mamluks as master designers: louvre abu dhabi exhibition unveils their artistic legacy

Louvre Abu Dhabi hosts Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire

Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire at Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first exhibition in the Gulf devoted to the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517). Spanning over two and a half centuries of history, the show, on view until January 25th, 2026, traces how a dynasty of former slave soldiers came to rule vast territories, leaving behind a cultural and artistic legacy of extraordinary reach. Curated by Dr. Souraya Noujaim and Dr. Carine Juvin, the exhibition builds on its earlier presentation at Musée du Louvre in Paris while expanding with works from regional collections shown exclusively in Abu Dhabi. 

Gathering over 270 works from 34 institutions worldwide, from metalwork and manuscripts to carpets, glass, and ceramics, the show reframes the dynasty as cultural innovators whose visual language resonates with contemporary design. During the preview of Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire at Louvre Abu Dhabi, designboom discusses the contemporary relevance of Mamluk art with Scientific Curator Dr. Carine Juvin. The curator describes the Mamluks as ‘great designers, great graphic designers. Their art is made of rich color, geometry, and complex motifs, which are still very appealing to the modern eye.’ 

Venetian School, A Venetian Diplomatic Mission Received by the Governor of Damascus Italy, Venice, 1511 Oil on canvas Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Paintings, INV-100 | all images by Daryll Borja-Seeing Things © Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi

From Military Slaves to Cultural Architects

The exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi opens with a shadow play theater, evoking popular entertainments of the period, and situates visitors within the Mamluks’ origin story. They were young slaves brought from Central Asia or the Caucasus who rose to power in Cairo and Damascus. Juvin guided us through short ‘first-person’ biographies of key rulers, including Baybars, the founder of the sultanate, and Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, whose reign marked the dynasty’s apex. Objects commissioned under these rulers include inlaid incense burners, helmets, and mosque lamps that reveal how script itself became design, with radiating inscriptions symbolizing solar power. 

Blazons, meanwhile, functioned like proto-logos: emblems that identified emirs and were stamped on architecture, arms, and everyday objects. ‘The Mamluks had a remarkable ability to transform language and symbols into design devices of authority,’ Juvin explains during the tour.

Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire at Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first exhibition in the Gulf devoted to the Mamluk Sultanate

Society Beyond the Elite

Moving beyond rulers, the curator highlights a more complex society. Manuscripts commissioned by women, including a Qur’an ordered by a powerful court supervisor in 14th-century Cairo, and objects made for Qaytbay’s wife with distinctive garden motifs expand the narrative. Religious minorities also contributed to a shared aesthetic, from Coptic Bibles to Jewish pilgrimage scrolls. ‘I wanted to emphasize the whole Mamluk society, not just the governing elite,’ Juvin tells designboom. ‘Their art reflects exchanges with many cultures while still developing a strong identity.’

Trade routes, pilgrimages, and diplomacy positioned the Mamluk Sultanate as a hub between Asia, Africa, and Europe. Objects in Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire carry these stories through Chinese-inspired lotus blossoms on glassware, a Hajj certificate commissioned by a woman pilgrim, Mamluk metalwork unearthed in West Africa, and a Venetian painting depicting an embassy in Damascus with photographic precision. ‘The sultanate was really a node point in global exchange,’ Juvin notes, ‘and this cosmopolitanism is inscribed in their design.’

the show traces how the dynasty came to rule vast territories | image © designboom

Scenography as Storytelling

The Abu Dhabi edition, adapted from its first presentation in Paris, adds interactive screens, a gaming table for blazons, and architectural details that punctuate the display. These elements, Juvin says, were developed to ‘engage the public with individual stories inside the larger history.’

The exhibition culminates with the Baptistery of Saint Louis, a monumental 14th-century basin densely engraved with figures and animals, later repurposed in France for royal baptisms. Its hybrid biography, an Islamic masterpiece entwined with European history, mirrors the show’s central theme that revolves around the mobility of objects and the power of design to cross cultures.

The four gospels in coptic Egypt, Wadi el-Natrun 982 (Year of the Martyrs) /1266 CE Ink and pigments on paper Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi

the museum’s mission to connect civilizations

For Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, the exhibition aligns with the museum’s mission to connect civilizations. ‘Our permanent galleries are a time machine, telling 10,000 years of humanity. These temporary exhibitions are our deep dives, into a moment, a rupture, a civilization. With the Mamluks, we wanted to show how connected they were and what universal relevance their story holds today,’ he tells designboom. He emphasizes the resonance of showing the Mamluks in the Gulf. ‘When we present them here, we are touching the heart of the Emirati, the Arab, the Muslim — but also revealing to international visitors the complexity and diversity of this society. It makes sense here,’ he reflects.

gathering over 270 works from 34 institutions worldwide

Lamp bearing the name of Sultan Barquq (r. 1382–1399) Egypt, Cairo C. 1386 (from the Mosque of Sultan Barquq) Blown glass, enamelled and gilded Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, OA 7568

Double closing page of a monumental Quran Egypt, Cairo C. 1360–1380 Ink, pigments and gold on paper Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, CBL IS 1628

Shadow theatre puppet (ship and crew of warriors) Egypt 15th century, Parchment cut-out Stuttgart, Linden-Museum, 84682

the show reframes the dynasty as cultural innovators

Chasuble Syria, Egypt or Iran (?) 14th century Lampas, silk and gold thread European addition: silk velvet, pearls, gold, glass, coral Copenhagen, The National Museum of Denmark, CXXXVII

the exhibition aligns with the museum’s mission to connect civilizations | image © designboom

Albarello with coat of arms decoration Syria, Damascus 15th century Fritware, underglaze painted decoration H. max. 15 cm, D. 31.7 cm Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi

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Key to the Kaaba, bearing the name of Sultan Faraj (r. 1399-1412) Egypt C. 1399–1412 Cast iron alloy, damascened with gold and silver Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, OA 6738

Helmet bearing the name of Sultan Barsbay (r. 1422–1438) Egypt C. 1422–1438 Iron alloy, damascened with gold Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, OA 6130

Certificate of pilgrimage (Hajj) delivered to Maymuna, daughter of Muhammad al-Zardili Arabia, Mecca (?), 836 AH/1433 CE Manuscript in Arabic; ink, pigments and gold on paper London, The British Library, Add. 27566

Basin inscribed with the name of Ahmad ibn al-Jundi (?), Officer of Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir Egypt or Syria Early 14th century Copper alloy, chased decoration with inlaid silver and black paste Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi

A mamluk carved ivory calligraphic plaque Egypt C. 735–740 AH/1334–1339 CE Wood and sculpted ivory Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi

Lamp bearing the name of Emir Tankizbugha Egypt, Cairo C. 1362 Blown glass, enamelled and gilded Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, OA 7352

Muhammad ibn ʿIsa al-Aqsara’i (d. 1348) Nihayat al-Su’l wa’l-umniyya fi ʿilm al-furusiyya (Treatise on furusiyya) Mamluk wielding a sabre Egypt or Syria 772 AH/1371 CE Manuscript in Arabic; ink and pigments on paper London, The British Library, Ms Add. 18866, f. 124v–125r

Bowl with architectural and garden decoration Egypt (?) Second half of the 14th century Chased copper alloy, inlaid with gold and silver Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, C 372

Tray stand with blazon of polo sticks Egypt or Syria 14th century Chased copper alloy inlaid with silver and black paste Doha, Museum of Islamic Art, MW.225.2002

Candlestick for the consort of Sultan Qaytbay (r. 1468–1496) Egypt, Cairo C. 1468–1496 Chased copper alloy, inlaid with black paste Doha, Museum of Islamic Art, MW.17.1997

Quran of Sitt Hadaq Egypt, Cairo C. 1340 Ink, pigments and gold on paper; muhaqqaq script Riyadh, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, 4604

left: Tray bearing the name of al-Mujahid ʿAli, sultan of Yemen Egypt, Cairo C. 1340–1350 Chased copper alloy, inlaid with silver, red copper and black paste Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, OA 6008 | right: Ewer bearing the name of al-Muzaffar Yusuf, sultan of Yemen Signed: ʿAli ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Mawsili Egypt, Cairo 674 AH/1275–1276 CE Chased copper alloy, inlaid with silver and black paste Paris, Musée du Louvre, Department of Islamic Art, deposit from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, formerly Albert Goupil Collection, purchase, 1888, 4412

Incense burner bearing the name of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun (r. 1293–1341) Egypt or Syria C. 1330–1341 Chased copper alloy inlaid with gold, silver and black paste Doha, Museum of Islamic Art, MW.467.2007

Flask Signed: al-ʿAfif Syria, Hama C. 1300 Moulded clay-based ceramic Copenhagen, The National Museum of Denmark, 4A35

project info:

name: Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire

location: Louvre Abu Dhabi | @louvreabudhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

dates: September 17th 2025 – January 25th 2026

organisers: Louvre Abu Dhabi in partnership with Musée du Louvre | @museelouvre and France Muséums

curators: Dr. Souraya Noujaim (general curator), Dr. Carine Juvin (scientific curator)

support: Fakhera Alkindi, senior curatorial assistant, Louvre Abu Dhabi