Hong Kong Palace Museum | Wonders of Imperial Carpets: Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

9000. Exhibition introduction

The exhibition features carpets from Safavid Iran, Ottoman Türkiye, and Mughal India, the three Islamic empires of the early modern period, along with ceramics, metalwork, manuscripts, and jades from the 10th to the 19th centuries. These exquisite works illustrate the vital artistic exchange, facilitated by trade, migration, and diplomacy, among the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736), Mughal dynasty (1526–1857), and Ottoman dynasty (1299–1923). This exhibition also evinces the inspiration Chinese art has given artists in the Islamic world, and vice versa.

The exhibition is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, presenting around 100 treasures from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, along with precious objects from the collections of the Palace Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

9001. Rothschild medallion carpet

This magnificent carpet has a design element that frequently appears in Islamic art and architecture: the medallion. In carpet design, a medallion is a large central pattern that immediately draws the eye. In Islamic art, a medallion is more than just a visual feature, it is a complex and profound geometric design.

Look closely at this carpet. Notice how perfectly balanced it is: the top and bottom halves mirror each other, and the left and right sides do too. This symmetry is not just about beauty on the surface; it also has a deeper meaning.

At the very centre, you see a vibrant yellow circular design called a shamseh in Persian—meaning “little sun”. The shamseh is more than a decorative element. It is also a mathematical marvel. Count its points—you will find 16. Surrounding the yellow shamseh is a larger, red version with a delicate light-blue border; it is equally precise in its geometric construction. The artists were skilled mathematicians. Each line, each circle, is carefully planned.

The medallion also has cosmic significance. The circle represents unity—a single, perfect whole. The varied points of the shamseh represent multiplicity—the endless variations within that unity. The shamseh is like a snowflake or a honeycomb: complex yet harmoniously connected. For many Muslims, the geometric patterns are more than art. They are a reflection of the universe's mathematical precision—a divine creation where complexity emerges from simple, fundamental principles.

9002. Textile with pink, red, and blue flowers

Look at the delicate silk textile hanging on the wall. Bursting with pink carnations and blue irises, it is a vibrant example of vegetal patterns in Islamic art. The flowers are not just beautiful; they are symbols of divine beauty, carefully arranged with mathematical precision. Notice how the iris is embraced by an eight-pointed star—a geometric motif that is far more than decoration. The flowers are carefully positioned, creating a sense of balance and symmetry that speaks to the deep connection between art and mathematics in Islamic cultures.

Now turn your attention to the carpet on the ground behind you. This exquisite piece, from the Xinjiang region of China during the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1736–1795), offers a different visual experience. Here, flowers and plants from the vast grasslands are dancing across the textile. The design might seem more organic, but look closely—there’s the same geometric discipline as in the Safavid textile. The stems create lines, the flower shapes repeat, and symmetry underlies every inch of the design.

Both textiles were made with a remarkable technique that adds shimmer to their luxury: metal-wrapped threads. The Safavid silk textile you see is a pinnacle of artistic achievement. A gold-brocaded fabric was the most expensive silk of its time. The Qing-dynasty carpet also emits a golden glow, continuing a textile tradition that stretches back over a thousand years to the Tang dynasty (618–907).

9003. Shah Sulayman “hunting” carpet

In Islamic artistic traditions, figures tell complex stories. Religious works of art remain free of human or animal representations, but secular art bursts with life and imagination and has narrative power.

The majestic Shah Sulayman “hunting” carpet before you is a window into a marvellous world. Figural carpets like this were not meant for mosques but for the grand spaces of palaces and mansions, where art could speak boldly and fancifully.

Now look behind you at the miniature paintings. Let's explore two scenes that enrich our appreciation of the Islamic visual world. First, turn to the extraordinary frontispiece from the Book of Kings—the Shahnama—on the left. Here sits Solomon, the ideal king. But look, he’s not alone. Winged angels, mysterious demons, exotic birds, and fantastical beasts surround him. This breathtaking picture blends the natural and the mythical worlds, revealing how Islamic art can create entire universes within a single image.

Next to this painting, another scene unfolds—the enthronement of king Kay Khosraw. Look at the golden throne on which he sits, and look at the luxurious carpet beneath his feet, adorned with dainty vegetal patterns. In the foreground, warriors and officials sit with ceremonial grace. And there—can you spot him? —is Rustam, the legendary Iranian hero, draped in his tiger-skin outfit and crowned with a snow leopard helmet.

9004. Flower and lattice carpet

The carpet in front of you has a lattice design. You can find peonies, lilies, and other vegetation interspersed in the lattice.

The floral style was the most popular decorative style in art and architecture by the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658), the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal. Floral patterns had already been in use for the decoration of imperial carpets during the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736). In the Mughal dynasty, flowers were rendered with much greater realism, as artists were inspired, in part, by European botanical art.

Shah Jahan’s father, Jahangir (r. 1605–1627), was passionate about the natural environment. He was famously enchanted by the beauty of Kashmir’s eternal spring, with red roses, violets, narcissi, and tulips carpeting the hills and meadows. Jahangir asked one of his best court painters, Mansur (d. 1624), to paint more than a hundred flower paintings. Jahangir’s passion and Mansur's paintings influenced all forms of art and architecture.

There are various types of floral carpet designs. In some designs, like the one in front of you, the whole flowering plant or maybe just the blossoms are framed in a lattice. Other designs may feature a single flower or even “a thousand flowers”, as the term “millefleur style” suggests.

9005. Qur’an

In Islamic traditions, the Qur'an is a marvel. As the holy book of Islam, it inspires calligraphy that transforms sacred words into visual poetry. Each stroke carries profound spiritual significance. The Arabic script becomes a bridge between the human and the divine, written text into a form of worship.

Look at the manuscripts before you. The 18 fundamental shapes of the Arabic alphabet, together with a varying number of diacritics (dots), capture 28 distinct phonetic sounds. The shapes and dots can be used to create extraordinary complexity. Calligraphers are artists, then, who sculpt meaning with every carefully placed dot and curve.

The tools of their craft are also very important. Calligraphers use delicate reed pens and create inks from natural materials like soot and gum arabic. Paper was introduced to the Islamic world from China around the eighth century and became a sacred surface for divine revelation. Each manuscript holds the precious tradition of various art forms passed from one generation to the next.

The Qur'an remains the ultimate source of calligraphic art, with its influence extending far beyond religious texts. Calligraphic inscriptions appear everywhere, on grand architectural monuments and on intimate personal objects. Some celebrate religious devotion, while others praise rulers or capture poetic verses. Calligraphy has extraordinary versatility as an art form.

9006. Exploring the Damascus Room

Welcome to the Damascus Room! Please feel free to look around! This reception room, which dates to 1817, was part of a wealthy family’s home in Damascus. Guests were warmly received and entertained here.

The decorative details were created with the finest artistry and craftsmanship. The walls are ornamented with gold leaf, tinfoil, mirrors, and other reflective materials—imagine how sunlight or candlelight can transform the look and feel of the room with each passing moment.

Pause to admire the treasures on the shelves. They do not belong to the original setting but are displayed to show how the space would have been decorated. The family living here would have held dear mementoes like these, collected over the years, or passed down from one generation to the next.

Please sit back, relax, and make yourself at home. Enjoy each other’s company and immerse yourself in the beauty of Islamic art.