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April 1976 - June 1976

The 1976 World of Islam Festival

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Art & Culture

Author:

Afzalkhan
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Held in 1976, with the theme of “Unity of Islam”, the festival had more than 6000 objects on display. The festival was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and spanned over 3 months, being held at various institutions across London, with the opportunity to attend 162 lectures and 50 days of related academic seminars, bid on high-end art at Christie's and Sotheby's inaugural "Islamic Week" auctions, or catch the six-part film series "The Traditional World of Islam" on primetime BBC television.

Another major exhibition was on “Science and Technology in Islam” at the Science Museum. Consisting of 400 items on loan including scientific instruments, celestial globes, astrolabes, contemporary manuals, maps, simple tools, an Arab sailing vessel and models of such technical devices as waterwheels and water clocks. A collaboration between scholars, institutions and governments from both the Islamic world and the West, thirty-two Muslim nations and British governmental agencies contributed to the festival’s $4 million budget. The Arts of Islam exhibition at the Hayward Gallery was the festival’s marquee event and boasted an array of objects ranging from carpets to rock crystal, to calligraphy to metalwork. 

The director of the festival, Ahmed Paul Keeler framed the event as a "platform upon which Muslims would portray the inspiration, synthesis and achievement of Islamic culture through the variety of media available to modern communications.”

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Anneka Lenssen, "Muslims to Take Over Institute for Contemporary Art": The 1976 World of Islam Festival, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 42, No. 1/2 (Summer/Winter 2008), pp. 40-47 (8 pages)

Rachel Winter, The World of Islam Festival, London, 1976, 2021

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