Iranian Mihrab Decorated with Quran Verses on Display in Japanese Museum
The Tile Museum of INAX Museum Complex has established a special section dubbed “Islamic tiles from Iran” after receiving the new mirab tiles. Mihrab is a niche in mosques which faces Mecca and a leader of congregational prayers performs prayers there.
The historic relic has been transferred to Japan with the cooperation of Islamic Culture and Communication Organization and National Museum of Iran.
Titled “The Door of Paradise”, the mihrab has been decorated with tiles carrying verses of Quran and salutations to Ahl al-Bayt. Verses 44 and 47 of Al-A'raf Surah has been written in Thuluth script while one can see verse 47 of Al-Isra in Kufic script on one of the columns. Shahada has been written top of the mihrab while inner columns carry Al-Fatiha Surah.
Hossein Divsalar, Iranian cultural attaché to Japan, said five valuable tile works related to Islamic era will be displayed in the Iranian section of the Japanese museum.
With a size of 210cm in 330cm, “The Door of Paradise” dates back to Ilkhanate Era (1256-1335 CE) and had initially been installed in a shrine in Qom.
According to Divsalar, INAX Museum had shown interest in showcasing Iranian and Islamic relics.
The Tile Museum is a unique museum dedicated to introducing the fascination of decorative tile and the history of tile development around the world. From our collection of over 7000 decorative tiles from across the globe, from ancient times to the modern era, examples are carefully selected for exhibit to the public.
