The Museum for Islamic Art

What The Museum for Islamic Art does

The Museum for Islamic Art (legal name: L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art) is a private nonprofit cultural institution in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1974 by British-Jewish philanthropist Vera Bryce Salomons and dedicated to Prof. Leo Arieh Mayer, a scholar of Middle Eastern archaeology. The museum houses over 4,000 Islamic art objects spanning the 7th to 19th centuries across six permanent galleries, plus the Sir David Salomons Watch Collection (one of three rarest globally, featuring 55 Breguet timepieces). It is the only dedicated Islamic art museum in Israel and positions itself as a bridge between Arab and Jewish communities in Jerusalem.

The institution's product portfolio spans permanent and rotating exhibitions, craft workshops (calligraphy, tile-making, carpet weaving), spoken Arabic language courses, structured Ministry of Education-aligned school programs, Ministry of Tourism-approved tour guide training, and event rentals. Technology infrastructure is modest and operations-focused: a trilingual website (Hebrew, Arabic, English) built and hosted by CyberServe, online ticketing through Smarticket, Matterport-powered virtual tours and 3D exhibit displays, and the CLARIFY accessibility tool for disabled visitors.

Revenue mechanics combine ticket-based admissions (22-44 NIS), annual memberships (90-250 NIS), fees for workshops and language courses, private tour bookings, and donations via website, bank transfer, and phone. The museum receives institutional support from the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, and Jerusalem Municipality, and is governed by a Management Committee chaired by Hari Sapir with a full-time staff of 8 led by CEO Gilad Lavian. Operations run six days a week from a single location at 2 Hapalmach Street, Jerusalem, with no disclosed revenue, visitor, or financial metrics.

Name

The Museum for Islamic Art

Legal name

המוזיאון לאמנות האסלאם ע"ש ליאון אריה מאיר (The Museum for Islamic Art named after Leon Arieh Mayer)

Website

https://islamicart.co.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Museum for Islamic Art is a Jerusalem-based nonprofit cultural institution housing over 4,000 Islamic art objects (7th-19th centuries) and a world-renowned watch collection, serving individual visitors, schools, tour groups, and government partners through exhibitions, educational programs, workshops, and membership subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum / Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• Islamic art museum
• Cultural heritage exhibitions
• Museum educational programs
• Art and craft workshops
• Guided museum tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Jerusalem

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay entrance fees to access the museum's permanent and rotating exhibitions. Standard admission ranges from 22-44 NIS depending on visitor category.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership program offering unlimited museum access, free guided tours, invitations to exhibition openings, discounts on museum products, and reduced rates for events and courses. Individual (180 NIS), Couple (250 NIS), Senior (90 NIS), Student (135 NIS).
3. Educational Programs: Fees for workshops, courses, and educational activities for children and adults, including art courses, theater, Arabic language courses, and professional development programs for tour guides.
4. Donations: The museum accepts donations via website, bank transfer, credit card (by phone), and check. Donors receive receipts.
5. Group Tours and Events: Private guided tours, VIP experiences, and special event bookings for groups, organizations, and individuals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Museum for Islamic Art is a non-profit cultural institution in Jerusalem that curates and displays a permanent collection of over 4,000 Islamic art objects spanning the 7th to 19th centuries across six permanent galleries, plus the Sir David Salomons Watch Collection. It supplements its exhibitions with ticketed guided tours, art and craft workshops, spoken Arabic language courses, school educational programs aligned with the Israeli Ministry of Education curriculum, and tour guide professional development courses. The museum also offers annual memberships and hosts rotating contemporary art exhibitions addressing social and civic themes.

Product overview

The Museum for Islamic Art (L.A. Mayer Museum) is a cultural institution in Jerusalem offering a unified visitor experience combining physical and digital touchpoints. Its core product is its encyclopedic collection of Islamic art spanning the 7th–19th centuries, displayed across six permanent galleries plus a world-renowned watch collection of Sir David Salomons. The portfolio extends through ticketed and membership-based add-ons including art and craft workshops, spoken Arabic language courses, guided tours, virtual tours, 3D exhibit displays, school educational programs, and tour guide training courses. Digital infrastructure includes an accessible website with online ticketing via Smarticket, virtual exhibitions via Matterport, and a built-in CLARIFY accessibility tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of CulturecoreOthersGovernment ministry providing cultural support and funding for museum operations and activities.
• Ministry of EducationcoreOthersGovernment ministry supporting educational programs and curriculum-aligned activities for schools.
• Jerusalem MunicipalitycoreOthersCity government providing operational support and recognition as a key cultural institution in Jerusalem.
• Accessibility Israel (נגישות ישראל)minorOthersPartnership for website accessibility compliance, ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities in accordance with Israeli law and W3C standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• British Museum: London-based encyclopedic museum with significant Islamic world collections spanning multiple centuries and geographies. Comparable through overlapping Islamic art holdings, though operating as a broader global institution.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York's encyclopedic museum with a major Department of Islamic Art holding one of the world's most comprehensive collections. Comparable as a holder of significant Islamic art, though operating at vastly larger scale and broader curatorial scope.
• The Louvre: Paris-based encyclopedic museum with a major Islamic art department housed in the renovated Cour Visconti. Comparable as a global holder of Islamic art collections, though operating at vastly larger institutional scale.

Direct peers

• Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia: Southeast Asia's largest Islamic art museum located in Kuala Lumpur with a comprehensive collection of Islamic decorative arts. Comparable as a dedicated Islamic art museum with strong educational and tourism mission.
• The David Collection, Copenhagen: Danish art museum featuring a notable Islamic art collection alongside Danish and European fine arts. Comparable as a museum with a focused Islamic art collection in a smaller national setting.
• Museum of Islamic Art, Doha: Qatar's flagship Islamic art museum designed by I.M. Pei, with a world-class collection spanning 1,400 years. Directly comparable as a dedicated Islamic art museum with major institutional backing and global tourism draw.
• Israel Museum, Jerusalem: Israel's flagship national museum located in Jerusalem, housing encyclopedic collections including significant Islamic art holdings. The most directly comparable museum peer given shared Jerusalem location, Israeli government support, and overlapping curatorial scope.
• Aga Khan Museum, Toronto: Toronto-based museum dedicated to Islamic art and culture with a focus on cross-cultural dialogue. Comparable as a dedicated Islamic art institution emphasizing intercultural understanding and educational programming.
• Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo: One of the world's oldest and largest Islamic art museums, housed in a historic palace in Cairo. Directly comparable as a major national institution dedicated to Islamic art and cultural heritage.

Regional players

• Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem. Comparable as a Jerusalem-based cultural institution receiving Israeli government support and serving educational and memorial missions, though focused on Holocaust history rather than Islamic art.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChdx7WG7nqG_L1ld5S-O2vw/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/islamic.art.museum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-museum-for-islamic-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Museum for Islamic Art