Curators’ Talk

Reception of a Venetian Delegation by the Mamluk Governor of Damascus (after restoration) | 1511 | Paris | Musée du Louvre Museum, INV100 © Grand Palais RMN (Louvre Museum) / Gabriel De Carvalho

Step Inside the Mamluk Empire
Join us for an illuminating conversation with the curators of Mamluks: Legacy of an Empire, the world’s first major exhibition devoted to Mamluk art in over four decades.

Ruling between 1250 and 1517, the Mamluks built a thriving, cosmopolitan empire at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe. Their art blended mastery of technique with a bold, distinctive visual language that travelled far beyond its borders, prompting us to consider how ideas travelled through the medieval world, and how the force of creative exchange can still bridge cultural divides today.

Featuring 250 remarkable artworks, the exhibition explores a cultural legacy that sparked wonder across the world, revealing a rich, multi-layered society, with individuals across the social fabric contributing to the period’s cultural brilliance.

Step inside this landmark exhibition, developed in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre, as the curators reveal the true story of one of the Islamic world’s most influential sultanates.