Muslim Culture Show a Hit at Children’s Museum of Manhattan

What to Know

An exhibit called "America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far" is proving popular at the Children's Museum of Manhattan
Children can pretend to buy spices from Egypt, ceramics from Turkey and rugs from Morocco
They can also weigh their catch at the Zanzibar fish market, smell Indonesian fruits and serve Tajik tea

An exhibition about Muslim cultures around the world is proving popular at the Children's Museum of Manhattan.

The museum has seen an increase in visitors since the show opened, with a third of those visitors from outside the New York area.

The show, called "America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far," runs through December and will open in February 2018 at the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee, followed by a run in 2019 at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.

"As a first-of-its-kind exhibition, the content of 'America to Zanzibar' is new for most visitors," said Andrew Ackerman, the museum's executive director. "Many parents are eager for their children to experience a broad range of cultures in a deeper way than what they encounter in the media. Our exhibition helps address this need."

The exhibition includes interactive features like a global marketplace where children can pretend to buy spices from Egypt, ceramics from Turkey and rugs from Morocco. They can also weigh their catch at the Zanzibar fish market, smell Indonesian fruits, serve Tajik tea and design outfits inspired by West African tailors who work in New York. And they can explore ancient trade routes on a camel or an Indian Ocean boat called a dhow.

The exhibit is decorated with geometric tile designs, patterned rugs, ceramics and other works of art. A 3-D installation shows mosque architecture from the Maldives to China.