

Ceramics

During the Safavid period in Iran, potters were finally able to reproduce the blue and white porcelain wares from China. When China closed its borders in the 17th century, Europeans turned to Persian and Japanese imitations of Chinese porcelain to meet demand.

Ceramic ware from Iran; 17th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Ceramic ware from Iran; 17th century

Meanwhile, starting in the late 15th century, Iznik became the most important center of pottery production in the Ottoman Empire, supplying the Ottoman court and the upper class. In the beginning, the designs were a variation of Persian arabesque and floral decorations with blue as the predominant color.

Ottoman ceramic ware; late 15th-16th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Ottoman ceramic ware; late 15th-16th century

From the beginning of the 16th century on, however, designs started to take a more Ottoman style with multicolored floral designs. This was especially prevalent during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent.

Ottoman ceramic ware; late 15th-16th century
Ottoman ceramic ware; late 15th-16th century

Ceramic tile production became a major industry in the Ottoman Empire in the 1550s. Wall tiles were produced for imperial mosques, sometimes covering the entire interior.

Ottoman ceramic ware; 16th-17th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Ottoman ceramic ware; 16th-17th century


 

Tile of Muhammad’s Footprints

One of the most interesting ceramic tiles in Gallery III depicts the footprints left by the Prophet Muhammad before his Night Journey from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem to the heavens. It was made in Iznik in 1706.

Plaquette bearing the footprints of the prophet Muhammad; Iznik; 1706
Plaquette bearing the footprints of the prophet Muhammad; Iznik; 1706

 

Tiles Depicting Mecca

Another impressive work is a set of six tiles depicting the holy shrine at Mecca with the Kaaba in the center. Below it is a tile with a Quranic inscription that once decorated a mosque. Both were produced in Iznik.

Wall tiles bearing the representation of the holy shrine of Mecca; Iznik; 17th century (top) and Tile with a Quranic inscription from the wall decoration of a mosque; Iznik; second half of the 16th century (bottom) at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Wall tiles bearing the representation of the holy shrine of Mecca; Iznik; 17th century (top) and Tile with a Quranic inscription from the wall decoration of a mosque; Iznik; second half of the 16th century (bottom)

 

Metalwork

Metalwork during the period was dominated by the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Suffering from an economic depression after losing the monopoly on the spice trade, craftsmen started to engrave metal objects rather than inlay them with precious metals.

Metalwork from Syria and Egypt; second half of the 15th-early 16th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Metalwork from Syria and Egypt; second half of the 15th-early 16th century

 

Textiles

In the center of the gallery is a Transylvanian type triple prayer carpet dating to the 17th to 18th century. In the early 20th century, a group of about 450 carpets were found in churches in the Transylvania region of Romania. The Transylvanian type would soon describe other prayer carpets similar in style, technique, and color. The carpets were probable made in western Asia Minor.

Triple prayer carpet with double columns, of the Transylvanian type; 17th-18th century
Triple prayer carpet with double columns, of the Transylvanian type; 17th-18th century

 

Reception Room from Cairo

Finally, the most spectacular display in Gallery III, and perhaps the entire Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, is a reception room from a 17th century mansion in Cairo. The room came from the palace of Kethüda Halafi, a senior official of the Ottoman Empire. It features an inlaid marble floor, wooden window screens, and stained glass windows.

Reception room with an inlaid marble floor from a Cairo mansion; 17th century. Wooden window screens and stained-glass windows; Egypt; 15th-18th century.

In Cairo, the main reception room was only for the owner of the house and his guests. They would have sat on cushions around the central fountain, drinking coffee, smoking nargileh, conversing, and perhaps listening to story-tellers.

Fountain


 

Gallery IV at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

The fourth gallery of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art covers the Islamic world from the 17th to the 19th century. During this period, in addition to ceramic and woodworking, we start to see luxuriously decorated weapons and armor.

Gallery IV at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Gallery IV
Gallery IV at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Gallery IV
Daggers and decorations from India
Daggers and decorations from India
Carpet from Eastern Turkestan, Khotan area; 19th century
Carpet from Eastern Turkestan, Khotan area; 19th century

 

Ceramics

Continuing from the theme of previous galleries is ceramics. In the 18th century, Kütahya dominated the Ottoman pottery industry. Kütahya pottery dates back to the early 16th century, when Armenian potters started to produce ceramics similar to Iznik. In fact, Kütahya replaced Iznik as the center of Ottoman pottery production after the pottery workshops in Iznik closed down in the 18th century. Armenian potters became swamped with orders for tiles decorating mosques and churches, including orders in 1718 for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Kütahya potters also expanded production to include everyday items such as coffee cups, plates, and rosewater flasks.

Ceramics from Kütahya; 18th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Ceramics from Kütahya; 18th century

 

Tiles from Edirne Palace

One of the most interesting ceramic works on display during my visit was a loan item from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. It was a panel of tiles from the Edirne Palace in Edirne, Turkey. The palace was destroyed during the Russo-Turkish War in 1878 and the tiles were dispersed among private collections and museums in Europe. The tile panel on display joined tiles on loan from the Gulbenkian Foundation with those from the collection of the Benaki Museum. The painted sections were based on tiles found in other museums.

Panel of tiles from the summer palace of the Ottoman sultans in Edirne (Adrianople); Iznik; second half of the 16th century; on loan from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon
Panel of tiles from the summer palace of the Ottoman sultans in Edirne (Adrianople); Iznik; second half of the 16th century; on loan from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon


 

Woodwork

As far as woodwork, there are a few impressive items on display. One is a writing chest made by Sheikh Muhammad Munshi Ghaznavi in Gujarat in 1587. It’s ornamented with inlaid mother-of-pearl and Persian verses. Writing chests decorated with mother-of-pearl were exported from Western India to Ottoman Turkey, Safavid Iran, and Europe. Western records first mentioned these chests in 1502, when Vasco da Gama (c. 1460s – 1524) was offered a chest decorated with shells from Cambay in western India.

Writing chest ornamented with inlaid mother-of-pearl and Persian verses; work of Sheikh Muhammad Munshi Ghaznavi in the hijra year 995; Gujarat; 1587
Writing chest ornamented with inlaid mother-of-pearl and Persian verses; work of Sheikh Muhammad Munshi Ghaznavi in the hijra year 995; Gujarat; 1587

Another item of note is a pair of Qajar doors from Iran. They depict courtly scenes and astrological symbols, and were made in the late 19th or early 20th century.

A pair of Qajar doors with painted lacquer and gesso applied decoration depicting courtly scenes and astrological symbols; Iran; late 19th- early 20th century; Gift of Notis and Eleni Panayotopoulos from the collection of Nani Panayotopoulos
A pair of Qajar doors with painted lacquer and gesso applied decoration depicting courtly scenes and astrological symbols; Iran; late 19th- early 20th century; Gift of Notis and Eleni Panayotopoulos from the collection of Nani Panayotopoulos

 

Jewelry

Gold jewelry and other accessories were important for both men and women in 19th century Iran during the time of Qajar rule (1779-1924). Many Persian court painters were sent to European schools of art in Great Britain, France, and Russia during the second half of the 19th century, leasing to an enrichment of Qajar art.

Jewelry and precious articles from Iran; 18th-19th century; Gift of Argini Salvagou (1883-1972)
Jewelry and precious articles from Iran; 18th-19th century; Gift of Argini Salvagou (1883-1972)

 

Weapons and Armor

The most prevalent type of artifacts in Gallery IV of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art is weapons and armor. One display includes parade equipment used in processions of the Ottoman cavalry. Horsemen wore helmets and suits of armor made of gilded copper to show off the wealth of the Empire. Even the harness of their horses were made of gilded copper. The equipment was kept in the Ottoman armory in the former Byzantine church of Hagia Eirine in the 1st Courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Constantinople (now Istanbul).

Military parade and battle equipment from Turkey and Iran; 16th-19th century at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Military parade and battle equipment from Turkey and Iran; 16th-19th century
Helmet at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art in Athens, Greece
Helmet

Another display includes firearms, which were introduced to the Islamic world by the Ottomans. Firearms spread quickly in the middle of the 15th century and brought about radical changes to warfare tactics.

Firearms, swords and daggers from Turkey, Iran, Arabia and the Balkans; 16th-20th century
Firearms, swords and daggers from Turkey, Iran, Arabia and the Balkans; 16th-20th century

 

Shiite Processional Standards

Finally, on one end of the gallery are Shiite processional standards used in the Ashura festival, which commemorates the death of Hussein (626-680). The standards symbolize the members of Muhammad’s family: Muhammad; his daughter Fatima; his cousin and son-in-law Ali; and his grandchildren Hasan and Hussein.

Shiite processional standards used in the religious festival of Ashura, a day of mourning commemorating the death of Hussein; Iran; 18th-19th century

The standards are flanked by two Ottoman suits of armor from the 16th century. They include chain mail shirts and steel plates, which were added to the chain mail shirts during the 14th century. The steel helmets are shaped like turbans and include inscriptions of overlaid silver or gold as well as the stamp of the armory of Haigia Eirini. The nasal guard on the helmet to the right is decorated with a tear-shaped medallion inscribed with the name of Allah.

Chain mail shirt with steel plates for the protection of the chest and waist; Turkey; 16th century
Chain mail shirt with steel plates for the protection of the chest and waist; Turkey; 16th century

 

Map with the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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