Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) at Kuwait National Museum (KNM) was established in 1983 to transform the private collection of Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah into a comprehensive exhibition of art from the Islamic world. A team of specialists from different institutions participated in this transformation. Members of the team included Dr. Marilyn Jenkins from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dr. Michael Bates from the American Numismatics Society and Manuel Keene of The al-Sabah Collection. The al-Sabah Collection consists of a wide range of important objects, which include books, manuscripts, ceramics, glass, metal, precious stones and jewelled objects, architectural ornaments, textiles and carpets, coins and scientific instruments. The objects on display represent the full chronological and geographic spread of the Islamic world.