Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World

September 7, 2024–January 5, 2025

Wonderment is said to be a state of perplexity that comes over a human being when he fails to understand the reason for a thing or how it affects him.

— Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (d. 1283)

Wonders of Creation explores intersections of art and science in Islamic intellectual and visual culture from the 8th century to the present day, using the lens of “wonder” as defined by a celebrated 13th-century Islamic cosmography, an influential text describing the wonders of the universe. Written in Arabic and Persian by the scholar Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini (d. 1283), The Wonders of Creation and Rarities of Existence catalogues the marvels of the universe in a single, richly illustrated book. The text contains anecdotes about the wondrous qualities of the natural world and its inhabitants, all created by God. Beginning with the stars and heavens, it then travels across the earth to conclude with humanity and its crafts and traditions.

The exhibition includes works from more than 30 lenders, including major loans from The al-Sabah Collection, Dar Al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait; and the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM). In addition to these prestigious collections, visitors will also see contemporary works by California-based artists Ala Ebtekar and Hayv Kahraman commissioned specifically for this exhibition. The Museum has also commissioned Mamluk joinery samples made by master craftsman Hassan Abou Zeid of the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation to provide a hands-on opportunity for guests, and commissioned two contemporary replicas of a 17th-century Persian astrolabe by Taha Yasin Arslan, Ph.D., to further evoke a sense of awe throughout the exhibition.

Copies of Ala Ebtekar: Thirty-Six Views of the Moon are available for pre-order here.