Product Description

Shah `Abbas I was one of Irans most influential leaders. Combining his ruthless ambition with a desire for stability, he left a far-reaching mark on the society and artistic heritage of Iran, renovating the countrys spectacular shrines and transforming its trading relations with the rest of the world. This richly illustrated book brings together an amazing array of treasures that were given to Irans shrines during Shah `Abbass reign. It traces the story of the Safavid dynasty (15011722), a period of dynamic religious and political development in Iran. Art and architecture flourished and achieved new heights of beauty and brilliance with the creation of the magnificent shrines at Ardabil, Mashhad and Qum. During this so-called Golden Age of Persian art, Shah `Abbas renovated these shrines and donated to them priceless works of art including sumptuous carpets, silks, porcelain and albums, many of which are illustrated here in glorious detail. He also created the new capital at Isfahan his crowning artistic achievement where he rebuilt his empire surrounded by an inner circle of great artists and thinkers. From here he encouraged foreigners to come to Iran and welcomed the opportunity to open up trading links with Europe. This fascinating book looks in detail at this turning-point in Irans history. It investigates the context of Shah Abbass gifts and renovations; it also explores how these shrines functioned in the early seventeenth century and the ways in which practices and beliefs initiated under the Safavids are reflected in the world-famous shrines at Mashhad and Qum of today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29153 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

Review
"Suitably splendid and covetable catalogue."
--Independent on Sunday, 15 March 2009

"Glorious detail...fascinating text places this Golden Age of Persian art in context. A real feast for the eyes."
--Good Book Guide, 1 May 2009

Customer Reviews

Pre-exibition read
I bought this in advance of visiting London. Great book, & what lovely exibits.Especially interesting on the Shi'te shrine cities to the east, but full of mouth-watering pics of carpets, metalware & choice miniatures.

beautiful images and coverage of the history of Shah Abbas
Amazing images taken of the collection at the Shah Abbas exhibition 2009 (but they don't cover all the items from the exhibition). The history of Shah Abbas is very interesting.

Shah Abbas's Reign:Persia's 'Golden Age'
The exhibition catalogue is a fine specimen of the British Museum's publications characterized by their excellent illustrations, authoritatitive and scholarly but accessible to the general reader text and meticulous attention to detail;the catalogue includes glossary, bibliography and index.

The book focuses on the reign (1587-1629)of the fifth Safavid ruler Shah Abbas I - the dynasty ruled Iran between 1501 and 1722 and his gratifyingly transformational impact on Iran.

This ruler was endowed with many talents displayed at many different areas and was particularly creative and visionary. The fact that he was also ruthless and mercurial were facets of his personality for which I shall not delve into -nor does the book apart from mentioning that of his five sons he blinded the two while he ordered the murder of a third because he suspected that they conspired to usurp his throne.

He was able to repulse the external enemies of the kingdom, Uzbeks and Ottomans and in this way he secured its outer borders. Internally he secured stability by subduing the Qizilbash (literally 'red head' in reference to their red turbans) -supporters of Safavid dynasty but fractious- while he promoted internal cohesion through enhancing Shiism as the state religion of Iran. He promoted trade relations with Europe e.g through export of luxurious textiles nad carpets in exchange of silver and gold while he also expanded trade with Mughal India his principal trading partner. He transferred the capital to Isfahan and rendered it to a cosmopolitan, artistic and intellectual centre.

But the main focus, chapters and glorious photographs of the book concern the ensuing three shrines which he magnificently renovated and of the sumptuous gifts he bequeathed to them.

The Shrines of Shaykh Safi at Ardabil and Imam-Riza at Masshad were potent symbols of Safavid authority:the first marking the Safavid's spiritual past, the second the long history of Shiism in Iran. The Shrine of Fatimeh Ma'sumeh in Qum was a popular site of patronage by Safavid women.

There are spectacular photographs of all three Shrines with their golden domes and minarets and tiled walls with intricate decorative arabic design and calligraphy.

The gifts bequeathed to the shrines are now scattered all over the world and were obtained on loan for the exhibition. I counted no fewer than 29 lenders located in 9 countries Iran including.

Photographs of the gifts accompanied by enlightening scholarly text which include inferences on attribution and dating comprise luxurious carpets with silk, silver and gold threads, opulent textiles including grave covers, porcelain, Qu'rans, illuminated manuscripts, albums, miniature painting, arabic calligraphy, coins and metal-work.

But in my aesthetic judgement the three stellar photographs in the book do not relate to the above shrines and objects but to the Mosque of Shaykh Lutfallah, a small royal mosque on the Maidan-i Naqs-i Jahan, Isfahan, built 1603-18;the photographs depict different parts of the Mosque:Fig.13 Entrance corridor;Fig.14 Qibla wall (indicating direction of prayer) and mihrab;and Fig.15 Interior of the dome. I feel that the book is worth purchasing just for the preceding three photographs with their stunning and dizzying arab decorative complexity and calligraphy and awe inspiring beauty.