The past can be fascinating, especially for those lookingfor insights into artistic, architectural and cultural developments over thecenturies. That is one of the reasons why the Pergamon Museum in Berlinattracts so many artists, writers and those who understand classical design. Itwas a brief visit to this city that brought me to the doors of this museum afew months ago. Renowned for its archaeological holdings, the Pergamon Museumis actually three museums in one “ the Collection of Classical Antiquities, theMuseum of the Ancient Near East and the Museum of Islamic Art.
In the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the 2nd centuryBC Pergamon Altar has an amazing frieze depicting a battle between the gods andthe giants while the Museum of the Ancient Near East, which ranks among theworld’s best collections of treasures from this region, is dominated by theimposing bright blue glazed-brick Ishtar Gate of Babylon from 6th century BC.The gate is decorated with dragons and lions and bulls - symbolizing the majorgods of Babylon - and a transparent back wall lets visitors see how the massivegate was reconstructed from fragments. Also notable in this collection is thefacade of the throne hall of King Nebuchadnezzar, a reconstructed Neo-Assyrianpalace from the 12th century BC and artifacts from the earliest history of thewritten word.
The Museum of Islamic Art was started in 1904 with adonation of precious carpets by Wilhelm von Bode, a German art curator. Suchtextiles still make up a major part of the exhibition, with colourful examplesfrom Iran, Asia Minor, Egypt and the Caucuses on view. The highlights from thecollection of 8th “ 19th century Islamic art and craft include the 17th centuryAleppo Zimmer, a vividly-coloured panelled room from a merchant’s house in theSyrian city of Aleppo that is painted with Arabian and Persian verses andsayings and pictures of people, plants and mythical beings. Besides Islamicartwork, the main attraction is the Mshatta facade, which originates from anunfinished early Islamic desert palace located south of Amman in present-dayJordan. It was a gift from the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Emperor WilhelmII of Germany.
The Pergamon Museum was severely damaged during the airattack on Berlin at the end of the Second World War. Many of the displayedobjects were stored in safe places and some of the large pieces were walled infor protection. In 1945, the Red Army collected all of the loose museum items,either as war booty or, ostensibly, to rescue them from looting and fires thenraging in Berlin. Not until 1958 were most of the objects returned to EastGermany. The one reason why this museum has gained popularity, as a guideexplained, is that it helps connect many of the heard legends to realitythrough what remains in physical form. Interesting!
