United Muslim Masjid

We sent a Messenger to every nation, saying: 'Worship Allah and avoid the idols.' Amongst them were some whom Allah guided, and some justly disposed to error. Travel in the land and see what was the end of those who belied (the Revelation and the prophets) Qur'an 16:36

Exploring Iran: The Photography of Erich F. Schmidt, 1930–1940 features 60 photographs selected from nearly 2600 taken during the excavation of the Bronze Age archeological site of Tepe Hissar, in Iran. The photographs show not only the excavation itself but also the desert and mountain people Schmidt’s team encountered and the region’s extraordinary landscapes; they are complemented by a sampling of ancient artifacts, including painted pottery and bronze jewelry, from the dig. University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, through December 9.

India: Public Places / Private Spaces shows more than 100 works of contemporary photography and video art by 28 photo- and videographers, and reflects the interior and exterior realities of today’s India. Newark Museum, New Jersey, through January 6

Islamic Science Rediscovered celebrates the contributions of Muslim scholars to science and technology during the “golden age” of the Islamic world—roughly the eighth to 13th century—and the influence their discoveries and inventions have had on today’s society. The exhibition focuses on nine disciplines greatly influenced by Muslim scholars: astronomy, engineering, exploration, medicine, optics, hydrology, mathematics, art and architecture. Hands-on exhibits allow visitors to use an astrolabe and an armillary sphere, design Arab ornaments, conduct optical experiments, operate water-raising machines and use a “spoon” compass. Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey, through January 6.

Pharaohs, Queens and Goddesses, presented in tandem with Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, is dedicated to powerful female pharaohs, queens and goddesses of Egyptian history. The central object of the exhibition is a granite head of Hatshepsut, the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty (1539–1292 bc) and one of the 39 women represented in The Dinner Party; other women and goddesses featured include queens Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Tiye and the goddesses Sakhmet, Mut, Neith, Wadjet, Bastet, Satis and Nephthys. Brooklyn Museum, New York, through January 20.

Art of Being Tuareg: Sahara Nomads in a Modern World. The elegance and beauty of the Tuareg peoples—their dress and ornament, their large white riding camels, their refined song, speech and dance—have all been rhapsodically described by travelers in Niger, Mali and Nigeria. This exhibition explores the history and culture of the Tuareg through more than 200 items of their silver jewelry, clothing, leather purses, bags and saddles, and other highly decorated items. National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., through January 27

Traces of the Calligrapher and Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur’an brings together calligrapher’s tools of the 17th through the 19th centuries from Iran, India and Turkey, including pens, pen boxes, chests, tables, paper scissors, knives and burnishers of superb manufacture and design. These objects are presented with contemporary examples of calligraphy and book binding: practice exercises, occasional works, wall hangings and manuscripts. In Islamic culture calligraphy is still regarded as the greatest art form, and calligraphers are among the most highly esteemed artists. Traces of the Calligrapher serves to reconstruct the intimate world of the calligrapher, bringing together the tools of the trade—works of art in their own right—and the exquisite products of these functional objects. The exhibition offers new insights into the environment in which the calligrapher worked during the early modern period of Islamic culture. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, through January 27.

Rumi and the Sufi Tradition exhibits more than 30 Islamic art objects—miniatures, calligraphy, ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles— created between the 13th and the 19th centuries that evoke the world in which Rumi lived and suggest the scope of his legacy. Metropolitan Museum, New York, through February 3.

Splendor and Intimacy: Mughal and Rajput Courtly Life shows exquisite miniature paintings and decorative objects, including jades, jewelry and weapons, that demonstrate the richness of the arts produced in South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. The selection of objects in this exhibition offers a glimpse into the courtly life of the Mughal emperors (1526–1857) as well as that of their Rajput opponents and vassals. The interaction between the imperial Mughal dynasty and the rugged, proud Rajputs led to an immense flowering of art and architecture (seen most magnificently in the Taj Mahal). In November, a second installation of paintings will be added to the exhibition, which celebrates Indian and Pakistani culture and commemorates the 60th year of independence of both countries. Art Institute of Chicago, through February 3

Overlapping Realms: Arts of the Islamic World and India, 900–1900 presents a sampling of visual arts produced by the varied peoples who inhabited the region stretching from southern Europe through South Asia. Shifting political circumstances and different religious faiths influenced the artists’ world views and in many ways determined their opportunities and modes of expression. Relying primar- ily on ceramics and metalwork, the exhibition emphasizes commonalities and continuities, even as it explores diversity of intention and technique. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, through February 10.

Gifts for the Gods: Images from Egyptian Temples is the first exhibition to focus on the art and significance of Egyptian metal statuary; it presents a new understanding of this type of statuary, its influences and its meaning. On view from domestic and international collections are some 70 superb statues and statuettes created in precious metals and copper alloys over more than two millennia, including several of the extremely rare inlaid and decorated large bronzes from the Third Intermediate Period (1070–664 BC), which represents the apogee of Egyptian metalwork. Catalogue. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, through February 18.

European Cartographers and the Ottoman World 1500–1750: Maps From the Collection of O. J. Sopranos. This exhibition of maps, seacharts and atlases explores how mapmakers came to know and map the Ottoman world between the 15th and 18th centuries. It begins with the intellectual and geographical discoveries of the 15th century that undermined the medieval view of the cosmos and illustrates how cartographers sought to produce and map a new geography that reconciled classical ideas and theories with the information brought back by travelers. The exhibits include manuscript portolan charts and atlases, the earliest printed maps of the Ottoman Empire, an Ottoman sea atlas, bird’s-eye views of cities, a rare printed Ottoman atlas from the early 19th century, decorative regional maps, a sea chart described as among the finest examples of 18th-century Dutch map art, and sketches, memoirs and reports from travelers. The exhibition demonstrates the power of maps to reflect and shape geographical knowledge. Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, through March 2.

Amarna: Ancient Egypt’s Place in the Sun offers a rare look at the unique royal center of Amarna, the ancient city of Akhetaten, which grew, flourished and vanished in hardly more than a generation’s time. The exhibition features more than 100 artifacts, including statuary of gods, goddesses and royalty, monumental reliefs, golden jewelry, personal items of the royal family and artists’ mate- rials from the royal workshops. University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, through April.

Magic in Ancient Egypt: Image, Word, and Reality explores how the Egyptians, known throughout the ancient world for their expertise in magic, addressed the unknown forces of the universe. Ancient Egyptians did not distinguish between religion and magic, and believed that the manipulation of written words, images and ritual could influence the world through a divinely created force known as Heqa, personified as the eldest son of the solar creator Atum. The exhibition also examines connections between magic and medicine and the use of magic after death. Brooklyn Museum, New York, through September 28.

Wine, Worship and Sacrifice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani presents gold, silver and ceramic vessels, jewelry, Greek bronze sculpture, Greek and Colchian coins and Greek glassware that together give a rich and informative archeological view of the ancient Asian country south of the Caucasus and its administrative center, Vani. The exhibition features the contents of a grave found in Vani in 2004 containing elaborate Colchian gold hair-ornaments and appliqués for clothing; a Persian silver bucket, ladle and libation bowls; Greek wine amphorae and red-figure pottery; and a Greek bronze torso. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., December 1 through February 24.

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World features more than 100 unique, rare and often beautiful artifacts, including maps on cuneiform tablets, medieval maps, manuscript maps of explorers, globes, maps of areas all around the earth and maps of nowhere: utopias and imaginary maps. This ambitious exhibition broadens visitors’ understanding of the almost universal human activity of map-making. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, March 16 through June 8.

Muraqqa: Imperial Mughal Albums From the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. Among the most remarkable of Mughal paintings and calligraphies are those commissioned by the Emperors Jahangir (1605–1627) and Shah Jahan (1627–1658) for display in lavish imperial albums. A window into the worldviews of the emperors, these exquisite images depict the rulers,
the imperial family in relaxed private settings, Sufi teachers and mystics, allies and courtiers and natural history subjects. The exhibition brings together 86 masterpieces—many not previously exhibited in the United States—from the renowned Dublin collection. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., May 3 through August 3.