Two Decades of Art and Heritage: Celebrating 20 Years of The Jameel Gallery at the V&A

This July, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington reached a significant milestone, marking two decades since the grand opening of The Jameel Gallery. Established in July 2006, the gallery serves as the museum’s dedicated home for the arts of the Islamic Middle East, housing a breathtaking collection that spans from the 8th century to the modern day. To commemorate this 20th anniversary, the museum has spent the past year reflecting on the gallery’s profound impact on public understanding, hosting a series of new displays, live craft demonstrations, and scholarly conversations that bridge the gap between historic masterworks and contemporary creative practice.

The gallery, which remains free for all visitors, is a testament to the endurance of artistic traditions across a vast geographic expanse, featuring approximately 400 objects originating from regions stretching from Spain to Central Asia. The collection is a vibrant tapestry of human history, comprising intricate ceramics, expansive carpets, delicate metalwork, fine woodwork, glass, and illuminated manuscripts. Each piece tells a story of cultural exchange, technical mastery, and the evolution of aesthetic sensibilities over more than a millennium.

The existence of this space was made possible through the generous support of the Jameel family, a partnership that has blossomed into a long-standing commitment to the arts. This collaboration further expanded in 2009 with the launch of the Jameel Prize, an internationally recognized award that spotlights the vital relationship between contemporary creative practice and Islamic tradition. Throughout this anniversary year, with the continued support of Community Jameel, the museum has successfully reinvigorated the space, ensuring that the legacy of the gallery remains as dynamic and relevant as it was at its inception.

A Year of Craft and Celebration

Central to the 20th-anniversary festivities has been a renewed emphasis on the act of making. By inviting living artisans into the gallery, the V&A has provided visitors with a rare opportunity to see traditional techniques performed in real-time, side-by-side with the historic objects that inspired them.

In May, during London Craft Week, the museum hosted Egyptian textile artist Hany Abd El-Kader, who captivated audiences with a demonstration of khayamiyya, the intricate art of cotton appliqué. The event, introduced by Seif El Rashidi of the Barakat Trust, was sold out, reflecting a deep public interest in the preservation of these specialized skills. A select group of attendees was also afforded the chance to participate in a hands-on workshop, allowing them to experience the labor-intensive process firsthand and create their own pieces of khayamiyya.

The momentum continued into July, marking the exact anniversary of the gallery’s opening. The museum hosted "The Islamic Art Museumscape," a conference designed to take the pulse of global museum practices regarding Islamic collections. Experts discussed how the field has evolved over the past two decades, examining the changing themes and trends that have shaped the way these collections are curated and interpreted. This scholarly exploration was followed by a vibrant "Friday Late" event, organized in collaboration with Shubbak, which celebrated contemporary Arab and SWANA (South West Asian and North African) creativity under the theme "Body as a Vessel."

As autumn approached, the focus shifted to the intersection of traditional embroidery and contemporary design. During the London Design Festival in September, the gallery featured a new installation by artist Aziza Kadyri, which wove through the existing architectural arches of the space. Her collaborator, the Uzbek embroidery artist Yulduz Mukhiddinova, traveled from Uzbekistan to lead intensive suzani embroidery sessions. The program, which included an atmospheric performance by Uzbek singer-songwriter Laylo, saw approximately 80 participants learn the traditional stitches that have defined Central Asian textiles for generations.

Twenty Years of Curation and Legacy

Reflecting on the milestone, Mariam Rosser-Owen, Curator of the Middle East at the V&A’s Asia Department, highlighted the unique position the gallery holds in the global art world. She noted that the museum’s history with Middle Eastern art dates back to the 1850s, when the institution was founded with the goal of improving British design standards. Over the following century, the collection grew significantly, acquiring world-famous objects that served as a wellspring of inspiration for influential figures like William Morris.

"The V&A’s archival holdings, and the information they preserve about the provenance of these collections, are also rich and important," Rosser-Owen explained. She noted that while a dedicated space for these items was established in 1950 and partially refreshed in the 1970s, the formation of a specialized curatorial section in 2002 identified a need for a more comprehensive overhaul. The subsequent renovation in 2006, funded by the Jameel family, provided the necessary framework to allow these world-class collections to be presented in a setting that is both visually stunning and historically appropriate.

Fady Jameel, Family Ambassador of Community Jameel and Chairman and Founder of Art Jameel, emphasized that the gallery serves as the cornerstone of his family’s long-standing dedication to Islamic art. "Over the past 20 years, the gallery has become a platform for research, public engagement, and contemporary creative practice, showing how historic artistic traditions continue to evolve," he remarked. He reaffirmed that the family remains committed to fostering partnerships that not only preserve these historic traditions but also ensure they reach and resonate with new, diverse audiences globally.

Iconic Treasures and New Discoveries

For both first-time visitors and those returning to the gallery, the space offers an array of must-see objects. Foremost among these is the Ardabil Carpet, a masterpiece created in 1539–1540 for the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din in Ardabil, Iran. As the world’s oldest dated carpet, it remains a focal point of the collection. To ensure its preservation, it is displayed in a specialized central case and is illuminated only for ten minutes on the hour and half-hour, a practice that protects the integrity of its historic dyes.

Other highlights include a stunning 11th-century rock crystal ewer carved in Cairo for the Fatimid rulers, featuring intricate depictions of birds of prey and horned animals. The gallery also houses a towering 15th-century minbar made for Sultan Qaitbay, an architectural feat assembled from hundreds of individual pieces of carved wood and ivory. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a 15th-century lustreware bowl from Málaga, Spain, which showcases the shimmering brilliance of medieval glazing techniques.

The collection continues to grow and evolve. Recently, the museum added a selection of 20th-century Iranian prints, donated in 2023 by Tarlan Rafiee and Yashar Samimi Mofakham. These works highlight the pre-revolutionary modern art movement, including a 1975 print by Nasser Ovissi, a key figure in the Saqqakhaneh movement, illustrating that the gallery’s narrative extends well into the modern era.

Looking Toward the Future

The celebration of the gallery’s 20th year does not end with these events. In November 2026, as part of Islamic Art Week, the museum will host a demonstration by artist Mariam Ashraf on the art of plaster carving—a technique essential to creating the decorative, glass-filled windows seen in 19th-century Cairene architecture. This session will be live-streamed, allowing an international audience to engage with the technical nuances of these traditional crafts.

Two decades after its doors first opened, The Jameel Gallery remains a vital link between the past and the present. By continuing to bring together extraordinary historical objects with the living voices of modern craft, the V&A ensures that the artistic heritage of the Islamic world remains a vibrant, evolving field of study. The gallery is open to the public daily at V&A South Kensington, with free admission and no booking required, inviting all to explore the enduring beauty of its collection.