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An Egyptian wooden niche in the Museum for Islamic Art
As part of the renovation work at the Pergamon Museum, the permanent exhibition at the Museum for Islamic Art has been gradually cleared out since the end of 2023. Initially, smaller objects were carefully packed and transferred to external storage facilities. Since spring 2024, larger objects have also been dismantled step by step.
One of these objects, whose removal and transport posed particular challenges, is a richly decorated wooden niche from Cairo, the present-day capital of Egypt (inventory number I. 4109). Before turning to the complex process of transporting it, however, let us first take a closer look at the object itself.
170 kilograms of history
The niche is dated to the 16th or 17th century and is made of sawed, carved and partially gilded Aleppo pine.
With dimensions of approximately 180 × 95 × 50 cm, it weighs an impressive 170 kilograms.
Friedrich Sarre is said to have acquired it in Cairo, but the exact historical context of the building is unknown - it was probably part of an elaborately designed ceiling in a palatial building.
The architectural element 'Muqarnas'
Six fields arranged one above the other in the form of stalactites taper upwards and end in a semi-dome consisting of seven segments. Each field is closed off by a narrow, horizontal band, which was probably originally inlaid - today only the plain wooden base remains.
The decoration of stalactite-like arches is known as muqarnas - a characteristic architectural element that can be found in numerous buildings across regions shaped by Islamic cultures. Muqarnas appear not only in monumental architecture but also in smaller structures such as water basins. They can be made of various materials - for example stone, stucco, glazed architectural ceramics or, as in this case, wood.
In addition to their ornamental effect, muqarnas often also fulfil a functional task: they enable the transition from a rectangular floor plan (with 90° angles) to a circular or dome-like structure.
Further examples and structural analyses of muqarnas can be found in this film.
Examples of other Muqarnas objects from the collection of the Museum for Islamic Art
From Cairo to Berlin
According to the notes in the museum inventory book, the wooden niche was donated to the Museum for Islamic Artin 1922 as a donation from the collection of Friedrich Sarre (1865–1945). Sarre was the first director of the Islamic Department of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum (now the Bode-Museum), which was founded in the early 20th century. Many objects from his private collection had already been displayed in the department as long-term loans before he eventually donated them to the museum.
Digitized inventory books
The collection of the Museum for Islamic Art dates back to the founding of the Islamic Department of the former Kaiser Friedrich Museum in 1904. Between 1904 and 2014, all new acquisitions were recorded in handwritten inventory books. Since 2014, documentation has been carried out digitally in a database. The museum's historical inventory books have now been digitized and are publicly accessible.
However, the wooden niche was not displayed exclusively in the museum. As early as 1910, Friedrich Sarre lent it to the Masterpieces of Muhammadan Art exhibition in Munich. In the exhibition catalogue, the niche was described as a mihrab, that is, a prayer niche.
Whether this actually reflects its original historical context is rather doubtful, however, as similar niches from the 15th and 16th centuries can still be found today in reception rooms of residential houses in Cairo. An example can be found on Archnet.
Dismantling from the permanent exhibition
In 2024, the wooden niche was removed from the permanent exhibition of the Museum for Islamic Art. The removal was necessary because the Pergamon Museum had to be completely cleared as part of a comprehensive renovation. Following its removal, the niche will undergo conservation and restoration examination—and, if necessary, will be treated accordingly.
In April 2024, Martina Müller-Wiener, Deputy Director of the Museum for Islamic Art, and Jutta Maria Schwed, conservator at the same institution, reported on the removal of the wooden niche:
"As part of our move, another fragile large object was removed from its installation situation of over ninety years: the magnificently gilded and colorfully painted wooden niche. Despite intensive preliminary planning and investigations, it is often not possible to take a look behind the construction of installed objects - so this niche also had a few surprises in store, and the originally planned procedures initially proved to be unsuitable. Preserving the extremely sensitive layers of paint was the top priority - sudden movements or vibrations could have jeopardised them. The LeTiKa restoration team was only able to pull out the niche millimetre by millimetre and secure it in the frame with the help of a custom-made frame. The entire structure was then carefully lowered from the scaffolding using a high-lift truck and additional securing with a pulley block. The actual weight was astonishing: the niche weighed in at 170 kilograms - significantly more than originally estimated. Now it was also clear why it had remained in place so stubbornly."
"The wooden niche is now on its way to the restoration workshop, where it will be conserved in preparation for its future reinstallation.The precious object is being transported in a specially made climate-controlled crate - and it's a heavy one: it weighs a full 500 kilograms. Why is it so heavy? The climate-controlled crate reliably protects the sensitive niche from temperature fluctuations and moisture during transport. This is because the mix of materials - wood, coloured frame and gilding - reacts extremely sensitively to climatic changes.
Getting a 500-kilo crate into and out of a lift is a real challenge. The transport took the whole morning," report Martina Müller-Wiener and Jutta Maria Schwed.
A niche with a surprise
What a C-14 investigation reveals
Sometimes a tiny piece of wood is enough to answer big questions. This is what happened in spring 2025, when the splendid gilded wooden niche from Cairo, which has been on display at the Museum for Islamic Art for decades, was brought to the restoration workshop. Until then, it had been stylistically assigned to the 14th or 15th century - but how old was it really?
On 20 February 2025, a small wood sample was taken and sent to the Curt Engelhorn Centre for Archaeometry. There, the sample was carefully prepared and analyzed using state-of-the-art techniques.
The result: surprisingly different than what was expected! The radiocarbon analysis dated the wood with 95% probability to between 1508 and 1645, meaning that the niche clearly belongs to the 16th or early 17th century - somewhat younger than originally assumed.
This insight is more than just a detail: it helps us better historically contextualize the object, whether in terms of architecture, stylistic development, or material usage, which museum experts will now examine in greater detail.
The wooden niche in the new permanent exhibition
In the museum's new permanent exhibition, which will open in 2027, the wooden niche will be displayed in the room “Cairo – A megacity on the Nile.” Using the concrete example of the city of Cairo, this space explores the material culture of the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt between the 10th and 16th centuries. During this period, Cairo served as the capital of various empires: the Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk dynasties each ruled from here.
The exhibition focuses on artistic production as well as cultural life under the Fatimids (10th–12th centuries) and the Mamluks (13th–early 16th centuries). Cairo’s current status as a UNESCO World Heritage site also provides an important perspective for addressing the theme of cultural preservation.
About the Author
Franziska Kabelitz is a research assistant at the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin. She previously completed her Master's degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, specialising in Islamic Art History.
Many thanks to Jutta Maria Schwed, Dr Miriam Kühn, Farwah Rizvi and Cornelia Weber.
More stories about the dismantling and construction of the permanent exhibition:
Dismantling the Permanent Exhibition
An insight into the dismantling of the permament exhibition of the Museum for Islamic Art.
Dismantling the Alhambra Cupola
The Alhambra cupola will be reinstalled in our future exhibition in the Pergamonmuseum’s north wing. Read about its dismantling process.
Dismantling the Aleppo Room
In this story we take a look at the conservation process, behind the scenes of the dismantling process, and finally the transport and re-installation of the Aleppo Room in the North Wing of the Pergamon Museum.
Dismantling the Carpet Exhibition
Wonder how the process of dismantling an exhibition in the museum looks like? Get an insight into the techniques and methods used for taking down the carpet exhibition in the Museum for Islamic Art.
