Objects in its collection dating from the 19th and 20th centuries were limited to a few subject areas such as book art, calligraphy, carpets, and other textiles.
In 1998 another remarkable tile fragment was added, again from the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis in Samarkand, from the portal of the mausoleum of Amir-zada built in 1386. The name of the Prophet Muhammad appears on this large tile in a stylized inscription, executed in low relief with geometrically shaped letters. The calligraphic style fits particularly well with the tile’s square format and functions like a geometrical ornament. Purchased on the art market, the tile was put on exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin-Dahlem (West Berlin) in 1989 and moved to the Pergamon Museum when the State Museums of East and West Berlin were reintegrated.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "Collections of the Federal Republic of Germany" (volume XI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.