Individual essays from the Khalili Collection’s Curators
Curator
Dror Elkvity is Curator of the Khalili Collection of Spanish Damascene Metalwork, as well as five other collections under the Khalili auspices: the Japanese Art collection, the Kimono collection, Enamels of the World, Aramaic Documents, and Swedish Textiles. His work encompasses all aspects of the collections, from research and conservation to publications and exhibitions. He has overseen numerous exhibitions and publications drawn from the collections, including Metal Magic: Spanish Treasures from the Khalili Collection, Auberge de Provence, Valletta, Malta (2012); Beyond Imagination: Treasures of Imperial Japan from the Khalili Collection, 19th to Early 20th Century, Moscow Kremlin Museums, Russia (2017); Splendours of Imperial Japan, Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet, Paris, France (2019); and Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2020–2025). Publications he has worked on include the exhibition catalogues Kimono: The Art and Evolution of Japanese Fashion, ed. Anna Jackson (Thames & Hudson, 2015), and Kimono: Images of Culture, 1915–1950 in the Khalili Collections, ed. Jacqueline M. Atkins (Prestel, 2024). Forthcoming publications include Visions in Silk: The Khalili Collection of Japanese Fine Art Textiles, ed. Clare Pollard, and Japonisme: Artistry and Influence, ed. Dror Elkvity (working title).
Curator for Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage
Qaisra M. Khan is curator of Islamic art at the Khalili Collections, where her focus is on the Arts of Pilgrimage, a subject on which she has lectured and broadcast widely. She has a degree in Law and an MPhil in Oriental Studies both from the University of Cambridge and after working for many years in financial consulting, she acquired an MA in Islamic Art from SOAS, University of London.
She has worked for the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar and the British Museum, London, where she co-curated the pioneering ’Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam’ exhibition. Her publications include Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage (2022) and Essays in Honour of Nasser David Khalili (2023).
Her interest in William Morris came about in 2017 when invited to the Cheltenham Literature Festival to explore the idea of William Morris and Islamic art. She is co-curator of the exhibition ’William Morris and Art from the Islamic World’ at the William Morris Gallery (2024).
Over the coming months, Qaisra M. Khan, our Curator for Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage, will mark the conclusion of the 2025 Hajj season by releasing individual essays from the landmark publication Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage – Essays in Honour of Nasser David Khalili. This two-volume work features twenty-seven insightful essays exploring the extraordinary objects within the renowned collection of Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili.
The season will start today with the opening chapter: The Hajj, by Michael Wolfe – an American poet, author, and the President and Co-Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation. In 1997 he authored remarkable: One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage, which continues to resonate today as a profound and enduring exploration of the spiritual journey of Hajj through the eyes of travellers across a millennium.
In this opening chapter for Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage – Essays in Honour of Nasser David Khalili, Michael Wolfe explores the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — the Hajj — as both a sacred obligation and a transformative spiritual journey. Rooted in the story of Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael, the Hajj reenacts their acts of faith through rituals like tawaf (circumambulating the Kaʿbah), saʿy (running between the hills of Safa and Marwa) and the symbolic repudiating of the devil, at Mina.
Michael Wolfe details the physical and emotional aspects of the pilgrimage, blending historical travel accounts with modern experiences. The chapter also highlights the material culture associated with Hajj, such as maps, manuscripts, and religious artifacts that reflect centuries of devotion.
The Hajj, Michael Wolfe testifies, is a unique event that fuses prayer, discipline and community, and is a once-in-a-lifetime journey that continues to inspire and unite Muslims worldwide.
For our first insight of 2026, we focus on how our Islamic Art collection has found an exciting new home in Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. With guidance from Dr. Glaire Anderson, works from the collection helped shape the game’s rich historical setting and cultural detail. It’s a great example of how art and scholarship can travel beyond […]
Curator
Curator for Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage