The Pergamon Museummost famous museum in Berlin actually consists ofthree separate museums: the Antikensammlung, the Vorderasiatische Museum and the Museum of Islamic Art. Visitors experience a tour through six millennia, from the beginnings of human culture through classical antiquity to the splendor of Islamic art and architecture.
The Pergamon Museum houses monumental reconstructions of ancient buildings: the Arabian Mshatta façade, the Roman market gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and above all the Pergamon Altar with its magnificent frescoes. It is these exhibits that award the Museum its unique position.
The Collection of Classical Antiquities
The Praying Boy
This wonderful bronze figure, cast in Rhodes in about 300 B.C. by a student of the great Lysippus, is a masterpiece with no less than 18 known owners. Does it depict young Apollo or Ganymede reaching for the eagle of Zeus – or simply a ball player?▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Rhodes
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Medea Sarcophagus
This sarcophagus stands out by virtue of its artistic mastery. It was probably done between 140 and 150 A.D. in the city of Rome. It tells the horrific tale of Medea’s revenge on Jason for deserting her and marrying princess Kreusa…▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Rome
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Caesar & Cleopatra
Two busts of the most famous lovers of all antiquity. The bust of Cleopatra was part of a Hellenist statue and probably painted red and covered in shining gold; the bust of Caesar was also made in Egypt and emphasizes his assertiveness…▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Alexandria
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The Museum of Islamic Art
Mshatta Façade
The facade of an unfinished palace near Amman is the greatest example of early Islamic architecture. It’s carved all over with scenes of paradise, done in incredible detail – vines, birds, griffins and centaurs, cattle and lions living in harmony…▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Qasr Mshatta
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The Museum of the Ancient Near East
Resurrecting the Walls of Babylon
When archeologist Robert Koldewey uncovered the ancient metropolis of Babylon, he found a hundred thousand pieces of stone. It was his student Walter Andrae who solved the giant puzzle - and re-erected the Ishtar Gate, one the Wonders of the World…▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Babylon
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The Assyrians
Originating as one of several Akkadian city-states, Ashur grew into the capital of the Assyrian Empire that dominated Mesopotamia. The city boasted a huge temple to Ishtar - and a little altar showing king Tukulti Ninurta that is a forerunner of films…▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Qalat Sherqat
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Inside an Assyrian Palace
From Ashur, the capital of the Assyrian Empire was moved first to Nimrud, then to Nineveh. Guarded by frightening, winged colossal shedu, we enter the hall of an Assyrian palace as it would have looked in the first and second millennia B.C. …▶The Museum of Islamic Art▶ Qalat Sherqat
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Address
- The Pergamon Museum
- Bodestraße
- 10178 Berlin
Links
Opening Hours
- Monday-Sunday 10:00-18:00
- Wednesday until 20:00