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Discover the Islamic Treasures at the Civilization Museum (NMEC)

After visiting the Royal Mummies, journey into Egypt's next great era in the Islamic Artifacts section at the NMEC. This is where you discover the incredible splendor of medieval Cairo, the "City of a Thousand Minarets." See stunning, hand-illuminated Qurans, intricate metalwork (like astrolabes and lamps), and fine mashrabiya (woodwork). A major highlight is the collection of sacred Kiswa fragments—the ornate, embroidered textiles that cover the Holy Kaaba in Mecca. It’s a beautiful look at the art, science, and culture of Egypt's Islamic Golden Age.

EFT Team
October 17, 2021
Updated: November 7, 2025

Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

Islamic Period (641 – 1517 A.D.) – NMEC

This is a list of all the Islamic period artifacts on display in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC). In 21 AH / 642 A.D., Egypt became an Islamic state under the Rashidun Caliphate. Since then, Egypt has been a source of Islamic culture and civilization, with various dynasties ruling the region, including the Abbaside, Tulunid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk Sultanates. Egypt became a hub for scientists, academics, and authors, and a major cultural center of the Islamic world. This era saw the development of various architectural and creative features, from religious and civic buildings to philanthropic and military structures.

Decorative Arts and Metalwork

Islamic artists excelled in various crafts. Glass and lamps, woodwork, and lathe wood thrived. Weaving, ceramics, and pottery were also prominent. For metalworking, artists used techniques like inlaying, grooving, and bracing.

Architectural Elements

The Mashrabiya became a key architectural and decorative element. It served as a source of natural light and ventilation while also allowing women to see outside without being seen. The Mashrabiya is a unique feature of Egyptian urban architecture and influenced many structures in both the East and Europe.

Science and Calligraphy

During the Islamic civilization in Egypt, various scientific fields flourished, including medicine, astronomy, and chemistry.

The era also saw the invention of many styles of Arabic calligraphy, such as Kufic, Naskh, and Thuluth. These styles can be seen on the walls of many buildings, as well as on decorative objects and in manuscripts.

Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

Islamic Coins

The Dinar was made of gold and weighed 4.25 mg. They made the Dirham from silver, and it weighed 2.75 gm. The Fils, made of copper or bronze, also weighed 2.75 gm. Early Islamic artisans inscribed coins with verses from the Holy Qur’an and religious witness, and later added the coin’s Mintmarks. Since the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods, artisans have engraved sultans’ names and titles on the coins. They measured the weight of the coins with glass casts before distributing them.

3rd to 13th century AH / 9th to 19th century A.D / Gold, Silver, Copper, and Glass

Textile of the Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

Textile manufacturing prospered throughout the Islamic period, particularly in the first Islamic capital (Fustat). The textile products reflected the wealth of the Fatimid period, attracting the attention of style houses at the time.

Artisans characterized their design by embroidered decorative bands. These typically consisted of one or two horizontal rows of Kufi text with medallions and drawings, or two mirrored lines that carried the Caliph’s name, rank, ancestors, and date. Near the end of the Fatimid period, they wove three embroidered bands with silk, which later evolved into four bands. In the Mamluk period, they included the prince’s blazons.

Periods of Fatimid – Mamluk – 5th – 8th centuries AH / 11th – 14th centuries A.D

Brazons on Textiles

Brazons were a feature of the Islamic period artifacts that were prominent on textiles during the Mamluk Period, and their depiction indicated the most important jobs undertaken by the trusted Mamluk princes.

Among the most important of these jobs was that of the “Jukandar,” who is responsible for carrying the Polo stick and acting as butler; symbolized the cup. The blazon depicting a mule or donkey carrying a box or bag denotes the person in charge of the Sultan’s mail.
The Mamluk period – 8th century AH / 14th century AD.

Epaggelia – Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

They call this magnificent piece an Epaggelia, which means “place of the bible,” and people use it to hold holy books. This one is decorated with star polygons, as well as some plant and animal motifs. Its most distinctive feature is a decoration of a lion hunting its prey, a primary artistic theme inherited from ancient Egyptian civilization.

Between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D. / Prince Tadrus, Haret El Roum / Wood – Ivory – Bones

A group of Ceramic Vessels

A set of Fatimid period ceramic jars with metallic shine, painted with scenes of playing and singing, forms of birds and animals inside various geometric units, exquisite flower embellishments, and inscriptions in floral Kufic script.

These containers were utilized in public areas and in people’s homes.
Fatimid Period (5th-century AH-11th century AD) / Ceramic

The pulpit of the mosque of Abu Bakr bin Mazhar

Abu Bakr Mazhar, the Chancellor of the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay, erected a mosque in al-Gamaleya. Its wooden pulpit features numerous embellishments, particularly star polygon shapes inlaid with ivory, mother-of-pearl, folial designs, and Kufic writing. El-Gamaleya, Cairo / Mamluk Period, 1479 AD / Ebony and Mahogany wood

Islamic Metalwork – Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

During the Mamluk period, Islamic metalwork served a wide range of functions because artisans widely used copper and other less precious metals. For example, they created food bowls with unique engravings both inside and out. They also made side tables from copper, inlaid with gold and silver. People used these tables in homes to hold food trays or in mosques to hold the holy Quran. Artisans decorated them with floral ornaments, complex geometric patterns of stars and knots, and Kufi and Naskh scripts. Period of the Mamluks: 8th century AH – 14th century AD / Copper – Silver

“The Holy Qur’an” Parts Box

A box constructed of wood and copper with gold and silver inlay for keeping sections of the Holy Qur’an. The box is adorned with Mamluk Naskh and Kufic calligraphy passages from the Holy Qur’an.

This box is divided into two halves, each with fifteen squares, which corresponds to the number of parts in the Holy Qur’an. It is credited to the Mamluk Sultan “al-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun”/ Mamluk Period 8th century AH / 14th century AD / Wood – Copper – Gold – Silver.

Mamluk Lamps

During the Mamluk period, a set of glass lamps painted with multi-colored enamel were used to illuminate religious institutions. Floral embellishments and inscriptions in the Naskh script, which are primarily based on the Ayat al-Nur, identify these lights.

A cotton or linen wick was put within a glass container containing clean oil, generally olive oil, to light these lights. The Sultan Hassan School, Al-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun School, and Al-Zahir Barquq School are all represented by this set of lamps. Period of the Mamluks: 8th to 14th centuries AD / Glass

Box of the Holy Qur’an

People kept the Holy Qur’an safe in this massive box. It is adorned with bands of Mamluk Naskh script and the title of Sultan “Qansuh al-Ghuri.” Perhaps someone constructed it for al-Ghuri’s school and mosque on al-Muizz Street between 909 and 910 AH / 1503 and 1504 AD.

Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri (1441-1515 AD), Mamluk Period / Wood – Pigment

Basin and Ewer

Since Pharaonic Egypt, the basin and the ewer have been among the most fundamental instruments for cleansing and washing the face and hands.

The beautiful floral and calligraphic patterns inlaid with silver that adorn the basin from the exterior and interior identify this basin and its ewer.
Period of the Mamluks (1250 – 1517 AD)

Wooden Door – Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

A door constructed of turning wood inlaid with ivory, divided into three sections with polygon pattern recognized in the Islamic period to explain the Egyptian carpenter of geometrical ornamentation.
13th and 14th centuries

Astrolabe

The Greek astronomer Apollonius created the astrolabe in the second century BCE. Theon of Alexandria further refined it toward the end of the fourth century AD.

Arab astronomers later added angles and azimuth circles. In the 7th century AD, Abu Ishaq al-Fazari became the first person in the Islamic world to create an astrolabe, and in the 10th century AD, Maryam al-Astrolabie devised a sophisticated version.

The astrolabe is a portable model of the universe with several components, including a disc, plate, net, and observer. It has over 1,000 applications. People use it to measure the height of any celestial body above the horizon, calculate the locations of stars and planets, and determine latitude on land or at sea. It also helps them measure angles and directions in maritime navigation and determine time and prayer times.

This specific astrolabe, made of copper, dates to the 17th century AD and was a part of Youssef Kamal Basha’s endowment. People used it for astronomical measurements and for measuring angles and directions in marine navigation.

The Mahmal – Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum

During the reign of Sultana Shajar al-Dur, the Mahmal procession was led by the camel of al-Mahmal. This camel carried an empty Hodge, which contained two silver boxes with two volumes of the Holy Qur’an. The Mahmal procession followed, carrying the Kiswa and protected by soldiers. People used pieces of fabric, embroidered with passages from the Holy Qur’an and silver crescents on the outside, to cover the Hodge. This tradition continued through the time of Khedive Abbas Helmi II (1892-1914).

Th Holy Qur’an

Muslim artisans treat Quran volumes with respect, binding them in fine leather and embellishing the beginning of the book, Surat Al-Fatiha, with exquisite geometric and botanical designs.19th century AD / Holdings of the Alawite dynasty.

Carpet from the Ottoman Empire

The ground carpet is mostly red and brown in color, with rectangular and delicate floral and geometric patterns. During the Ottoman period, this style of carpet was found in mosques and households.
The Modern age, 19th century.

Water Ewers in the “Mahallawi” Style

A collection of “Mahallawi” ewers from the city of “Mahalla al-Kubra.” People used these ewers for washing before water taps were common. They often adorned them with bird patterns, making them an important part of a bride’s trousseau.

The above-mentioned treasures are on exhibit in the National Museum of Civilization as of August 2024, they are only the Islamic Artifacts in Civilization Museum. You can have a magnificent guided tour of this Museum with Egypt Fun Tours by purchasing one of our Egypt Vacation Packages, or “for Egyptian residents, check Cairo Tours & Excursions.” Tour to National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) & Royal Mummies Exhibit

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