Doha: Qatar Museums (QM) is proud to announce an upcoming exhibition Wonders of Imperial Carpets: Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, opening at the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) from 18 June to 6 October 2025. Co-organised by the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and the HKPM, this landmark exhibition will be the first in Hong Kong to explore the rich artistic and cultural exchanges between Islamic and Chinese civilisations.
According to Qatar News Agency, the exhibition will showcase approximately 100 extraordinary objects, including imperial carpets, ceramics, manuscripts, metalwork, and jades. These items are primarily drawn from the renowned collections of MIA, complemented by objects from the Palace Museum in Beijing and the HKPM. The exhibition will trace artistic exchanges between the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736), Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), and Ottoman dynasty (1299-1923), highlighting the dynamic cross-cultural connections shaped through diplomacy, migration, and trade over centuries.
Director of Museum of Islamic Art, Shaika Nasser Al Nassr, expressed that the collaboration with the Hong Kong Palace Museum is an honor, aiming to bring remarkable artifacts from their collections to new audiences. "Wonders of Imperial Carpets highlights not only the exceptional artistry and craftsmanship of the Safavid, Mughal, and Ottoman dynasties, but also the profound links that have bound Islamic and Chinese cultures for centuries," she stated, emphasizing the significance of cultural dialogues between the regions.
The exhibition is a pioneering collaboration between MIA and HKPM, showcasing some of the most precious and iconic artefacts from MIA's renowned collection, many of which are displayed outside of Qatar for the first time. Visitors will have an extraordinary opportunity to explore the richness and sophistication of Islamic art through its most celebrated masterpieces: "carpets," which, aside from architecture, represent one of the largest and most enduring forms of Islamic artistic expression.
Dr Louis Ng, Director of the HKPM, remarked that Wonders of Imperial Carpets marks the first time such an exhibition is staged outside of Qatar, incorporating a new curatorial concept and enriched by the unique storyline of cultural exchange between China and the Islamic world. This approach reflects HKPM's commitment to advancing dialogue among civilizations and sharing the captivating stories of the arts of the Islamic world with visitors.
Organised in four sections, the exhibition not only explores imperial carpet production across Safavid Iran, Mughal India, Ottoman Turkiye, and China between the 16th and 18th centuries, but also highlights the profound interconnections between different forms of Islamic art, from ceramics and metalwork to miniature painting and bookbinding.
Wonders of Imperial Carpets is a significant milestone in QM's ongoing commitment to cultural exchange and international collaboration. Through such partnerships, QM continues to share the richness of its collections with global audiences, fostering greater appreciation for Islamic art and heritage around the world.
The exhibition is a legacy project of the Years of Culture initiative, a year-long programme of collaborations between Qatar and partner countries that seeks to nurture mutual respect and understanding by building long-term cultural, social, and economic ties. It is also one of the key collaborative achievements following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the HKPM and QM during the first-ever Hong Kong International Cultural Summit, organised by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority last year.