Glass, concrete and ceramic are blended together to form a confounding array of modular extensions housing galleries and exhibits one can see right through the full glass walls. The Islamic Arts Museum itself is an expression of the future of Islamic art, projecting tessellated shapes and a single vibrant dome of mosaic on its roof. This isn’t your conventional museum, seeing as to how it is one of the youngest museums in the world but it punches well above its weight, being the only recipient in Southeast Asia of the Montblanc Arts and Patronage Award.

Daylight floods the spotless white interiors, glinting of the glass showcases and accentuating the heavy emphasis on patterns in the various showpieces. Metalwork, ceramics, engravings and more, the museum features artisanship bearing Arabic sensitivities across the different forms and expressions of Islam. Exhibitions featuring the Muslim communities since past from China, India and the rest of the Malay World in Asia follows the history of some of the oldest diasporas spread throughout the archipelago and the two most densely populated countries in the world. The Qu’ran itself becomes a work of art, flowing script resembling streams of water printed on pressed paper from the North of Africa or sewn onto thin cloth found on the frigid borders of Kashmir. Displays of weaponry show off daggers with twin pronged handles and a short sharp blade, typical of the Mughal Empire that was responsible for some of the greatest architectural masterpieces and defense forts in India. The Museum also features traveling exhibitions, rotated throughout the year as extensions of the main exhibits or a journey into traditional practices of Islam, those which have been discarded and those which continue to be fervently protected. Few cultures have a stronger following or people more passionate about its preservation than Islam and the museum is a perfect example of this love, revealing to the world the depth of this community’s rich culture.