The Islamic Bookbinding exhibition showcased over 70 artefacts that comprehensively portrayed the beautiful elements of bookbindings from around the Islamic world. A variety of bookbindings was found around the Islamic world – bound and unbound – where some bindings were kept in wooden box, wrapped in leather pieces, as well as bound in codex form. The cover materials were mainly leather, lacquerwork and textiles in addition to other decorative mediums such as metal and precious gems. Some of these manuscripts also come with additional housings such as box, pouch and slipcase. Moreover, the art of bookbinding was not only concentrated in refining the design of the covers but also focused on other constituting elements such as the doublure (inner cover) and the flap, which is a feature associated specifically with Islamic bindings.
This exhibition was held in the Special Gallery 2 from 8th of May to the 5th of February 2018. A special catalogue to commemorate this exhibition is available at the Museum Shop.