DOHA: The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday unveiled a collection of swords valued for their rarity, beauty and historical significance at the opening of “Steel and Gold: Historic Swords from the MIA Collection”.
Ghada Al Sayegh, exhibition coordinator, said the expo sheds light on the importance of swords not as weapons but objects of fashion and masterpieces as design. The objects, she said belong to MIA’s permanent collection, most of which have never been on display.
The exhibition is divided into four distinct parts: History, Characters, Fashion and Crafts.
While the History section demonstrates swords as historical objects as texts to understand certain periods, the Characters section puts on display swords owned by important historical personalities of the Islamic world, curator William Greenwood told the media during a tour before the exhibition opening.
The Fashion section showcases beautiful sword handles as fashion objects studded with precious stones. The oldest in the collection, a sabre traced to Central Asia between 8th to 9th Century, highlights the Crafts section, which tells the development in design of swords.
Steel and Gold expo seeks to examine the pieces, exploring their complicated histories and introducing visitors to the broader questions surrounding such pieces. “Arms and armour from the Islamic world form part of many important collections worldwide; however, they have often been overlooked in favour of the ‘civilian’ arts” said Greenwood.
“By examining swords in their historical, cultural and technological context, visitors will better understand other parts of the MIA permanent collection, and come away with a more well-rounded understanding of Islamic art and culture,” he added.
A further aspect of Steel and Gold is to show the broad range, both historically and geographically, of the MIA collection, featuring swords from as far apart as the Central Asian steppe and the Sahara desert, from the 9th to the 20th centuries. The exhibition also includes a number of works on paper, showing swords, their designs and their patrons, none of which have been previously displayed and all of which give further context to the objects.
“We are particularly excited about the workshops and educational activities for children and the public,” said MIA Director, Aisha Al Khater.
“This exhibition is in direct response to requests from our audience. The interaction between the collection and our visitors, through workshops behind the scenes and children’s activities, increases knowledge about Islamic art and how it relates to life today and into the future,” she added. This is MIA’s first exhibition created entirely in-house; all the objects are drawn from the MIA’s collection, and the entire design, build, lighting, mountmaking, multimedia and other elements were conceived and carried out by MIA staff. Entry is free to the public to the expo which runs until December 14 on the fourth floor of MIA.
The Peninsula
