A Berlin museum has obtained a long-term loan of one of the world's premier private collections of Islamic art, known as the Keir collection.

The 1,500 pieces, including ceramics, weaving and miniature paintings, will be displayed at the Museum for Islamic Art, a branch of the Pergamon Museum.

A Hungarian-born property developer, Edmund de Unger, who now lives in London, signed an agreement with museum Wednesday to loan pieces he had amassed over the last 50 years to the museum.

The first pieces will go on display in December. After his death, the rest of the collection will go to the Prussian Culture Foundation, which runs Berlin's museums.

De Unger says he began by collecting rugs, saying he would pile the carpets on top of one another in his old home, Keir House.

In the 1950s, he discovered his love for Islamic art and began seeking out unusual objects in markets and old collections. Among the works he bought was a collection of ceramics owned by Swiss collectors Ernst and Martha Kofler-Truniger.

He sought out rare books and bronzes, as well as art and artifacts from the Mediterranean and Central Asian countries.

Among them is a pocket-sized Persian book dating from the 15th century, which tells five epics by the great Persian romantic poet Nezami. It is illustrated with a picture of a group of horseback riders dressed in colourful tunics.

A cultural bridge

Richard de Unger, who represented his father at Wednesday's formal signing, spoke about the role art could play as a cultural bridge.

"Through the study of Islamic art, which is a bridge between China and the West, we can see that the true traditions of Islam, the wealth, the peace, the knowledge, give another story, which I hope the public will explore," de Unger said.

The elder de Unger, 91, agreed to loan the Keir collection for an initial 15-year period, to complement the Islamic art on display at the Berlin museum, according to the website Monsters and Critics.

He also agreed to make his collection accessible to researchers and the public.

"Every single object that I was able to acquire tells a story, and every acquisition happened out of sudden passion or a gradually growing affection," said de Unger.

The first pieces will go on display in December. After his death, the rest of the collection will go to the Prussian Culture Foundation, which runs Berlin's museums.

Much of the art is "non-religious" said Stefan Weber, director of the Museum of Islamic Art.

"The phrase Islamic art is somewhat misleading," said Weber. "There are also many important secular bronze and ceramic pieces and manuscripts in this collection."

The museum, founded in 1904, houses a permanent exhibition dedicated to the art of Islamic people through the 17th century, with a focus on works from the Middle East.

With files from The Associated Press