The Museum for Islamic Art

This morning was sunny, but windy and cool. We decided to walk up the street to check out the Museum for Islamic Art. In a small, but very accessible space, they have striking collections of everyday objects (Alexander could practice his vocabulary and point out "bowls," "plates," and "cups"), as well as jewelry, antique weapons, calligraphied manuscipts of the Koran, and bits of intricately painted tile and carved stone. I loved the bright colors of all of the bowls and platters; Alexander loved the pitchers and cups that featured animals. In the galleries we found sculpted dogs, roosters, ducks, deer, and even a rabbit. It's interesting how you find different things in a museum when you're exploring it with a toddler!

This museum also houses an amazing collection of antique watches and timepieces, which were originally collected by the husband of the woman who founded the museum (so they don't actually have a direct connection to Islamic Art, but are simply displayed in the same building). I could have stayed there all day looking at the rare timepieces and clocks embedded into tiny boxes, bracelets, and tins in the shapes of birds and butterflies. There were even clocks set in the sides of miniature models of pistols.

We also saw the seasonal exhibit, which was a fascinating series of paintings by an artist named Fatma Abu-Rumi. The "tragic condition of Arab women is the central issue in Fatma Abu-Rumi's visual works," which feature self-portraits of the artist wearing veils over her head and/or face, as well as portraits of men behind veils, tame falcons wearing blinders, and sculptures of real hair woven into a prayer rug and a crown of thorns.

I did a bit of research on the museum tonight and found out it was robbed in 1983, and for over 20 years, the case was unsolved. Not until 2007 did they discover the thief, and begin to recover the items, including over a hundred stolen timepieces.

Since we weren't able to take any pictures inside the museum, I'll post the museum's website address if you want to learn more about the place or the exhibits: http://www.islamicart.co.il/en/default.asp#t1

We came home to find out that there were several protests today in the West Bank, over the deaths earlier this week of a Palestinian prisoner and two teenage boys who were killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. It's hard to believe that these protests have been taking place less than an hour from us, and that if it weren't for the news, we would have no idea that these conflicts were occurring. Tonight I feel an unsettling combination of sadness over the deaths of the young boys and the anger of the protesters, coupled with my own sense of gratitude for our relative safety here in Jerusalem.