The Museum's collection of Islamic art represents the artistic achievements of north Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia in the centuries following their conquest by Arab Muslims in the seventh century. Focusing on material from Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Central Asia, the collection represents the rich tradition in the visual arts of these countries from the medieval period to the present day. The collection was largely formed through gifts from Frederick and Frances Wilkins, Lenora and Walter F. Brown, and Margaret Cullen Marshall, with the addition of glass from the Stark-Willson collection.
Highlights of the collection include such early works as a ninth or tenth century Qur'an page written in Kufic script and an elegant pierced perfume sprinkler fashioned of violet glass with flowing white patterns. The collection also includes representative examples of Islamic ceramics ranging from unglazed water jars from medieval Iran to the colorful Iznik dishes produced in Ottoman Turkey.
