Visiting The Museum
Saturday – Thursday: 09:00 AM – 12.00 PM & 16:00 PM – 19:00PM
Friday: 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tareq Rajab Museum
Block 12, Street 5, Building 22
Jabriya, Kuwait
Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy
Block 12, Street 1, Building 2
Jabriya, Kuwait
Admission is KD2 for adults
Admission for school trips is free
The same ticket can be used at both museums
Visiting The Museum
Saturday – Thursday: 09:00 AM – 12.00 PM & 16:00 PM – 19:00PM
Friday: 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tareq Rajab Museum
Block 12, Street 5, Building 22
Jabriya, Kuwait
Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy
Block 12, Street 1, Building 2
Jabriya, Kuwait
Admission is KD2 for adults
Admission for school trips is free
The same ticket can be used at both museums
Visiting the Museum
Saturday – Thursday: 09:00 AM – 12.00 PM & 16:00 PM – 19:00PM
Friday: 09:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tareq Rajab Museum
Block 12, Street 5, Building 22
Jabriya, Kuwait
Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy
Block 12, Street 1, Building 2
Jabriya, Kuwait
Admission is KD2 for adults
Admission for school trips is free
The same ticket can be used at both museums
Welcome To The Tareq Rajab Museum
Established in 1980 by Tareq S. Rajab and Jehan S. Rajab, the Tareq Rajab Museum houses a collection of over thirty thousand items collected over the last sixty years, of which approximately ten thousand are on permanent display. While the museum is often referred to as a single entity, its collections are displayed across two nearby locations. The “Tareq Rajab Museum“, is the original museum founded in 1980 and is home to the collections of Islamic manuscripts, ceramics, glass, metalwork including the Bronze Door of Sultan Barquq, Islamic arms and armour, a large collection of silver folk jewellery, textiles, embroideries, costumes, musical instruments and orientalist artwork. In contrast, the “Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy“, which was founded in 2007, displays a range of mediums for Arabic script including manuscripts by famous calligraphers and scientists such as Yaqut Al-Musta’simi, Sheikh Hamdullah Al-Amasi, Ya’qub Ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi and Qusta Ibn Luqa Al-Ba’albaki, contemporary calligraphy and art, as well as decorated ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles, such as four Burqa’s (curtains of the Holy Ka’aba’s door) located at the centre of the museum and a curtain from the inside of the shrine of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in Medina.
Featured Collections
The Tareq Rajab Museum is home to a very large and important collection of Al Quran and manuscripts that originate from across the entirety of the Islamic World, encompassing works from the earliest Umayyad Caliphs (AD 661-750) to The Qajars of Persia (AD 1779-1924).
The Gold Room displays gold jewellery from both pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. While the museum is home to pre-Islamic piece's that originate from the Himalayan region, the majority originate from the Middle East, influencing later craft development in the Islamic world.
The Tareq Rajab Museum contains pottery and ceramics from many regions across the Islamic World, including Mesopotamia, Persia, Transoxiana, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Spain and as far as China; with examples dating from between the 9th century and the 19th century AD.
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إبريق فارسي من القرن الثاني عشر إلى القرن الثالث عشر ميلادي بجسم أسطواني مخدد ، يضيق تدريجيا نحو القاعدة . زينت الرقبة بنقش على هيئة أسد على جانبي حلق الإبريق . تحتوي أخاديد الإبريق البارزة على كتابات بالخط الكوفي منقوشة على خلفية من الزخارف ، بينما نقش الكتف بزخارف مطعمة بالنحاس.
📸: @tareqrajab
A 12th - 13th Century AD Persian bronze ewer with a cylindrical fluted body that tapers towards the base. The neck is decorated with a lion in relief on either side of the upward pointing spout. The round flutes of the body carry Kufic inscriptions over a scroll background while the flat shoulder carries a copper inlaid inscription.
#islamicart #islamicartwork #islamicarts #islamicmetalwork #persian #persianheritage #islamicheritage #12thcentury #13thcentury #metalwork #metalworking #ewer #kufic #kuficalligraphy #kuficcalligraphy #islamiccalligraphy #tareqrajabmuseum #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #kuwaitmuseums #12thcenturyart #13thcenturyart #persianhistory #iran
سررنا مؤخراً بزيارة مجموعة من عضوات المجموعة النسائية الدولية في الكويت لمتحف الخط الإسلامي
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming members of the International Women’s Group - Kuwait for a tour of our Islamic Calligraphy Museum
أصدقائنا ومتابعينا ، كل عام وأنتم بخير بمناسبة عيد تحرير الكويت من براثن الاحتلال العراقي الغاشم
في مثل هذا اليوم من عام ١٩٩١، تم تحرير الكويت من قبل قوات التحالف الدولي بقيادة الولايات المتحدة وذلك بعد احتلال عسكري عراقي للبلاد دام ٧ أشهر .
أثناء الاحتلال العراقي ، تم أسر العديد من المواطنين ، وغيرهم ، وترحيلهم إلى العراق . منهم من عاد إلى الكويت بعد التحرير ، ومنهم من لم يعد .
لن يتم نسيانهم أبدًا…
فيما يلي عدد من الصور التي التقطتها جيهان السيد رجب وابنها نادر أثناء الاحتلال , وبعده:
صورة ١: جيهان السيد رجب في جزيرة فيلكا
الصورتان ٢ و ٣: حرائق حقول النفط
صورة ٤: في الأيام الأولى من الغزو العراقي ، سارع موظفو المتحف بإخفاء أكبر عدد ممكن من القطع الأثرية
الصورتان ٥ و ٦: مؤسسنا طارق السيد رجب يقوم بفتح الغرف المخفية في المتحف بعد التحرير ويتفقد محتوياتها ، ولقد تم تشييد تلك الغرف خلال الغزو لإخفاء العديد من القطع الأثرية
صورة ٧: جيهان السيد رجب وحمد الياسين خارج مبنى السفارة الأمريكية القديم مع جندي أمريكي بعد التحرير
صورة ٨: احتفالات بعد التحرير
Happy Liberation Day to all of our friends and followers in Kuwait!
#OnThisDay in 1991, Kuwait was liberated by the forces of the United States-led international coalition following Iraq's 7-month military occupation of the country.
During the Iraqi occupation, many citizens and others were captured and deported to Iraq. While some returned to Kuwait after liberation, many did not.
They will never be forgotten.
The following are a number of photos taken by Jehan Rajab and her son Nader during and after the occupation:
Photo 1: Jehan Rajab on Failaka Island
Photos 2 and 3: Oil field fires
Photo 4: In the early days of Iraq's invasion, museum staff hid as many artefacts as possible
Photos 5 and 6: Our founder Tareq Rajab opens the hidden rooms in the museum after liberation and inspects their contents. These rooms were constructed during the invasion to hide many artifacts
Photo 7: Jehan Rajab and Hamad Al Yasin outside the old U.S. Embassy building with an American soldier after liberation
Photo 8: Celebrations after liberation
#gulfwar #desertstorm #operationdesertstorm #operationdesertshield #gulfwar1991 #liberationofkuwait #kuwaitliberationday #firstgulfwar #kuwait #kuwaithistory
عيد وطني سعيد لجميع متابعينا وأصدقائنا في الكويت 🇰🇼
فيما يلي عدد من الصور الفوتوغرافية للكويت التقطها مؤسسنا طارق السيد رجب خلال الستينيات.
🇰🇼 Happy #NationalDay to all of our followers and friends in Kuwait! 🇰🇼
Here are a number of photographs of Kuwait taken by our founder, Tareq S Rajab, during the 1960s.
#kuwaitnationalday #kuwaithistory #kuwaitphotography #oldkuwait #kuwaithistory
مصحف كتبه علي بن محمد بن زيد العلوي الحسين في شهر رجب ٧١٠ هـ (١٣١٠ م) في مدينة الموصل لسلطان إلخانات أولجيتو ووزيريه راشد الدين و سعد الدين
تأسست الدولة الالخانية في ١٢٥٦ م كفخذ من الإمبراطورية المغولية وكان يحكمها آل هولاكو، أحفاد جنكيز خان. امتدت الإمبراطورية في اوسعها من الأناضول إلى الهند وحُكمت من عواصمها المختلفة في بلاد فارس. ومع ذلك، بحلول عام ١٣٣٥ بعد الميلاد بعد الغزوات والتمردات واندلاع الموت الأسود، انهارت الإمبراطورية
📸: @tareqrajab
The Holy Quran copied by Ali bin Mohammed bin Zeid Al-Alawi Al-Hussein in the month of Rajab 710 AH (AD 1310) in the city of Mosul for the Ilkhanate Sultan, Uljaytu and his two ministers Rashid Al-Din and Sa’ad Al Din.
The Ilkhanate was founded in AD 1256 from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire and was governed by the House of Hulaku, descendants of Genghis Khan. At its height, the empire stretched from Anatolia to India and was ruled from its various capitals in Persia. However, by AD 1335, invasions, rebellions and an outbreak of the Black Death, lead to the empire’s collapse.
#islamicart #islamicartwork #islamiccalligraphy #islamicalligraphy #holyquran #quran #ilkhanatepersian #ilkhanate #uljaytu #islamicillumination #islamichistory #illumination #calligraphy #14thcentury #14thcenturyart #tareqrajabmuseum #kuwait #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #kuwaitphotography #kuwaitcalligraphy #islamicheritage #persianhistory #persianheritage #islamicworld #medievalcalligraphy #medievalart #medievalhistory
سوار فاطمي ذهبي (القرن الحادي عشر الميلادي). تم تزيين مشبك السوار، الذي يتميز بشكلين مثلثين متقاطعين للزينة، بخيوط وملفات متراكبة.
كان الفاطميون من نسل فاطمة ابنة النبي محمد(صلى الله عليه وسلم) وحكموا إمبراطوريتهم من عاصمتهم القاهرة. سمحت هذه الإمبراطورية، التي امتدت من شمال إفريقيا إلى الحجاز ومن الشام إلى النوبة.
سيطروا الفاطميين على مناجم ذهب مهمة التي سمحت لهم صناعة مجوهرات أصبحت عرضًا واضحًا للثروة
📸: @tareqrajab
A gold Fatimid bracelet (11th Century AD). The bracelet’s clasp, characterised by two ornamental intersecting triangular shapes, is decorated with filigree and superimposed coils.
The Fatimids were descendents of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and ruled their empire from their capital, Cairo. This empire, which stretched from North Africa to the Hijaz and from the Levant to Nubia, allowed the Fatimids to control important gold mines that allowed them to create jewellery that became a conspicuous display of wealth, worn by the upper echelons of their society.
#islamicart #islamicartwork #islamicarts #islamicjewelry #islamicjewellery #islamichistory #fatimid #fatimidcairo #fatimidcaliphate #egyptianhistory #egyptianheritage #islamicheritage #11thcentury #11thcenturyjewelry #medievaljewelry #medievaljewellery #antiquegold #filigree #filigreejewelry #tareqrajabmuseum #kuwait #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #kuwaitphotography #kuwaitmuseums #museumsoftheworld #museumlover #artifacts #islamicgoldenage #goldbracelet
🏺 A black-on-white slip-painted earthenware figurine (likely a toy) of a small animal, probably a sheep or a dog. The figurine is coated with a ground white slip, on which manganese lines and dots are painted (Nishapur, Iran, 10th Century AD).
🏛 During the Islamic Golden Age, particularly the 9th & 10th centuries AD, Nishapur was one of the great places of pottery and related arts, evolving into a significant cultural, commercial and intellectual centre. The city reached its height during the 10th century AD, under the Samanids; however, during the Mongol Invasion of Persia in AD 1221, the entire city was destroyed, and its population was massacred. Unlike its near neighbouring city of Merv, Nishapur always managed to recover and has survived to this day.
📸 Photographs by @tareqrajab
#islamicart #islamicartwork #islamicarts #islamicartmuseum #islamicceramics #nishapur #nishapurceramics #10thcentury #10thcenturyart #ceramicfigurine #persianheritage #persianhistory #persia #iranhistory #earthenware #earthenwarepottery #manganese #medievalislamicart #medievaltoys #islamichistory #kuwait #tareqrajabmuseum #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #kuwaitphotography #kuwaitmuseums #kuwaitinstagram
🗡 A fine jade-hilted Mughal dagger carved in the shape of a budding flower decorated with foliage. The hilt possesses a white body that transitions into a blue-grey towards the pommel. The watered steel blade is decorated with gold koftgari at the forte, with inscriptions on both sides (India, 18th Century AD).
💭 Descendants of the Timurids, who were great patrons of jade, the Mughals were keen to follow suit, crafting some of the finest jade objects known today. Mughal jade working is thought to have started under the rule of Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). However, it was perhaps during the reigns of the Emperors Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) that Mughal jade craftsmanship reached its zenith.
📸 Photographs by @tareqrajab
#armsandarmor #armsandarmour #islamicarmsandarmor #indianarmsandarmor #islamicart #islamichistory #mughalart #mughaldagger #jadedagger #indiandagger #carvedjade #jadehilt #18thcentury #18thcenturyart #antiquearms #antiquearmsandarmour #antiquedagger #wateredsteel #koftgari #indianheritage #indianhistory #antiqueweapons #kuwait #kuwaitinstagram #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #tareqrajabmuseum #kuwaitphoto #kuwaitmuseums #islamicheritage
🎨 “Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab of Palmyra” by Carl Haag (AD 1859). Sheikh Medjuel is well known for his marriage to the famous Lady Jane Digby. The pair met after Digby travelled to Syria in AD 1853 at the age of 46. Sheikh Medjuel was 20 years her junior; however, the pair were soon married, enjoying a happy marriage for 28 years until Digby died in AD 1881. A portrait of Lady Jane Digby by Carl Haag is also on display at the Tareq Rajab Museum.
🖌 Carl Haag (AD 1820 - 1915) was born on the 20th of April 1820 in Erlangen, then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Haag was trained at the Fine Arts school of Nuremberg, later coming under the tutelage of Peter von Cornelius, Carl Rottman and Wilhelm von Kaulbach, who took him under his wing. Having fallen in love with the watercolour work of English painters, Haag, at the age of 27, decided to settle in London, devoting himself to the study of watercolours. Just three years later, Haag was elected an associate of the Royal Society of British Artists before becoming a full member in 1853. After being introduced to Queen Victoria by Prince-Consort Albert, she became his patron, commissioning many paintings.
🕌 It was not until AD 1858 that Haag travelled to Egypt and wholly immersed himself in Middle Eastern culture, spending a great deal of time with many nomadic peoples. His work during this time truly cemented his reputation as an artist to this day. However, towards the end of his career, Haag left his home in England and returned to the newly united German Empire, where he lived out the remainder of his days, passing away in Oberwesel at the age of 94.
📸 Photographs by @tareqrajab
#orientalism #orientalisimo #orientalist #orientalistart #watercolor #watercolour #watercolorart #19thcenturywatercolour #orientalwatercolorpainting #19thcenturyart #19thcenturypainting #19thcenturyantiques #19thcenturydress #sheikhmedjuel #janedigby #ladyjanedigby #carlhaag #tareqrajabmuseum #kuwait #kuwaitinstagram #kuwaittourism #visitkuwait #kuwaitmuseums #syrianhistory #palmyra #islamicart #arabcostumes #arabhistory #arabhistoricaldress #levantine
🦚 A mythical creature, likely a harpy, made of cast steel and decorated with gold inlay and damascene with extensive openwork on the tail and crown (Iran c. 19th Century AD).
🏛 A harpy is a human-bird, possessing the body of a bird and the face of a human (usually a female). Although originating as a disruptive force in Greek mythology, they were considered a positive sign in Iran and were adapted as a motif in the 12th century AD. Supposed symbols of luck and promising beginnings, they became very common across various mediums of Islamic art, particularly metalwork and earthenware.
📸 Photograph’s by @tareqrajab
#islamicart #islamicartwork #islamicarts #islamicartmuseum #islamicmetalwork #islamichistory #harpy #persianart #persianmetalwork #caststeel #goldinlay #golddamascened #openwork #19thcentury #19thcenturyart #mythologicalcreatures #kuwait #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #kuwaitmuseums #tareqrajabmuseum #persianhistory #iranianhistory #persianmythology #kuwaitphotography #metalsculpture #metalsculptures
🎨 "Conversation at the Well" by Tomàs Moragas (AD 1837 - 1906). Born in Girona, Moragas was a Spanish painter known for his Orientalist and genre scenes.
✍️ Moragas showed signs of talent at a young age and started an apprenticeship with a silversmith. However, his interests lay elsewhere, and in 1850, he attended the Escola de la Llotja, an art school in Barcelona where Lorenzale and Fontanals instructed him.
🐫 His interest in Orientalism began in 1870 when he visited Morocco, after which he began his most productive period of painting. Moragas would go on to open a drawing and painting school whilst also serving as a Professor at multiple other art schools. Later, he became an artistic advisor for the Barcelona Universal Exposition.
📸 Photograph’s by @tareqrajab
#orientalism #orientalisimo #orientalist #orient #orientalistpainting #oilpainting #oilpaint #oilpaintings #moragas #tomasmoragas #spanishartists #19thcenturyart #19thcenturypainting #19thcenturyorientalism #19thcenturyorientalist #tareqrajabmuseum #kuwait #visitkuwait #kuwaittourism #kuwaitart #kuwaitartwork #historyofart #morocco #escoladelallotja #museumsofkuwait
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Her Excellency, Aliya Mawani, the Canadian Ambassador to Kuwait to our Islamic Calligraphy Museum 🇨🇦🇰🇼