Cafe Masira Night At The Museum

Night at the Museum is here.

Café Masira is back - this time, inside one of Chicago’s most remarkable windows into the ancient world.

On August 8, join us for an after-hours evening at the University of Chicago’s ISAC Museum. Home to approximately 350,000 artifacts, the museum holds one of the world’s leading resources for understanding the archaeology, art, history, and languages of West Asia and North Africa. Its galleries transport visitors through ancient Egypt, Nubia, Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, and the Levant - from intricately crafted everyday objects to the museum’s monumental 40-ton Assyrian lamassu.

Explore the galleries as museum docents bring ancient objects, histories, and civilizations to life. The evening will feature a special emphasis on A Bestiary of Ancient Nubia, a limited-time exhibition exploring the roles animals played in Nubian art, religion, culture, and everyday life across thousands of years.

Outside the exhibition galleries, Café Masira will host a Middle Eastern and North African-inspired café pop-up where guests can gather over specialty drinks, light bites, and live music.

☕ Your ticket includes:

A specialty drink from Café Masira’s MENA-inspired pop-up

Guided docent-led tours throughout the museum

Live music throughout the evening

Light bites

Limited-edition Masira merchandise available on-site

A percentage of event profits will be donated to the Sudanese American Physicians Association and the American Sudanese Archaeological Research Center, supporting humanitarian relief and the preservation of Sudan’s cultural heritage.

This is more than a museum visit. It is an invitation to slow down, explore, and experience the ancient world through history, music, food, and community.

Come for the drinks. Stay for the stories. Leave seeing the ancient world differently.