The photography exhibition titled Urban Reflections is a contemplation of our changing urban landscapes by three artists from different countries. Zeinab Al Hashemi, Vikram Divecha and Nadine Kanso have used diverse and innovative ways to document the decay and development in our cities, and to express their feelings of nostalgia about what has been lost in our relentless pursuit of progress and modernity.

Read More: Reflections on Changing Cities at Cuadro

One of the most inspiring sights for William Greenwood unfolds when he walks into the exhibition that he has put together, right after an uproarious batch of school children makes its way out. The young and rather genial curator at the Museum of Islamic Art [Doha], in charge of Kings and Pawns: Board Games from India to Spain that opened recently to warm response, lets out a chuckle when he muses over the sight. “At about my waist height, the glass cases are just covered in their hand prints, nose prints and face prints. I really love to see that. I think that’s a really good sign,” he says, referring to the many schools that have been keenly paying visits in the mornings, “I hope children find this exhibition fascinating.”

Read More: “I Am Interested in Simple Ideas”

Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi has held a press conference at the university headquarters on Al Reem Island to announce the launch of the Golden Age of Arab and Islamic Science exhibition. This will be held in the university’s lobby from 24 September 2013 to 14 January 2014. The exhibition will shed light on a selection of scientific and intellectual accomplishments that the Islamic civilisations became famous for, changes that went on to have a huge impact on the future of civilisations across the world. These include the study of The Sky and The Earth, Humanity, and the Arts and Sciences.

Read More: Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Hosts Islamic Science Exhibition

Sotheby’s will be displaying 23 precious objects exemplifying the artistic traditions of the Muslim world in Doha’s Katara Cultural Village, building 19, from 12-14 September. The selection that will be on view in Doha has been chosen from a total of 281 pieces.

Read More: Sotheby’s to Hold Islamic Arts Exhibition in Doha

Israel’s National Library has curated a special digital display of 30 rare Koran manuscripts that date from the 9th through the 19th centuries to mark the start last week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The manuscripts are part of the NLI collection, which includes 2,400 manuscripts in the Arabic script, and over 100 manuscripts of the Koran.

Read More: Israel’s National Library Exhibits 30 Ancient Koran Manuscripts to Celebrate Ramadan

Even if you don’t understand the letters, you can appreciate the beauty of Arabic calligraphy. It has been studied and developed for centuries and the dimensions of the letters are based on the golden ratio. “Calligraphy opens the door to aesthetic values that are not available in nature,” says Majid Al Youssef, one of 12 calligraphers whose works are on show at Ara Gallery in Downtown Dubai.

Read More: Dubai Islamic Art Exhibition Gives Calligraphy a Contemporary Twist

A mercury vision captured on a copper plate of the iridescent figure of Ayoucha, the earliest known photographic depiction of a veiled woman from the Islamic world, flickers between being and nothingness, between a positive and a negative image, as light reflects off the silvered surface of the 170-year-old daguerreotype.

Read More: The Orient, Expressed in Abu Dhabi

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday [May 14th, 2013] unveiled a collection of swords valued for their rarity, beauty and historical significance at the opening of Steel and Gold: Historic Swords from the MIA Collection. Ghada Al Sayegh, exhibition coordinator, said the expo sheds light on the importance of swords not as weapons but objects of fashion and masterpieces as design. The objects, she said belong to MIA’s permanent collection, most of which have never been on display.

Read More: Museum of Islamic Art Showcases Rare Swords

As the Louvre Abu Dhabi shows off its latest acquisitions in Birth of a Museum, currently on exhibition at Saadiyat Island, the city’s emerging cultural district is also turning its attention to another big name museum due to be erected on its shores. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is steadily revealing artworks that its curatorial teams have been acquiring ahead of the museum’s opening in 2017. Early next month [May 6th-8th, 2013], Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA) brings five major contemporary artists to the capital, all who have works in the new collection, in a bid to introduce the public to the artistic practices of this diverse group.

Read More: Artistic Works Blossom at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

The richness of Afghan cultural heritage is on show at Ferozkoh: Tradition and Continuity in Afghan Art, a unique exhibition which opens today [March 20th, 2013] at Museum of Islamic Art’s temporary gallery on ground floor. “This exhibition is the result of a partnership between MIA and the Turquoise Mountain Institute for Afghan Arts and Architecture (TMI) in Kabul,” MIA director Aisha al-Khater said yesterday. The unifying theme of the exhibition, which runs until June 22nd, 2013 is the preservation of the traditional arts of the Islamic world – in both themes and materials – in the modern world, and the role of education in its transmission and translation.

Read More: Afghan Cultural Heritage on Show at MIA, Doha

Ferozkoh: Tradition and Continuity in Afghan Art, an exhibition showcasing works created by Afghan artists inspired by masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) collection, will open on March 20th, 2013. The exhibition, which runs until June 22nd, 2013 at MIA’s temporary exhibition hall, presents thirty-seven works created specifically for the exhibition by the students and teachers of Turquoise Mountain’s Institute for Afghan Arts and Architecture in Kabul.

Read More: Artwork by Afghans

Iran’s flourishing contemporary art scene will be the focus of Opera Gallery’s upcoming exhibit, allowing visitors to gauge just how much the meaning of true art has evolved from the days of Persia. The Art of Iran showcase features 30 Iranian artists, including works by celebrated professionals such as Mohammad Ehsai, Nasrollah Afjehei, Khosro Khosravi and Koorosh Shishegaran but also upcoming contemporaries such as Negar Varasteh and Shima Esfandyari.

Read More: Iranian Artworks on Display at Opera Gallery, Dubai

It started with a couple of astonishing works falling into their hands – works they never knew existed in the Middle East and from a collector they had never come across. The two Anish Kapoors had been in her collection for more than a decade, the reserved British woman explained hesitantly, and she wanted to sell them to make room for newer acquisitions. The two works were the inspiration for an exhibition called Paper, which opened on February 4th in the gallery’s Dubai International Financial Centre base.

Read More: Dubai Exhibition

Louvre Abu Dhabi will open its next exhibition on April 22nd, 2013 on Saadiyat Island showcasing important works of art from the Louvre Abu Dhabi permanent collection, some of which have never been seen or revealed before. Almost 130 art works will be shown at the exhibition titled Birth of a Museum at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Cultural District’s art and exhibition centre and will give visitors an insight into the museum’s narrative and collection ahead of its opening in 2015.

Read More: Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibition

Four rare newly restored 17th century paintings were unveiled for the first time at the opening of the Heritage of Art Diplomacy: Memoirs of an Ambassador at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Doha, on January 24th.

Read More: Seventeenth Century Paintings