News: Heart of the West, Art of the East

By: Catherine Curan

November 2007

ATHENS—Travelers who equate Greece with classical ruins may be surprised that the Parthenon’s home city is also the site for an outstanding museum of Islamic art. The collection of more than 11,000 pieces from the seventh to the 19th centuries—nearly 1,200 of which are on display—debuted at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, near the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos, in 2004.

Antonis Benakis, a wealthy Alexandrian Greek businessman who founded Athens’ Benaki Museum in 1930— the country’s first private museum—collected the Islamic Art Museum’s core holdings. Standout pieces include the only known example of a universal astrolabe (astronomy instrument) from Syria dated 1328, a pair of carved wooden doors from 8th-century Baghdad and an exceedingly rare ceramic bowl with a giraffe and an attendant from 11th century Egypt.

The museum draws a steady flow of Islamic art fans and Greek children on school trips, according to Anna Ballian, senior curator of Islamic art. "Children come and learn, for instance, that Turks are not just our first enemy," she says. "Arabs have a civilization; they are not just terrorists as the media tells us." For more information, visit benaki.gr.