L. A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art
L. A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art
L. A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art
4.5
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
About
This museum features nine galleries that focus on the beliefs and art of the Islamic civilization.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingWhat is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
732 within 3 miles
Attractions
397 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
106 reviews
Excellent
66
Very good
34
Average
5
Poor
1
Terrible
0
A A
Paris, France33 contributions
Sep 2021
Incredible collections of XIth century silver artefacts (the Harrari collection,) so valuable that the Al Thani fund will present a part of it in Paris this coming year), a honorable and interesting array of Islamic art, and the HIGHLIGHT- the watches collection from Breguet and suc- breathtaking jewels of ingenuity and art, I think more beautiful but comparable to Faberg'e eggs. We saw the coffee temporary exhibition of coffee artefacts and israli memorabilia- cute and a perfect family outing. Genya was a knowledgeable and interesting guide who made the tour lively and enriching, and later explained so many great tidbits about the other artefacts. We spent almost two hours, and time was short even for the youngest (8 ).
Written September 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harmonicaharold
Philadelphia, PA1,526 contributions
Oct 2021 • Friends
The initial educational video explains the basics of Islam. Then displays present the glory of Islam through breathtaking and inspirational artistic creations. Tip: free parking is available when dialing zero to security who gladly raise the barrier.
Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Giora_I_L
Haifa, Israel6,264 contributions
Dec 2021
The museum is dedicated to display Islam countries culture and history via artifacts. Those were gathered far countries like Iran, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Morocco and more. We had a guided tour on the connection between Islam. Judaism, and Christianity via the displays. It was a little too long, but very interesting. Among the displays were magnificent jewelry of Jewish women from Yemen and Morocco. WE also dedicated time to view the fabulous collection of ancient watches. This collection is a must see!
Written January 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M V
Rosh Pina, Israel709 contributions
Jan 2020
We visited the museum yesterday and were shown around by an extremely knowledgable guide. We learned many things previously completely unknown to us about the Islam, about the Arab world, the Turks, the Berbers, the Armenians. We learned some of the history of Islam, the meaning of Hadj, the life of Mohamed. Many beautiful artefacts, some of them very old and well preserved. Very much worthwhile!
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stephrab
New York City, NY889 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Some how, in my all my time spent in Jerusalem, I missed this museum. SHAME on me! Do not let this happen to you. This really is worth making an effort to experience. One of the best museum on Islam I have been to (and I have been to many). Completely unexpected to find on the Western side of Jerusalem.
Was so nice to see so many school children in the museum. Museum was full and it should be. Please find the time to visit.
Was so nice to see so many school children in the museum. Museum was full and it should be. Please find the time to visit.
Written March 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ester Z
Jerusalem, Israel345 contributions
Nov 2019
Last saturday it was possible to visit the museum and get explanation of the various exhibitions.
We saw the exhibition of jewelry from various countries as Iran, India and more. The interesting part was that many modern artist made pieces inspired in the old work with a personal view.
It was a very interesting presentation.
The museum has to be visited many times to see all what it is exhibit.
We saw the exhibition of jewelry from various countries as Iran, India and more. The interesting part was that many modern artist made pieces inspired in the old work with a personal view.
It was a very interesting presentation.
The museum has to be visited many times to see all what it is exhibit.
Written November 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Renee S
Paris, France139 contributions
Feb 2015
It is of cultural, religious and political importance that Jerusalem contain a museum of Islamic Art. That said, during my short visit to Jerusalem, I did not get the impression that the museum was very well known, promoted or highlighted as a site for tourists. In comparison to the busy Jewish museums and Christian sites, there were only two other visitors inside the Islamic Art museum when I arrived in the afternoon. (Full disclosure: I am neither Jewish nor Muslim, but simply a fan of museums and art.)
And while it is true that the museum contains some lovely pieces of Islamic art, it is equally true that this collection alone and the building/architecture itself cannot compete with Islamic/Arab museums in other major world cities, such as Paris, Doha, etc. As many international travelers descend upon Jerusalem, it is important to place expectations in proper perspective. However, the museum contains one attraction that would shine in even the most international of contexts: its magnificent rare clock collection.
While I have never considered myself a particular fan of clocks or watches, I was fascinated by the technical mastery and history behind the items on display, in addition to the sheer beauty of the collection. I wound up spending more than an hour in this section alone, studying the objects and carefully reading their accompanying texts. And as the text is not large, and the objects are placed fairly close together, I was very happy that there were so few other visitors to crowd my way.
That was until a visiting class of Arab children burst into the clock collection room and took over the place in a loud and rowdy display of childhood exuberance that unfortunately showed no interest whatsoever in the clocks themselves. I could barely believe it when the museum staff said nothing while the children played tag around the exhibits and the boys started wrestling each other - behavior for the outdoor playground, NOT for a museum with an expensive collection. Their behavior didn't die down much when their leader appeared (I have no idea if it was their teacher or simply a minder sent by the school), but she did gather them together and they left the room...all without having looked at or learned a single thing about the clocks and their history.
I have no idea if that was a common or an unusual occurrence, but it did strike me as sad. The children had obviously been brought to the museum to learn about and appreciate their cultural history, yet it was obvious that no learning occurred in that particular room. I sincerely hope that the museum offered proper tours and activities designed for children and that their ‘visit’ did not consist of them simply running around and playing in every room, accompanied by a very relaxed ‘minder’ who obviously had little idea of what to say about the objects on display.
Even for us adults, I would have loved to see the museum include truly informative video that helps visitors to understand the history, use and cultural significance of the various items in the museum. While there was limited video, I did not find it very informative, educational or enlightening. However, this can also be said of many other museums. Many cultural institutions are embracing the audiovisual media of today’s modern world…unfortunately, they are forgetting that in order to be useful, it should also be well thought out, well written, well edited and above all, interesting.
To sum it up:
I enjoyed my visit and wound up spending much longer at the museum than I had planned due to three things: 1) the temporary exhibit by a contemporary video artist that I found quite fascinating, 2) a quick tour of the permanent collection, and 3) the magnificent rare clock collection.
Notes:
1) the exhibit by the contemporary video artist to which I refer was in 2014. It is my understanding that the museum continues to feature changing temporary exhibits in addition to the permanent Islamic art collection and the rare watch collection.
2) Wikipedia features a page on the museum that provides more details on the rare watch collection and the 1983 burglary.
And while it is true that the museum contains some lovely pieces of Islamic art, it is equally true that this collection alone and the building/architecture itself cannot compete with Islamic/Arab museums in other major world cities, such as Paris, Doha, etc. As many international travelers descend upon Jerusalem, it is important to place expectations in proper perspective. However, the museum contains one attraction that would shine in even the most international of contexts: its magnificent rare clock collection.
While I have never considered myself a particular fan of clocks or watches, I was fascinated by the technical mastery and history behind the items on display, in addition to the sheer beauty of the collection. I wound up spending more than an hour in this section alone, studying the objects and carefully reading their accompanying texts. And as the text is not large, and the objects are placed fairly close together, I was very happy that there were so few other visitors to crowd my way.
That was until a visiting class of Arab children burst into the clock collection room and took over the place in a loud and rowdy display of childhood exuberance that unfortunately showed no interest whatsoever in the clocks themselves. I could barely believe it when the museum staff said nothing while the children played tag around the exhibits and the boys started wrestling each other - behavior for the outdoor playground, NOT for a museum with an expensive collection. Their behavior didn't die down much when their leader appeared (I have no idea if it was their teacher or simply a minder sent by the school), but she did gather them together and they left the room...all without having looked at or learned a single thing about the clocks and their history.
I have no idea if that was a common or an unusual occurrence, but it did strike me as sad. The children had obviously been brought to the museum to learn about and appreciate their cultural history, yet it was obvious that no learning occurred in that particular room. I sincerely hope that the museum offered proper tours and activities designed for children and that their ‘visit’ did not consist of them simply running around and playing in every room, accompanied by a very relaxed ‘minder’ who obviously had little idea of what to say about the objects on display.
Even for us adults, I would have loved to see the museum include truly informative video that helps visitors to understand the history, use and cultural significance of the various items in the museum. While there was limited video, I did not find it very informative, educational or enlightening. However, this can also be said of many other museums. Many cultural institutions are embracing the audiovisual media of today’s modern world…unfortunately, they are forgetting that in order to be useful, it should also be well thought out, well written, well edited and above all, interesting.
To sum it up:
I enjoyed my visit and wound up spending much longer at the museum than I had planned due to three things: 1) the temporary exhibit by a contemporary video artist that I found quite fascinating, 2) a quick tour of the permanent collection, and 3) the magnificent rare clock collection.
Notes:
1) the exhibit by the contemporary video artist to which I refer was in 2014. It is my understanding that the museum continues to feature changing temporary exhibits in addition to the permanent Islamic art collection and the rare watch collection.
2) Wikipedia features a page on the museum that provides more details on the rare watch collection and the 1983 burglary.
Written January 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NabilO
Palestinian Territories25 contributions
Feb 2020
Incredibly rich art and installations. Highly recommend going in the hours of the morning and in the early afternoon sun grabbing an ice cream around the corner at Mousseline! Wonderful art and it highlights the complexities of a multi-cultural rich Islamic history in Palestine.
Written June 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stanley S
Jerusalem, Israel25 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
Grandparents took 4 grandchildren for a cultural and experiential morning to the L.A. Mayer Museum of Islamic Art, in Jerusalem. A well-organized Escape Room hunt to find the 'missing' watch that was stolen in a robbery at the Museum many years earlier, kept our grandchildren (ages 7-11) occupied for over an hour. Then we went to the Arts/Crafts room where they spent the next hour working-on creative arts projects, with a most helpful staff member. And to top it off, a visit to a most fascinating, well-organized and appealing museum of Islamic culture.
Written July 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie G
21 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
The museum hosts an amazing collection of ceramics, glassware, jewelry and artwork arranged by the different eras of Islamic culture and expression, which serves to add context to the Middle East and to Islam generally speaking. The museum is in a very pretty neighborhood as well, with a nearby cafe (Talbiye Cafe) only 200 meters away, which serves great bistro food. A very nice way to spend the afternoon.
Written June 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi how do I get there from Old city via public transport? Thanks heaps
Written September 27, 2018
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing