Noorah Al-Gailani has been Curator of Islamic Civilisations at Glasgow Museums since 2003. She is based at the Burrell Collection but works across the city’s many museums to interpret Islamic art and culture, both ancient and modern, through research, exhibitions and a variety of educational activities and public events.

Noorah graduated with a BA in Interior Design from the College of Fine Arts, Baghdad University and gained three years experience in design and folk art preservation before coming to live in Britain in 1992. Following her completion of an MA in Museum Studies at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London in 1994 she worked as Project Officer at the Grange Museum of Community History, London Borough of Brent, documenting the presence of its Muslim communities. In 1995 she worked as Assistant Curator at the Ancient Monuments Laboratory, English Heritage; and between 1996 and 2003 she worked for the Methodist Church in London, as Curator for John Wesley’s House and the Museum of Methodism.

In 2002 she co-authored “The Islamic Year, Surahs, Stories and Celebrations” written for non-Muslim children, and published by Hawthorn Press, Stroud.