Aga Khan Museum

The Aga Khan Museum opened in September 2014 in Don Mills, north-east of downtown, and is devoted to the arts and cultures of Muslim civilisations. The white building was designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and shares its 6.8-hectare site with the Ismaili Centre, designed by Charles Correa. Between them lies the Aga Khan Park by Vladimir Djurovic, a modern take on the formal Islamic garden.

The permanent collection of more than a thousand objects covers all periods of Islamic history, with ceramics, metalwork, paintings and manuscripts. Among its most important pieces are the earliest known copy of Avicenna's Canon of Medicine, dated 1052, and Qur'an manuscripts including an eighth-century North African folio. Temporary exhibitions, talks and performances in the auditorium fill out the programme, so check what is on before you go.

The interior courtyard is a quiet space at the centre of the building, with glass walls patterned in a way that recalls carved jali screens. Diwan, the museum's restaurant, serves dishes inspired by the cuisines of the Silk Route and makes a good lunch stop.

The museum is closed on Mondays and open from 10am to 5:30pm on Tuesday and from Thursday to Sunday, with a late opening until 8pm on Wednesday. Admission is free on Wednesdays from 4pm to 8pm. It is open on statutory holidays except Christmas Day.

The core of the collection was assembled by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, who began acquiring art in the 1950s, and it now numbers more than 1,200 works from the ninth to the twenty-first century, from Spain and North Africa across the Middle East to South Asia and China. Paintings, ceramics and textiles sit alongside the manuscripts, and the collection can also be explored online before or after a visit.

The museum suits art and architecture lovers and anyone with an interest in world history, and it is calmer than the downtown museums. Allow two hours for the galleries and longer if you want to walk the park. It is some way from the centre, so check the museum's location and parking page for transit and driving directions before setting out.