Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation chosen to display artefacts in virtual Museum with No Frontiers

SMIC the only UAE museum to participate

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation – one of the 16 museums under the umbrella of the Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) - has been chosen to display its artefacts on the website of Museum With No Frontiers (MWNF) – an international online museum project which uses cultural heritage to foster intercultural understanding and create opportunities for local economic and cultural tourism development. Most importantly, Museum with no Frontiers is the largest online storehouse of Islamic art and the only platform to include all major Islamic art collections of the Arab world.

Sharjah’s contribution is part of MWNF’s initiative ‘Discover Islamic Arts Collections’ designed to expand on its groundbreaking online exhibitions devoted to ‘Islamic Art in the Mediterranean’. These were chosen by 14 countries to raise awareness about the contribution of Islamic societies to the cultural identity of both Europe and the Arab world, and to create opportunities of multilateral cooperation between cultural heritage experts from both regions.

Manal Ataya, SMD’s Director General, commented, “It is an honour for us that the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation has been chosen as the sole representative from the UAE to display its artefacts on the MWNF website. One of the most important roles of any museum is to give its visitors the opportunity to gain insights into the culture or era that is being displayed and projects like this one by MWNF are crucial to the process of building bridges between the diverse cultures of the world. We are extremely pleased that the collections of the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation will be contributing to the global awareness of the true tenets of Islamic culture and history, nurturing a greater understanding between East and West.

The first virtual exhibition conceived by MWNF was launched in 2007, and today, MWNF is the largest museum on the web. It includes a permanent collection, a database and numerous virtual exhibitions with descriptions written by local experts in nine languages. The ‘Discover Islamic Art’ initiative, which now also hosts the ‘Discover Islamic Art Collections’ section of which Sharjah is a part, was set up in cooperation with 40 museums and cultural institutions from 14 countries. The Museum presents 850 artefacts as well as 385 monuments and archaeological sites covering the period from the Umayyad Caliphate until the end of the Ottoman Empire. The virtual museum is constantly updated, with new projects added continuously. Today, the MWNF network includes 500 partners from across Europe and the Middle East, drawn from both the public and private cultural sector.

The Sharjah Museums Department was established by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Supreme Council in 2006. SMD oversees and links the current and future museums of Sharjah – which has a rich legacy of arts, heritage and culture in the region. The Sharjah Museums cover the arts, Islamic culture and history, heritage and history of Sharjah and the region, archaeology, science, children’s learning and natural history.

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