DOHA (Doha News) -- Wonders of Imperial Carpets aims to promote global appreciation of Islamic heritage through international collaboration and will show at the Hong Kong Palace Museum from June to October 2025.
Qatar Museums announced on Saturday that Wonders of Imperial Carpets: Masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, an exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), will be shown from June 18 to October 6, 2025.
Co-organized by the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and HKPM, this marks the first Hong Kong exhibition dedicated to exploring artistic and cultural exchanges between Islamic and Chinese civilizations.
Featuring around 100 objects—including imperial carpets, ceramics, manuscripts, and jades—the display draws primarily from MIA’s collections, supplemented by data-x-items from the Palace Museum in Beijing and HKPM.
According to a Qatar Museums press release: “the exhibition traces artistic exchanges among the Safavid (1501–1736), Mughal (1526–1857), and Ottoman (1299–1923) dynasties, highlighting the dynamic cross-cultural connections forged through diplomacy, migration, and trade over the centuries.”
It forms part of Qatar’s Years of Culture initiative, fostering international cultural ties, and follows a memorandum of understanding signed between HKPM and Qatar Museums during the 2023 Hong Kong International Cultural Summit.
Director of MIA Shaika Nasser Al-Nassr said the exhibition highlights “the profound links that have bound Islamic and Chinese cultures for centuries.”
Many artifacts will be displayed outside Qatar for the first time. Among the highlights are imperial carpets crafted between the 16th and 18th centuries and made of materials like silk, pashmina wool, and precious metal threads.
“This approach demonstrates the HKPM’s commitment to advancing dialogue among civilizations,” Dr Louis Ng, HKPM’s Museum Director said in the press release, adding that it is an “immense privilege” to “share the captivating stories of the arts of the Islamic world with our visitors.”
Key exhibits include the 450-year-old Shah Sulayman “hunting” carpet, gifted by Safavid rulers to a Venetian leader, blending Persian motifs with Chinese-inspired cloud bands and mythical creatures.
The Kevorkian Hyderabad carpet, stretching nearly 16 meters, offers a rare full display of Mughal grandeur.
The Çintamani prayer rug, adorned with symbolic circles and an abstract depiction of the Prophet’s sandals, reflects Ottoman court tastes.
A Qianlong-era carpet from China’s Xinjiang region, paired with Safavid silk, illustrates shared floral motifs across cultures.
Organized into four sections, the exhibition explores carpet production and its interplay with ceramics, metalwork, and manuscripts.