Al-Fann. Art from the Islamic Civilization

In July 1975, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Ahmed al-Sabah showed his wife, Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, a splendid enamelled glass bottle dating from Mamluk period (Egypt or Syria, 14th c.), the first object of Islamic art he had aquired during one of his travels. It marked the start of an extraordinary adventure that mingled intelligence, love, research, curiosity and farsightedness. In eight years of concentrated and passionate work, the couple collected about 20,000 works of art, including masterpieces, many of which are deserving of study for the way they shed new light on techniques and aspects little-known even to experts, or intriguing because their secret history has yet to be unravelled.