Congratulations to the Museum of Islamic Arts and Heritage Foundation!
Who are the Museum of Islamic Arts and Heritage Foundation?
The Museum of Islamic Arts and Heritage Foundation (MIAH) was formed by a group of researchers and heritage practitioners at the University of Birmingham, England. They are eager to share their passion for Islamic arts and history throughout Britain and beyond. With this dedication, they have planned a fantastic project to engage the UK with Islamic manuscripts. The Barakat Trust is proud to support it.
What will they be doing?
Here are some of the things they will do that we are excited for:
🔹 Drawing people old and new into the mesmerising world of Islamic manuscripts. It will help many in the UK understand and appreciate this fascinating tradition, using special hands-on workshops with top experts and world-renowned objects.
🔹 Helping people to get creative. They will make their own art in response to the collections, and use their own hands to learn about historical art.
🔹 Opening up access to the world-class Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern Manuscripts at Birmingham University’s Cadbury Research Library – which includes the oldest Quran manuscript in the world! It is a truly one-of-a-kind collection which we are keen to introduce to a much wider audience. It deserves to be seen.
🔹 Allowing those of you who participate to curate your very own exhibition, with trips to top collections for some curatorial inspiration. You will have access to brilliant expertise, world-class artefacts, and of course you will bring a bit of yourself into it. Learning will certainly not be tedious.
🔹 Breaking down barriers between the local community and the museum, sparking the joy of history and art in people old and new to the subject.
We are very excited about this addition to the project, and we look forward to working with the team at the MIAH Foundation. Warmest congratulations.
What is the Hands On Islamic Art Project?
Through the Hands On Islamic Art Project, the Barakat Trust will work with three projects each year to help engage the British public with Islamic art and heritage, highlighting this country’s fantastic collections.
Thanks to the generous financial support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this grant scheme will create a better public understanding of the UK’s Islamic art and heritage collections and will make such collections more accessible and engaging. Critically, its public engagement activities will raise awareness about the cultures of the Islamic World and about links between the Islamic World and Britain.
Potentially the oldest Quran manuscript in the world, which will be a part of the programme.
