Institut du monde arabe

  • Museum
  • Arts and culture
  • Sacred art
  • Folk arts and popular traditions

Two voyages in one. Come and meet the Orient... And a jewel of contemporary architecture. As a result of a joint partnership between France and the Arab countries, the Arab World Institute (IMA) foundation deed was signed in 1980.

The initial project for the museum at the Institut du Monde Arabe was conceived as a museum of Arab-Muslim art and civilisation, and its itinerary was structured in three sequences, starting with the birth of Islam. A presentation of Islamic art, considered in its widest territorial extension, i.e. from Spain to India, was followed by a more ethnographic approach to life in society in the Arab world, and ended with contemporary Arab art. This organisation guided the creation of the collections from 1982 onwards. The ethnography and contemporary Arab art collections had yet to be created, while in the case of Islamic art, when the museum was inaugurated in November 1987, the corpus consisted mainly of works deposited in French national collections. Acquisitions in this field were nevertheless undertaken as soon as the museum was created, in order to supplement these deposits and anticipate their restitution, which took place in 1991.

Opening and closing times

Every day throughout the year between 10 am and 6 pm. Closed on Monday. Closed exceptionally on May 1st. 10:00-19:00 on weekend ans public holidays.

Cash register closing : 45 minutes before.

Rates

Discount for groups

Right to speak cost : 40 €
Group adults: 6 € (Groupe of friends from 6 persons).

Full price: 9 €
Reduced price: 7 €
Job seeker: 6 €

Free entry for children < 26 years, accompanying guides, teachers, disabled people.
Group rate available for > 6 people.

Free for European Union citizens and regular residents non-euopeans on European Union territory

Paris Museum Pass accepted: free access.

Reception

Groups

  • Minimum number of people : 6

Animals

  • Animals accepted
  • Guide dogs are allowed

Visits

Types of visits available

  • Unguided individual tours available permanently
  • Guided individual tours available permanently
  • Unguided group tours available permanently
  • Guided group tours on request

Average length of visit

  • 75 minutes (individual)

Services and facilities

Facilities

  • Air conditioning
  • Auditorium
  • Book shop
  • Exhibition space
  • Lift
  • Media library
  • Parking nearby
  • Restaurant
  • Toilets

Services

  • Restaurant

Activities

  • Children's entertainment
  • Concert
  • Handicrafts workshops
  • Shows
  • Temporary exhibition

Languages

Spoken languages

  • Arab
  • English
  • French

Documentation languages

  • Arab
  • English

Visit languages

  • Arab
  • English
  • French

Languages of educational signs

  • Arab
  • English
  • French

Audioguide languages

  • English
  • French

Accessibility

  • Hearing disability
  • Mental disability
  • Visual disability
  • Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs
  • WC + grab handle + adequate space to move
  • Site, building totally accessible

Access

Metro :
- Jussieu (line 7)
- Cardinal Lemoine (line 10)

Bus lines : 24, 63, 67, 86, 87 and 89

Plan your route

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Contact information

  • 1 rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard 75005 Paris 5ème
  • +33 (0) 1 40 51 38 38
  • www.imarabe.org

Booking

  • Group booking required 15 days in advance minimum