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Art of the Islamic world 640 to now
Course: Art of the Islamic world 640 to now > Unit 2
Lesson 3: Later period- Arts of the Islamic world: the later period
- Introduction to the court carpets of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires
- Muradiye Mosque
- Ottoman prayer carpet with triple-arch design
- Mimar Sinan, Şehzade Mosque
- Sinan, Süleymaniye Mosque
- Mimar Sinan, Mosque of Selim II, Edirne
- Sinan, Rüstem Pasha Mosque
- Hagia Sophia as a mosque
- The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
- Spherical Hanging Ornament (Iznik)
- Iznik ewer
- Tughra (Official Signature) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent from Istanbul
- Topkapı Palace tiles
- Qa'a: The Damascus room
- The Damascus Room at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Conserving the Damascus Room at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Photograph of Abdülhamid II
- Timur’s entry into Samarkand, page from the Zafarnama
- The Safavids, an introduction
- The Ardabil Carpet
- Ardabil Carpet
- The Court of Gayumars
- Paradise in miniature, The Court of Kayumars — part 1
- Paradise in miniature, The Court of Kayumars — part 2
- Wine bearers in landscape, a Safavid textile
- Riza-yi 'Abbasi, portrait of a young page reading
- Riza-yi ʿAbbasi, Seated calligrapher
- Mir Afzal of Tun, a reclining woman and her lapdog
- The Ardashirnama: a Judeo-Persian manuscript
- Divination Bowl
- Illustration from the Akbarnama
- The Taj Mahal
- Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings
- Shah 'Abbas – Ruling an empire
- Shah 'Abbas – the image of a ruler
- Coins of faith and power at the British Museum
- Two portraits, two views
- Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing
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Shah 'Abbas – Ruling an empire
The following articles and videos explore seventeenth-century Iran through the reign and legacy of one of its most influential rulers, Shah 'Abbas I (reigned 1587–1629).
Shah 'Abbas was a stabilizing force in Iran following a period of civil war and foreign invasion. He strengthened the economy by establishing global trade links between Asia and Europe and revitalized the state religion Shi’a Islam which is still practiced today.
When Shah 'Abbas came to power his country was in chaos. Yet, within 11 years he had regained territory lost to his enemies, moved his capital city, and begun a transformation of Iranian society.
Expanding empire
Using an army formed in part of ghulams—Christian slaves from Armenia and Georgia who had been converted to Islam—Shah 'Abbas re-established Iran’s borders, defeating the Uzbeks in the northeast. He would eventually expand his empire, seizing the Kingdom of Hormuz from the Portuguese and defeating the Ottomans to take control of Baghdad (Iraq) in 1623. These conquests allowed Shah 'Abbas and Iranians access to the sacred Shi'i shrines of Kazimayn, Karbala and Najaf in Iraq. It also gave the Shah complete control of trade coming through the Persian Gulf.
But it wasn’t just the territory of Iran that expanded under Shah 'Abbas. In 1598 the Shah made Isfahan his capital, and a large-scale building program transformed it into Iran’s most beautiful city, home to his court, the royal artist’s workshop and a center of luxury carpet production.
Shah 'Abbas’s reign was a golden age for the arts in Iran. Not unlike modern leaders, Shah 'Abbas understood the power of a single message and was keen to imprint a visual style on his empire. He employed calligraphers, painters, bookbinders and illuminators to produce manuscripts and design inscriptions and paintings for buildings. Carpets of silk and gold, the calligraphy of 'Ali Riza 'Abbasi and the portraiture of Riza-yi 'Abbasi embody the period of Shah 'Abbas I.
During this period Isfahan became a cultural crossroads where European and Indian traders, travellers and adventurers mixed with many levels of Safavid society. Shah 'Abbas saw the rulers of Christian Europe as potential military allies against his enemies, the Ottomans, as well as commercial partners. Luxury Iranian silk was exchanged for gold and silver, which was in short supply in Iran but plentiful in Europe thanks to new supplies from South America. He was tolerant of Europeans and encouraged them to come to Iran. Catholic priests, representatives of the Dutch and British East India Companies and European ambassadors all mixed in the cosmopolitan society of Isfahan.
Suggested readings:
S. Canby, The Rebellious Reformer: The Drawings and Paintings of Riza-yi 'Abbasi of Isfahan (London, 1997).
A. Soudavar, Art of the Persian courts (New York, Rizzoli, 1992).
V. Porter and H. Nayel Barakat, Mightier Than the Sword: Arabic Script, Beauty and Meaning (The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, 2004).
© Trustees of the British Museum
Want to join the conversation?
- Isfahan sure sounded like a pretty radical and cosmopolitan place for its age during the 1590's! I wonder if Iran will ever return to being more open to foreigners ever again? It sure seemed to be mutually beneficial to both Iranians as well as to the European emissaries.(2 votes)