The Pergamon Museum took 20 years to construct as designers and laborers toiled to make it deserving of housing some of Berlin's most impressive antiquity collections, which include over 270,000 historical objects. These collections concentrate on Middle Eastern societies, such as those in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia.
The Pergamon is the most well-known of all museums for antiquity, drawing over a million visitors annually thanks to its impressive and unrivaled collection of enormous architectural reconstructions from the Islamic world. The 'Market Gate of Miletus' (100 CE) and 'The Great Altar of Pergamon,' which show the Olympian gods engaged in combat with giants, are two of the collection's most impressive works (180-160 BC).
The Qur'an, the most significant Islamic text, is introduced in Words to Read - Words to Feel, emphasizing its cultural implications. A carefully chosen collection of priceless historical artifacts is featured in the exhibition to help highlight the many facets of this prophetic book. To illustrate the aesthetics and practices derived from the book in priceless items used in Islamic religious rituals and in common objects, objects are displayed next to pages of scripture from the Qur'an. This exhibit thus supports the close connections between religion and culture.
Art of Islamic Cultures is regarded as the most comprehensive collection of Islamic art outside of the Islamic world and covers the artistic expressions of Islamic societies from the 8th to the 19th centuries. The stunning red room from Aleppo, 'Painted Wood Paneling from the Reception Room of a Christian Businessman,' and the intricate stone façade of the Caliph Palace of the Mshatta of the Umayyad dynasty are among the architectural features contained in this collection that are most impressive.
The new exhibition, Trans-cultural Relations, Global Biographies - Islamic Art, examines how various cultures interact both within and outside the Islamic world. The fact that many of these different objects have similar motifs and craftsmanship when compared to one another suggests that there was clear evidence of exchange among the civilizations that once called this region the world home.
The strength of the collection of Assyrian, Sumerian, and Babylonian artifacts from the Ancient Near Eastern Cultures is comparable to that of the Louvre of oriental works of art. This section of the museum highlights the numerous reconstructions of Babylonian monuments, such as the 'Ishtar Gate' and the 'façade of the throne hall of King Nebuchadnezzar II.' These reproductions of Babylonian art and architecture adhere to the exact dimensions of the original with meticulous attention to detail. This museum section covers over 6,000 years of history within a vast 2,000-square-meter exhibition space.
The Mshatta Façade, found in the Pergamon's Museum of Muslim Art wing, is taken from one of Jordan's Desert Castles, the Umayyad Palace from the eighth century. The façade, which features fine, intricate carvings of animals and filigree patterns, suffered significant damage during World War Two. Since being fixed, it has continued to rank among the collection's most renowned items.
The Ishtar Gate is considered by many a procession corridor and enormous arch discovered in the ancient city of Babylon, to be the most impressive site in the museum (in modern-day Iraq, near Baghdad). It was built in 575 BCE to pay homage to the goddess Ishtar and is decorated with exquisite glazed tile reliefs of fantastical animals like lions, aurochs, and dragons. People travel worldwide to get a glimpse of the 2600-year-old blue, yellow, and green tiles because of the striking colors that leave an impression on visitors.
Neighboring Attractions: Friedrichstraße and Hackescher Markt.
Duration RequiredBodestrasse 1-3, 10178 Berlin, Germany
4.5
