The article highlights the importance of the exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which focuses on Islamic art and tells the story of the connection between Islamic lands, especially since the "House of Islam" played a prominent role in connecting countries, a fact that may not be widely known. The exhibition also highlights the modernity of Islamic arts and their aesthetics, not placing them solely in a historical context. The exhibition was first held at the Louvre in Paris in the spring of this year as the first major European exhibition dedicated to the Sultanate of the Mamluks. This is the first exhibition of its kind in the Arab Gulf region, featuring works from 34 prestigious museums and cultural institutions from 13 countries. The exhibition is now presented to the public in the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in general, shedding light on the historical and cultural ties between the region and the Mamluk world, with an expanded display of artworks on loan from regional institutions, shown exclusively in Abu Dhabi, alongside some works that were exhibited in both Abu Dhabi and Paris. Regarding the details of the exhibition, the first museum director at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Fahira Ahmed Al-Kandi, told "Emirates Today": "The Mamluk era is close to us in Arab society, but when we talk about the Mamluk era, the military aspect and the sophisticated system come to mind, which is of great importance in state-building. The Mamluk era is one of the golden ages in history, and this is reflected in the artworks, as well as in aspects related to the diversity of society, its interminglement and harmony with the presence of multiple cultures, including important religious, scientific, and literary ones." Al-Kandi added: "What matters to us as a museum is to present a meeting of civilizations, and the Mamluks formed a fundamental element in this, not only thanks to the geographical location but also because they sought it on more than one front, commercial and diplomatic, and we notice this from the growth of diplomacy during this period and clearly in the world, where their embassies spread in different places: in the West and the East, Europe, Africa, and Asia." Al-Kindi pointed out that the Sultanate was a center of artistic and technical production, and some technical methods reached their peak, which the exhibition highlights, noting that this exhibition is classified as one of the most important organized in cooperation with large groups that own Islamic arts around the world, and the number of groups from which works were borrowed exceeds 30, while the number of pieces on display in the museum exceeds 270. Al-Kandi noted a special connection between art in the Mamluk era and religion, emphasizing that any Islamic caliphate plays a fundamental role in preserving and protecting religious sites, and they played a major role in this in Cairo, Damascus, and generally in the places where they were present, while scholars played a prominent role in scientific studies, considering that this role was translated in the artistic pieces in the exhibition, including copies of the Quran and manuscripts, some of which carry the famous Mamluk decorative aesthetics that existed from the beginning of Islamic rule. The Director of Islamic Art at the Louvre in Paris and the curator of the exhibition, Théria Njeim, confirmed that this exhibition is the first of its kind in 50 years, telling the story of the civilization of the Mamluk era, and its importance stems from the fact that it has not been organized before, and secondly, because it not only sheds light on art but also on society, in addition to highlighting the importance of Islamic arts in that historical stage. Njeim noted that she deliberately divided the works into sections that tell the story of the Mamluk era, clarifying society, governance, and arts, while highlighting the role of women, which constitutes an important addition. The Louvre Abu Dhabi organizes this exhibition in cooperation with the Louvre and French museums, as this exhibition was first held at the Louvre in Paris in the spring of this year as the first major European exhibition dedicated to the Sultanate of the Mamluks. This exhibition is the first of its kind in the Arab Gulf region, featuring works from 34 prestigious museums and cultural institutions from 13 countries. The exhibits vary between glass, metal, and ceramic vessels, textiles, coins, manuscripts, and other distinctive pieces. Titled "The Mamluks: Legacy and Impact," the Louvre Abu Dhabi hosts an exhibition featuring 270 works that highlight the rich artistic legacy of the Sultanate of the Mamluks, which ruled over vast territories that included the most important Islamic holy sites for more than two and a half centuries.
