Islamic and Indian Art

The varied and rich artistic traditions of the Islamic and Indian worlds continue to fascinate a global network of collectors and institutions. Christie’s biannual auctions bring together 1,500 years of art in a region extending from Spain to Malaysia, with a particular focus on the Arab lands, Safavid and Qajar Iran, and the Ottoman Empire. The sales also include works from across the Indian subcontinent made under the influence of Muslim rulers, such as the Mughals and their successors. A shared visual language spans across media, encompassing ceramics, manuscripts, paintings, metalwork, textiles and calligraphy.

Christie’s hold several auction records, including for the most valuable Islamic manuscript sold at auction, realised for a monumental Mamluk Qur’an copied for Sultan Qaytbay. The combined total of the 2019 Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence sale continues to be the highest for a single auction in the category. These results are the product of the dedication of our team in London and globally, who are always ready to discuss buying and selling at Christie’s, or to offer a free and confidential valuation.

A decorated ceramic plate and a golden bowl on an intricate red carpet.

Upcoming auctions

VIEW PAST AUCTIONS

12 Nov
Live
Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets
London

Art of the Islamic and Indian auction at Christies

12 Nov

Live

Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets

London

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Contact us

From free valuations to market advice, our specialists are here to answer your questions.

Sara Plumbly
Director, Head of Department
London
Call+44 (0)20 7389 2374
E-mailsplumbly@christies.com
Sara Plumbly is Director and Head of the Islamic and Indian Art department at Christie’s King Street. She joined the company in 2006, and has worked on the department’s biannual sales of Islamic art since that time. She has been responsible for the successful King Street sales since that time, including collections such as the Library of the Late Djafar Ghazi and the Private Collection Donated to Benefit the University of Oxford. She has also overseen the sale of several record breaking pieces, including the important early Iznik bowl that sold for £1.4 million in April 2014.

Sara studied Arabic and Persian at Durham University and Arabic for another year at the American University in Cairo. Whilst in Egypt she also worked at the Gayer Anderson Museum, a 17th century house in the heart of Islamic Cairo. She subsequently completed her Master’s Degree in Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford, focussing for her thesis on the restoration and conservation of architectural monuments in Cairo, particularly those of the Fatimid period.

She has lived and travelled extensively across the Middle East and North Africa, including particularly long periods in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam
Head of Sale
London
Call+44 20 7389 2509
E-mailbatighi@christies.com
Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam is the Head of Sale in the Islamic and Indian Art department at Christie’s King Street. She joined the company in 2017, and works on the department’s biannual sales of Islamic and Indian art as well as being involved in important single-owner collections, notably the Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence sale which achieved the highest total for any auction of Indian art and jewelled objects. Behnaz obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History of Art and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies and University College London. She subsequently completed her Master’s degree in Museum Studies at UCL, writing a thesis on illustrated manuscripts and the architecture of the Haramain in Mecca and Medina. She joins us from the Victoria and Albert Museum where she was an Assistant Curator and Exhibition Researcher. Behnaz is fluent in Persian and has a working knowledge of Arabic.
Barney Bartlett
Junior Specialist
London
Call+44 (0) 791 769 5730
E-mailbbartlett@christies.com
Barney joined the Islamic and Indian Art Department at Christie’s as a Cataloguer in 2021. In addition to working on the department’s biannual Islamic and Indian Art sales, he has been involved in important single-owner collection sales including the record-breaking Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan in 2025 and The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Indian Painting and Calligraphy in 2026.

Barney obtained a BA in Persian with Islamic Art and Architecture from the University of Oxford where he wrote his dissertation on Mughal architecture under Jahangir. He subsequently completed an MA in South Asia and Global Security from King’s College London focussing on identity and heritage in Central and South Asia. Barney has spent time living in Iran and has travelled extensively in India and the Middle East.
Navid Molaaghaei
Cataloguer
London
Call+44 7425 700572
E-mailnmolaaghaei@christies.com
Navid Molaaghaei is a Cataloguer in the Islamic and Indian Art and Rugs and Carpets departments at Christie's King Street. He joined the company in 2026 after working with arts from the Islamic world at the David Collection in Copenhagen, during and following his studies.

Navid obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Iranian Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Specialising in the art of the book and completing courses in art history as well as a curatorial internship at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, he wrote his thesis on the representations of female heroines in illustrated manuscripts of Firdawsi's 'Shahnama'.

He is fluent in Persian and has lived and travelled extensively across the Islamic world, including extended periods in Iran, Egypt, and Malaysia.
Phoebe Jowett Smith
Sale Coordinator & Cataloguer
London
Call+44 20 7752 3221
E-mailpjowettsmith@christies.com
Phoebe joined the Islamic and Indian Art department in 2024. She holds a BA Oxon in European and Middle Eastern Languages (Spanish & Arabic). She works in both a coordination and cataloguing capacity within the department contributing to landmark sales such as Exceptional Paintings from the Personal Collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan.
Dr. Ridha Moumni
Chairman, Middle East & Africa
Dubai

Call+44 (0)207 389 2861

E-mailrmoumni@christies.com
Dr. Ridha Moumni is a historian of Art and Archaeology, specialising in antiquity and the early and modern art of Tunisia. He holds a PhD in North African Roman Architecture from La Sorbonne University. Former fellow of the French Academy in Rome (Villa Medici), Dr. Moumni was from 2019 to 2021 an Aga Khan Fellow at the Department of Art History at Harvard University and conducted research at Harvard's Center of Middle Eastern Studies. Dr. Moumni joined Christie's in 2021 as a Senior Client Advisor, focusing on the Middle East, before moving into his current role as Chairman of the Middle East and Africa. He has extensive experience in leading cultural projects and curating exhibitions of Middle Eastern art.