About
Durham University Oriental Museum is the only museum in northern England dedicated exclusively to the art and archaeology of the Orient, housing an outstanding collection spanning the cultures of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia from ancient times to the present day. Founded in 1960 to support the university's School of Oriental Studies, the museum has grown into a nationally significant institution holding over 30,000 objects that illuminate the artistic achievements, spiritual traditions, and everyday lives of civilisations stretching from Egypt to Japan. The collection's breadth and quality make it a remarkable resource for scholars, students, and the general public.
The Chinese collection is particularly exceptional, featuring ceramics from the Neolithic period through the Qing dynasty that chart over five thousand years of artistic development. Highlights include Tang dynasty tomb figures, Song dynasty celadons, Ming blue-and-white porcelain, and imperial Qing dynasty pieces of remarkable refinement. The Japanese collection encompasses samurai armour, woodblock prints, lacquerware, netsuke, and ceramics spanning from the Jomon period to the modern era. The Egyptian collection holds mummies, coffins, shabtis, amulets, and everyday objects from ancient Egypt, while Near Eastern galleries display Mesopotamian cylinder seals, Islamic metalwork, and Persian manuscripts.
The museum occupies a purpose-built gallery on Elvet Hill on the university campus, providing spacious, well-lit galleries designed for the careful display of objects requiring particular environmental conditions. Regular temporary exhibitions, educational programs, and community events ensure the museum engages audiences beyond academia, making the rich cultural heritage of Asia and the Orient accessible to visitors of all backgrounds. The collection continues to grow through gifts, bequests, and strategic acquisitions that strengthen its representation of diverse Oriental cultures.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Monday, Tuesday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings offer quiet contemplation of the galleries
💡 Visitor Tips
- Allow at least 2 hours to appreciate the breadth of collections spanning Egypt to Japan
- The museum is on the university campus at Elvet Hill, about a 25-minute walk uphill from Durham station
- Free admission makes this an excellent complement to Durham Cathedral and Castle on a day visit
- The Chinese ceramics gallery alone is worth the visit - take time with the Tang tomb figures
- Campus parking is limited and charged - consider the Park and Ride or walking from the city centre
- Combine with the adjacent Durham University Botanic Garden for a half-day cultural visit
- School holidays bring family-friendly activities and workshops related to Asian cultures
- The museum shop sells unique gifts inspired by the Oriental collections
Highlights
Chinese Ceramics Collection
The museum's Chinese ceramics collection is its crowning glory, spanning over five thousand years from Neolithic Yangshao culture painted pottery to imperial Qing dynasty masterpieces.
The collection includes exquisite Tang dynasty sancai (three-colour) glazed tomb figures of horses, camels, and court attendants that capture the cosmopolitan vitality of Tang China. Song dynasty pieces feature supremely refined celadons and Jun ware with their distinctive lavender splashes.
Ming dynasty blue-and-white porcelain demonstrates the technical and artistic mastery that made Chinese ceramics the most coveted luxury goods in global trade. Qing imperial pieces, including famille rose and famille verte enamelled wares, showcase the pinnacle of porcelain artistry.
Ancient Egyptian Collection
A substantial Egyptian collection includes mummies, decorated coffins, canopic jars, shabtis, amulets, and everyday objects spanning from the Predynastic period to the Roman era. The collection provides intimate access to ancient Egyptian funerary practices, religious beliefs, and daily life rarely matched outside major national museums.
Highlights include painted cartonnage mummy cases with elaborate hieroglyphic inscriptions and vivid depictions of deities.
Stone sculptures, faience ornaments, and bronze statuettes of Egyptian gods demonstrate the artistic traditions that endured for three millennia. Pottery, tools, and personal ornaments reveal how ordinary Egyptians lived, complementing the grander funerary and religious objects.
Japanese Art and Armour
The Japanese collection ranges from Jomon period ceramics through medieval samurai culture to modern decorative arts. Samurai armour and weapons, including intricately decorated sword fittings (tsuba) and lacquered armour pieces, demonstrate the warrior aesthetic that defined Japanese culture for centuries.
Ukiyo-e woodblock prints by masters including Hiroshige and Hokusai capture the 'floating world' of Edo period Japan in vivid colour and exquisite detail.
The lacquerware collection features boxes, containers, and decorative objects employing complex techniques of layered lacquer, gold and silver inlay, and delicate surface decoration that represent some of Japanese craft's highest achievements.
South and Southeast Asian Galleries
Galleries devoted to South and Southeast Asia contain Hindu and Buddhist sculpture, bronze figures, textiles, and decorative arts spanning from ancient Gandhara to modern India. Stone and bronze sculptures of Hindu deities including Shiva, Vishnu, and Parvati demonstrate the artistic traditions of temple sculpture across India and Southeast Asia.
The Buddhist collection includes meditation figures, relief carvings, and ritual objects from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Tibet.
Indian miniature paintings from Mughal, Rajput, and Pahari traditions capture courtly life, religious narratives, and poetic romances in vivid colour and extraordinary detail. Textiles including embroidered hangings and printed cottons showcase India's celebrated textile traditions.
Collections
China Gallery
Five thousand years of Chinese art and archaeology from Neolithic to Qing dynasty
Egypt and the Near East
Ancient Egyptian mummies, coffins, and artefacts alongside Mesopotamian and Islamic collections
Japan Gallery
Samurai armour, woodblock prints, lacquerware, and ceramics from prehistoric to modern Japan
South and Southeast Asia
Hindu and Buddhist sculpture, Indian miniature paintings, and Asian textiles
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.