response to ridicule froma teacher at his Jewish day school for aspiring to be one himself; and,most famously, the custodian of the largest private collection of Islamic art in the world, in addition to collating the largest publication in art history, which will catalogue the 20,000 artworks in 27 volumes. The secret to his success? “You dream,


you plan, you pursue. If you don’t do that, you don’t get anywhere.” He adds: “In every field in which I have collected, I became an expert in the field before I collected.” This and a famously retentivememory have helped himto assess better than anyone the value of the art in his chosen fields. Though amassing his collections is his


life’s work, he has still to realise hismost long-held dream– a dedicatedmuseumfor his collection of Islamic art in London. He reveals tome, exclusively, that this will happen before his 70th birthday in 2015. “Many great collections have become dispersed because they did not think about how tomaintain amuseum. But we are working to establish a large enough endow- ment to secure ourmuseumin perpetuity.” Though I do not ask, I assume the


museumwill be named the KhaliliMuseum of IslamicArt. I note that each project he funds inherits the Khalili name. Is this the legacy that he wants to ensure? “I amnot here to be praised. The praise should be reserved to go to the souls of the artists who have produced themagnificent works. I have just been lucky to be able to put them together for humanity.” He tellsme that it was the University


which offered to give his name to the lecture theatre he funded at SOAS. “They insisted on there being a bust ofmemade to sit outside the theatre, alongside which there is a beautiful Japanese vase for which I give fresh flowers to be arranged every day.” Though no longer a governor of


SOAS, Khalili continues to teach at the controversial hotbed of anti-Israel


sentiment. I ask whether he ever has difficulties with the politicised students there. He has not personally experienced any antagonism. In his view “religion and politics have their own particular languages, and their own agendas.Art and culture are unique in having a universal language; ‘it is an oceanwithout shores’.” Sharing the art he has collected with


humanity is hismission. “I hate telling people I amhere to educate you. I amhere to informyou and to allow you to formyour own opinion. It ismy philosophy.” He refers to the need to learn about others’way of life as being the philosophy ofMaimonides,


extremely fond of the UK, its tradition and its contribution to humanity.” He is proud also of his Iranian heritage. “Iranian Jews are the oldest Jews in the world and Iran has been a cradle of democracy since Cyrus the Great. Empathy has always existed between the Jews andMuslims in Iran. If anything, the way that Jews have been treated by theMuslims in Iran should be used as an example.” Khalili continues to support the Jewish


community in Iran, “but under the radar, as I learned frommy parents, G-d bless their soul, that you should do things not for the heck of it, but for the sake of it.”


i talk to other weal thy people who t ry to avoid taxes to tel l them to use thei r energy for making money and not to waste i t avoiding taxes.


which he follows, “because by learning about it we will find there ismore that unites than divides us.” It is for this reason that he set up theMaimonides Foundation, to foster dialogue and understanding between theAbrahamic religions. This is a view he shares with Chief


Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, with whomhe has a “special relationship”, and who is a mentor to his children and an inspiration to him. “I consider the Chief Rabbi one of the greatest brains in the history of Judaism.”At Rabbi Sacks’ request Khalili funded the refurbishment of the Bloomstein Hall at the MarbleArch Synagogue. Unlike many other billionaires, he has


not moved his great wealth offshore. He takes pride in paying his taxes, believing it important to play a full role in contributing to the economic well-being of his adopted home. “I am a good advocate, because I talk to other wealthy people who try to avoid taxes and tell them to use their energy for making money and not to waste it avoiding taxes.” Though he identifies first as an Iranian Jew, he is proud to be British too. “I am


It is this value that he hopes to have


instilled in his children. He does not plan to pass down all his wealth to them. “I wanted to ensure that my kids had an education, that they had independence and can follow their passion like I did. If I do more than that, I will dilute their mission in life. I want them to live and look forward to something and to achieve their own thing and get credit for it.” Professor Khalili concludes the


interview with an appeal. “Don’t concentrate so much on me, but concentrate on the art. I wish to shed light and understanding on how people run their lives. Each time I give an interview I want to have a message: the role culture can play in the betterment of people’s lives. There is no better bridge-builder. If I can change the life of even one person, then I will have succeeded.” And what of his plans once the


museum is established? “I plan to write my autobiography, but not for another 10 or 20 years.” This will be quite some story, of the Jewish man from Iran and his plan for the world’s greatest collection of Islamic art.


pen box signed Muhammad isma’iliran, isfahan, ah 1266 (1849-50ce), papier-maché body with detachable lid30 x 7.1 x 5.7 cm. the top bears a crowded scene, with the eunuch Manuchihr Khan Mu’tamad al-Dawlah (d1847), who rose to be one of the most powerful men in iran under Fath’ali Shah and Muhammad Shah. his battle against a group of Beduin chieftains in 1257 ah (1841-2 ce) is described in cartouches of persian verse around the lid. the painting is a tour de force, fitting the maximum of figures into an extremely confined space. the inscription also states that the pen box was especially ordered for the eunuch by Muhammad Shah Qajar, although it was only completed after his death. the battle scenes may well derive from contemporary european prints but they are also in the tradition of 17th-century battle scenes decorating the walls of the chihil Sutun palace in isfahan.


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