This July marks a significant milestone for London’s cultural landscape, as the V&A South Kensington celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Jameel Gallery. Established in July 2006, the gallery serves as the museum’s premier home for the arts of the Islamic Middle East, housing an expansive collection that bridges centuries of human creativity. To mark two decades of public engagement, scholarship, and cultural exchange, the institution has spent the past year rolling out a dynamic series of new displays, live craft demonstrations, academic conversations, and public events supported by Community Jameel, looking both backward at its rich history and forward to the future of Islamic art in global museums.
Today, the gallery brings together approximately 400 objects originating from regions spanning from Spain to Central Asia, dating from the 8th century up to the modern era. Visitors walking through the free-to-access space encounter an intimate dialogue between diverse mediums, where ceramics, intricate carpets, finely wrought metalwork, delicate woodwork, historic glass, and illuminated manuscripts sit side by side.
The creation of the gallery was originally made possible through the generous support of the Jameel family, marking the inception of a lasting, transformative relationship with the Victoria and Albert Museum. This partnership expanded further in 2009 with the establishment of the Jameel Prize, a prestigious international award that investigates and celebrates the vital relationship between contemporary artistic practice and Islamic historical tradition.
A Year of Celebration
Throughout its anniversary year, the gallery has placed living craft and traditional making techniques at the heart of its programming, successfully pairing historical masterworks with the contemporary practitioners who draw inspiration from them.
The anniversary celebrations kicked off in earnest during May, aligning with London Craft Week, when the museum welcomed Egyptian textile artist Hany Abd El-Kader. Abd El-Kader offered live demonstrations of khayamiyya—the intricate art of cotton appliqué—to a sold-out audience, following an introductory talk delivered by Seif El Rashidi of the Barakat Trust. A select group of visitors also participated in an exclusive, hands-on workshop led by the artist, crafting their own authentic pieces of khayamiyya to take home.
By July, exactly twenty years to the day since the gallery first opened its doors, the museum hosted "The Islamic Art Museumscape." This major conference brought together international museum professionals and scholars to take the pulse of how institutions worldwide curate, care for, and interpret Islamic collections today, examining how thematic priorities and museological trends have evolved over the past two decades. Later that month, the anniversary momentum continued with a vibrant Friday Late event titled "Body as a Vessel," produced in collaboration with Shubbak, which celebrated the breadth and vitality of contemporary Arab and SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) creativity.
The celebrations extended into September during the London Design Festival, marked by the debut of a striking new installation by artist Aziza Kadyri that weaves dynamically through the gallery’s historic arches. Kadyri’s collaborator, skilled embroidery artist Yulduz Mukhiddinova, traveled from Uzbekistan to lead immersive suzani embroidery sessions directly within the gallery space, as well as at the museum’s "Awakenings" Friday Late event. Accompanied by a live performance from Uzbek singer-songwriter Laylo, approximately 80 participants had the unique opportunity to learn traditional stitchwork techniques from a master craftsperson.
Twenty Years On
Reflecting on the milestone, Mariam Rosser-Owen, Curator of the Middle East in the V&A’s Asia Department, shared insights into the collection’s deep history and institutional evolution.
"As curators of Middle Eastern art, we are so fortunate to be able to work with one of the best collections of Islamic art in the world," Rosser-Owen noted. "The collecting history is so interesting as well. Collecting of Middle Eastern art began in the 1850s, when the Museum was founded, to improve British design. Over the next century, the V&A’s holdings of Islamic art grew to encompass outstanding and world-famous objects. At the same time, these holdings played a real part in inspiring some of Britain’s greatest artists and designers, including William Morris."
Rosser-Owen also highlighted the importance of the museum’s institutional archives, which preserve invaluable documentation regarding the provenance of these foundational collections. The physical space occupied by the gallery today originally opened in 1950, marking the first time the museum displayed the finest elements of its Islamic collection in a dedicated environment. Although the space underwent a refresh in the 1970s, the formation of a dedicated curatorial section for Middle Eastern specialists in 2002 made it clear that a comprehensive overhaul was necessary. Thanks to the generosity of the Jameel family, the 2006 renovation allowed the V&A’s world-class holdings to be presented in an aesthetically compelling and appropriate setting.
Fady Jameel, Family Ambassador of Community Jameel and Chairman and Founder of Art Jameel, reflected on the broader cultural significance of the milestone.
"The Jameel Gallery at the V&A anchors the Jameel family’s long-standing commitment to supporting and celebrating Islamic art," Jameel stated. "Over the past 20 years, the gallery has become a platform for research, public engagement, and contemporary creative practice, showing how historic artistic traditions continue to evolve. Through my family’s partnership with the V&A, and Community Jameel’s wider work supporting traditional arts and craftsmanship, we remain committed to fostering partnerships that preserve these traditions, while ensuring they continue to reach new audiences."
Five Objects Not to Miss
For visitors exploring the gallery—whether discovering it for the first time or returning to revisit old favorites—curators recommend beginning with five standout pieces that encapsulate the collection’s breadth and historical importance.
At the center of the gallery rests The Ardabil Carpet, created in 1539–1540 for the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din in Ardabil, northwestern Iran. Widely recognized as the world’s oldest dated carpet, it is housed in a custom-built central enclosure designed to showcase the textile as originally intended: on the floor. To safeguard its delicate natural dyes from degradation, the carpet is illuminated for ten minutes on every hour and half-hour.
Another monumental highlight is the rock crystal ewer, carved in Cairo between 1000 and 1050 for the personal treasuries of Fatimid rulers. Meticulously cut from solid rock crystal, the vessel features detailed motifs of birds of prey swooping upon horned animals amidst swirling palmette scrolls.
Equally striking is the towering minbar made for Sultan Qa’itbay in Cairo between 1468 and 1496. This architectural pulpit features intricate geometric patterns meticulously assembled from hundreds of individual pieces of carved wood and ivory.
Near the gallery entrance, visitors are greeted by a lusterware bowl with a ship, produced in Málaga, Spain, between 1425 and 1550. The bowl depicts a sailing ship crossing its center, its specialized luster glaze shifting and shimmering as viewers move around it.
Finally, located in a display case at the rear of the gallery, a newly curated selection of 20th-century Iranian prints highlights a 2023 gift to the museum from Tarlan Rafiee and Yashar Samimi Mofakham. The display features works by four leading figures of Iran’s pre-revolutionary modern art movement active between the 1950s and 1970s, including an untitled 1975 screenprint by Nasser Ovissi, an influential pioneer of the Iranian Saqqakhaneh movement.
Still to Come
The anniversary programming will continue into the autumn months. In November 2026, coinciding with Islamic Art Week, artist Mariam Ashraf will conduct a live demonstration focusing on the ancient art of plaster carving. This traditional technique was utilized to create decorative architectural windows embedded with colored glass, such as the 19th-century Cairene examples preserved within the gallery collection. The demonstration will also be broadcast via live stream to engage international audiences.
Two decades after opening its doors, The Jameel Gallery continues to forge meaningful connections between the historical past and the contemporary present, seamlessly uniting extraordinary museum objects, living craftsmanship, and fresh artistic voices.
The Jameel Gallery (Islamic Middle East, Room 42) is located at V&A South Kensington. Admission is completely free, and no advance booking is required for visitors.