After 4 years of talking, somewhat planning, driving by it, my mom and I finally went to Aga Khan Museum as part of her birthday weekend activities. This 4-year-old museum is a modern marvel to be experienced; with beautiful architecture and outdoor grounds, filled with the hope of opening a window in to the unfamiliar world of Muslim civilizations.

As an Iranian, it’s always fantastic to walk thru a museum and read the description of an exhibit only to find out that the item was made in Iran and has inspired generations of people across not only the Muslim world (Which was huge!) but all across the world for centuries. If you don’t believe me check out some of the ancient books on display by Avicenna. His “The Book of Healing” was used in universities to train doctor’s for centuries. We’re talking about 6 or 7 centuries!

Check out this map that shows how far spread the Muslim world was to both east and west throughout the centuries.

I digress, the Museum has a great in-house collection and at the moment there is an exhibit on Fatimids which is fantastic!

The museum is great spot to spend a lazy afternoon in walking between the exhibits and chatting with the friendly staff about the pieces and as you’re about to get tired, take a lunch break at the Diwan Restaurant and try out some Middle Eastern inspired cuisine on the beautiful patio. (I’ll do a short separate post on Diwan soon!)

I did not take any pictures inside the museum since I was geeking out reading all the descriptions and trying to read some of the Persian poetries that was part of the exhibits. One of the only few pictures I did take, was a picture of the BIGGEST candlestick I have ever seen. I could not miss it.

I did see another amazing piece that was engraving on the inside of a sea shell. I can’t even imagine how they would have done work like this back in the day. It’s one of the most delicate beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen.

Besides having the exhibits, Aga Khan museum is home to many concerts, cultural events. I would encourage you to visit their calendar events to see what’s in the works for the Summer.

Let me know what your experience at Aga Khan has been or what is your favourite museum/cultural spot in the city. I would love to check it out!