The Malaysian Cultural Group (MCG) organized a special visit to the Islamic Arts Museum of Malaysia (IAMM) on the morning of 11th October for new members who recently joined the MCG. There were 29 participants on the day, including a few of the older members. The group was divided into three smaller groups led by a Museum Tour Guide, and received an hour's guided tour through some of the main exhibit galleries.

According to our Guide Amina, IAMM was set up in 1998 and has become one of Southeast Asia’s largest Museums, housing Islamic arts from across the Islamic World. In her opinion, Islamic art didn't develop for the sake of art, but rather functional items used for every day purposes evolved into the art form, as we currently know it.

The Museum is huge and beside its permanent collection in the various galleries within the building, IAMM also hosts special exhibitions. An hour was simply too short even to get a glimpse of its permanent collection, consisting of large scale models of Mosques from around the world: Mecca, Medina, China, Dubai, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, Iran, and Malaysia; an exceptional collection of Koran in decorative forms and as religious artifacts, Islamic Art books such as the beautifully illustrated “Shahnama: The Persian Book of Kings”; large and tiny intricately designed jewellery pieces used by kings, ordinary women and men, and maybe horses too; and pottery with Persian and Chinese influences. One needs more time to view even a small section of IAMM’s collection of more than seven thousand artifacts, and our group didn't get beyond the ceramic/pottery section.

At the end of the hour tour, the participants were treated to Coffee, and delicious Apple Turnover at their in-house restaurant, where new and old members could socialize.

Thank you to the organizers of the MCG who thought of this interesting museum as a welcome to us newcomers. Special mention must go to Michelle who herded us in the right direction, and showed how time management can function even with such a large group.

The museum is worth a longer visit, and I for one will be definitely making a targeted visit to see specific galleries, and maybe to catch some of the special exhibitions in the near future.

The IAMM is a one of the many museums in the Kuala Lumpur area, and a good introduction if one is interested in exploring the museum scene while living in the city. For more information on the IAMM, visit their site: https://www.iamm.org.my