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The Khalili Collections
@khalilicollections.org
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Eight of the world's finest art collections, together comprising 35,000 magnificent works.
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Sir David Khalili’s The Art of Peace is available on Amazon. Discover how the power of art can foster understanding, peace, and unity across cultures. Few are better placed to share such a vision.

Learn more: http://sirdavidkhalili.com

#TheArtOfPeace
It’s #SpaceWeek 🌌 & we’re sharing an astrolabe-quadrant from our Islamic Arts Collection, made in Ottoman Turkey in 1840–41.

Crafted from walnut with ink inscriptions, brass, and a housed plumb-line weight, it guided astronomical calculations with remarkable precision.

#KhaliliCollections
📢 New release: Learning, Piety and Poetry: Manuscripts from the Islamic World (Vol VII, 2025). Featuring rare Arabic, Persian & Turkish works incl. Ibn al-‘Arabi’s autograph & al-Mutanabbi’s diwan.

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/4ua5r5p4
Here you can purchase all available volumes published exclusively by the Collections:
https://khalilipublications.com

For a fuller list of publications including forthcoming volumes and books published by others see our Collections: 
https://khalilicollections.org/publications
For this week’s #ManuscriptMonday we’re highlighting Al-Shajarah al-Nabawiyyah by Yusuf ibn Hasan ibn ʿAbd al-Hadi, a detailed biography of the Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and the first four caliphs. This manuscript was copied in North Africa during the 17th century.

#OttomanArt
This week marks the beginning of autumn and soon we’ll need to start raking up all the fallen leaves. We’re sharing this remarkable 19thC calligraphic composition written on the delicate skeleton of a horse chestnut leaf from our Islamic Arts Collection.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/bdf6z4tm
An 18th-c silk curtain from the Prophet’s Tomb, woven in Ottoman Turkey, carries prayers, blessings, and the words: “Prayers and Peace be upon you, O messenger of God.” From our Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection. 

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/chp7pafd

#InternationalDayOfPeace
As #LondonFashionWeek unfolds, we spotlight a boy’s kimono ensemble from 1930s–40s Japan. Made of silk with yuzen dyeing & metallic embroidery, it features samurai helmets, swords & arrows wishing the wearer strength, valour & honour.
The Discovery Tour App: Medieval Baghdad lets you explore 9th-century Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate, featuring artefacts from The Khalili Collections. 

Learn more and download the app here:
https://tinyurl.com/yd53tz5y
On #InternationalDayofCharity we share this Pair of Phoenixes from our Enamels of the World Collection, China (1736–1795). A symbol of the empress, counterpart to the emperor’s dragon, the phoenix signified prosperity, beauty and charity.
Sudanese sword, scabbard, and baldric (1312 AH / 1898–9 AD), made for ‘Ali Dinar, last independent sultan of Darfur. More than a weapon, it symbolised authority and resilience as he restored the sultanate after 1898, ruling until its annexation in 1916.

#HistoricalWeapons
#Judaism, #Christianity, and #Islam are major monotheistic religions affirming belief in one God. The Khalili Foundation’s Interfaith Explorers resource highlights this shared tradition through the Shema, Nicene Creed, and tawhid.

Learn more at Interfaith Explorers: https://tinyurl.com/46m6xaex
Ottoman rug, late 16th–early 17th century, from Istanbul or Cairo. Wool and cotton pile on silk and wool foundation with a mihrab niche, columns and mosque lamp. A striking reminder of Ottoman artistry and cultural exchange.

#wednesdaywisdom
Meiji No Takara – Treasures of Imperial Japan Enamel (Volume III) celebrates Japanese cloisonné art with 107 masterworks and expert essays. All proceeds support The Khalili Foundation.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/yc4k3mxf

All proceeds support the charitable endeavours of The Khalili Foundation
Cobalt and Lustre: The First Centuries of Islamic Pottery presents 406 masterpieces from the 7th–13th centuries, including rare works from Iran and beyond. Beautifully illustrated with essays and drawings.

All proceeds support the Khalili Foundation: https://tinyurl.com/yaumsncn
Today for #WorldHumanitarianDay we share Qutb al-Din Shirazi’s 14thC commentary on Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine, a landmark text from NW Iran that shaped medical study across the Islamic world and beyond for centuries.

#KhaliliCollections
On #WorldImaginationDay we’re sharing this Domed and Footed Oval Casket from our Spanish Damascene Metalwork Collection. Produced in 20thC Toledo, the casket presents 3 panels depicting scenes from both books of Don Quijote, a character whose imagination shaped his understanding of the world.
Today on #InternationalYouthDay we share from our Collection a manuscript of A Divan of Hafiz, completed in Khurasan. The double frontispiece opens with 2 paintings, one attributed to ‘Abdallah al-mudhahhib al-Shirazi depicting a richly dressed youth playing the tar.

https://tinyurl.com/3wapas6d
Happy #InternationalCatDay 🐱

This bronze incense burner from Khurasan shows the medieval Islamic love for lynxes — prized as hunters and loyal pets. With perked ears, almond eyes and a toothy grin, it captures the feline’s charm in striking detail.
Explore Islamic art with Top Trumps: Islamic Art – 30 stunning cards from the Khalili Collections. Fun, educational, and perfect for all ages. Discover hidden stories and challenge your friends! 🎨🎴

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/2s3etrfj

#TopTrumps #IslamicArt #KhaliliCollections
For International Tiger Day, we’re highlighting a mid-16thC binding from Herat that is attached to a copy of the Divan of Nava’i. Painted and varnished papier-mâché boards show landscapes populated by Sino-Islamic animals, among them tigers attacking deer.

#InternationalTigerDay
Celebrating Marine Day in Japan 🇯🇵🌊

Today, we honour the ocean’s bounty with a stunning work from our Japanese Kimono Collection.

This Furisode (Kimono for a Young Woman), dating from 1912–1926, captures the rhythm of the sea with its swirling water motif.

#MarineDay
Today marks the first of two Gion Matsuri parades in Kyoto—Yamaboko Junko! Towering yama & hoko floats, adorned with rich Nishijin textiles, fill the streets.

We’re highlighting a Meiji-era Textile Hanging with Ho-o Bird echoing these festive Kyoto traditions.

#GionMatsuri #KyotoCulture
Caught in a 19th-c smile! ✨ This Qajar hookah cup shows European women in 1850s style, painted in rich enamel and inspired by imported prints. A perfect blend of Iran & Europe! 🌍

💫 #QajarArt
It’s heating up, so stay hydrated! 💧

This 16th-century ‘Pilgrim Flask’ from Mughal India or the Deccan, made of cast brass with elephant-trunk-like handles, is the perfect inspiration for your summer flask or water bottle style. 

See more flasks here: https://tinyurl.com/yr763c4y

#heatwave