We work in partnership with a wide range of institutions who share common interests. Our partners range in scale from huge national institutions, like the British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia, to cultural, research and academic institutions, professional organisations, and historians, archaeologists, conservators, curators, and others.

Over the past 30 years, we have invested resources in building the skills of heritage professionals and supporting projects in 40 countries. Many of our grantees have long-standing relationships with The Trust, developed over decades. On the other hand, we are open and welcome new partnerships, new ideas, and new generations.

For fourteen centuries, the art and architecture of the Islamic world has represented a pinnacle of achievement for some of the greatest civilisations in history. In recent years there has been deliberate destruction of cultural heritage and looting in Iraq, Syria, Libya and beyond, which has been branded “a form of cultural cleansing” by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

In light of the current socio-political climate, there is a pressing need for the arts and culture of the Islamic world to be nurtured through scholarship and study programmes, preserved through elevated levels of curation and conservation, and better understood through wider access, digital platforms and cultural activities. Such initiatives, supported by The Barakat Trust, enable the preservation of heritage and safeguard it for future generations.

The Barakat Trust supports the study and preservation of Islamic heritage, architecture, archaeology, art and culture by funding students, academic research, publications, digitisation, conservation, conferences and other projects.