Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Art

Kuwait City


A few blocks south of the Tareq Rajab Museum, this sister attraction is also housed in a villa. It has a seriously impressive and beautifully presented range of calligraphy. Typography from different Qurans, collected from all over the Arab world, span two floors and include ancient scripts up to the modern day. An educational video explains the methods of writing.

Curious items in the collection include a special carved cabinet from 1581 used to protect the Quran in Yemen, plus Islamic coins, a 10m-long calligraphy panel, an engraved marble tombstone column from 1044, a number of wall tapestries and various instruments connected with calligraphy – from pens and quills to knives and etched ink pots.