About Al-Faisal Museum for Arab-Islamic Art
Al-Faisal Museum for Arab-Islamic Art showcases collections owned and preserved by King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS). The Museum preserves human heritage and enriches academic and cultural scenes by providing its visitors with a space and resources to find inspiration, delve into the past, and broaden their horizons, as well as encouraging a dialogue between scholars, intellectuals, artists, designers, and anyone with an inquisitive mind. The Museum undertakes four key functions: managing collections, curation & research, conservation & binding, and exhibitions & events.
Training and Education
Al-Faisal Museum has been contributing to training and education in the Kingdom. In 2017, it organized a training course on binding and decorating manuscripts and cooperated for the "Live Saudi Arabia" program for tourism and heritage education. Since 2018, the Museum has been accepting university students as "coop" trainees. Between 2018 and 2021, 41 students from King Saud University and Princess Noura University joined the training programs. It also occassionally hosts workshops and public lectures on art, history, and culture (see Exhibitions and Events).
History
Since its creation in 1983, KFCRIS has been collecting Arab-Islamic art objects from around the world. The first exhibition occurred in 1985 under the title of "The Unity of Islamic Art" on the occasion of the opening of the Center's facilities. Until 2016, the Center's collections were managed by its previous Cultural Affairs Department and showcased at different venues, such as the Center's Islamic Art Hall and the King Faisal Memorial Hall at the King Faisal Foundation. Al-Faisal Museum, in its current form, was established in 2016 and inaugurated on June 1, 2017 under the supervision of its first Director Farida Alhusseini.
