Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur is among the world's younger museums, and it treats that as an advantage. Few institutions in Asia give this level of attention to the range of Islamic cultures rather than to a single tradition.

The museum describes itself as being in a permanent state of renewal: the collection keeps growing and the galleries are rearranged to keep pace. Interpretation panels are provided in English, Malay and Arabic, setting out the themes of each display along with historical and geographical context.

Since opening in 1999 the building has become a Kuala Lumpur landmark. Its setting is unusual for an urban museum — surrounded by greenery, and unusually full of daylight. That last point is deliberate rather than incidental: most of the objects on display were made to be seen in natural light.

In 2003 the museum received the IRCICA Award for patronage in the preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of scholarship, an honour shared with a small group of institutions including Istanbul's Sakıp Sabancı Museum. The same year it was given the Montblanc Arts Patronage Award — the first time that award had gone to a recipient in Southeast Asia.

Collection size: more than 8,000 objects.

Collection areas: arms and armour, ceramics, coins, glassware, jewellery, Qur'ans and manuscripts, seals, stone carving, textiles, tiles and woodwork.