MACS MTO

The museum's permanent collection encompasses approximately 300 objects and artworks related to Sufi history and culture, including music and calligraphy. This collection was carefully assembled over decades, and many of the artifacts have been preserved by the MTO Shahmaghsoudi School since the early 20th century.^[11]

These are displayed across three floors, covering roughly 600 square meters.^[10] While Sufism's roots trace back to Prophet Muhammad's time, most exhibited objects on display date from the 19th and 20th centuries and several date back to the Achaemenid Empire. The items range from rare manuscripts and calligraphic works to intricately designed ceremonial objects such as Sufi kashkul, tabarzins, silsila, khirqa, sculptures, carpet, mihrabs and canes. Kashkuls are objects representative of Sufi culture: "Formerly used as bags, they have become ornamental objects."^[4]

A notable feature is a hologram of Hazrat Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha, an Iranian Sufi master, poet, and scholar who died in 1980.^[12] The hologram shows him in his library discussing Sufism, combining historic elements like his recorded voice with modern creative elements.^[12] Hazrat Shah Maghsoud first conceived the idea of the museum in the 1970s. Beyond its permanent collection, the museum serves as a cultural center with a research library that will be available for research and contemplation from 2025.

The garden's design draws inspiration from Persian and French traditions, featuring a central fountain shaped like an eight-pointed star. Though recently planted, it gradually develops into a "maze of roses."^[13]

The Museum seeks to facilitate dialogue between Sufi principles and contemporary culture and art. As founding board member and President Claire Sahar Bay explains, "We didn't want to build a museum about the history of Sufism, on the social aspects; we wanted to explore, in-depth, the art and culture. The approach that we were envisioning was a dialogue with other disciplines, more specifically contemporary art,"^[12] The Museum plans to host two temporary exhibitions annually, accompanied by conferences and workshops, and offers access to a research library by appointment. The museum's curatorial approach balances historical artifacts with contemporary art installations, exemplified by works like Bianca Bondi's mixed-media pieces and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian's mirror mosaics, creating a dialogue between traditional Sufi spirituality and modern artistic expression.^[10]

The inaugural temporary exhibition, "An Inner Sky", featured seven international artists from the late 20th and early 21st centuries: Moroccan Younes Rahmoun, Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak, French-American Seffa Klein (Yves Klein's granddaughter), Zimbabwean Troy Makaza, Franco-Beninese Chloe Quenum, South African Bianca Bondi, and Iranian Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.^[14] The exhibition's title draws from Henry Corbin's work to evoke "the inner journey of the Sufi".^[15][16] This inaugural exhibition ended on 6 April 2025.