After a day of slowly cooking ourselves out in the sun on Toronto Islands on Saturday, we opted for an indoor activity on Sunday in a large, air conditioned building - the Aga Khan Museum of Islamic Art.
Elizabeth’s parents were in town this weekend, so we were busy taking in the sights enjoying the weather (Toronto summer is fantastic). It is a bit of a trek to the museum on public transit, but luckily Elizabeth’s Aunt Vicki came to the rescue and drove us all out there on Sunday afternoon after we’d woken ourselves up with a solid brunch.
We visited all three of the main exhibits while we were there. The first was a small exhibit of Islamic ceramics from the private collection of the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan. There were plenty of comfy Ottomans and couches to sit back on and take it all in. Nice start.
We visited all three of the main exhibits while we were there. The first was a small exhibit of Islamic ceramics from the private collection of the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan. There were plenty of comfy Ottomans and couches to sit back on and take it all in. Nice start.
After that we tackled the main exhibit, which featured a huge range of artwork from all across the Muslim world. The detail and craftmanship on some of the artefacts was incredible, and particularly astonishing considering some of the items were made over 1000 years ago while Europe was in the midst of the Dark Ages. Books on medicine and astronomy from the time demonstrated just how far ahead of the curve the culture in the region was at the time.
The exhibit did a great job of demonstrating and explaining the subtle differences in style from one region to the next, and managed to cover everything from candlesticks to architecture. It really made us want to visit some of these countries to see the ancient cities for ourselves, though sadly much has been destroyed in recent years.
Upstairs, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions. The exhibits on show while we were there were Marvellous Creatures - which looks at the role of real and mythical beasts in Islamic art and culture - and A City Transformed, which featured photos of Istanbul in the 1900s contrasted with photos of the city today. We spent a lot of time looking at the two side by side panoramas of the city, trying to spot the major changes to the place over the last 150 years.
Upstairs, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions. The exhibits on show while we were there were Marvellous Creatures - which looks at the role of real and mythical beasts in Islamic art and culture - and A City Transformed, which featured photos of Istanbul in the 1900s contrasted with photos of the city today. We spent a lot of time looking at the two side by side panoramas of the city, trying to spot the major changes to the place over the last 150 years.
From there we headed back home for a delicious dinner and a bit of board gaming to end the weekend. Yet another great museum in Toronto that we’d highly recommend.
Curious what we were up to this time last year? We were taking in some independent movies at the Nickel Film Festival. Two years ago we were showing Luke's parents around Bay Roberts and Brigus.
