From enormous structure to miniature artwork, luxurious carpets, and ceramics: the ornamental great quantity of the humanities of Persia captured in superb element thru masses of colour photographs
Persian artwork and structure have a wealthy historical past that stretches a ways past the borders of brand new-day Iran, from the Abbasid monuments of Baghdad to the luxurious Timurid homes of Samarqand and Bukhara. Whilst the traditional land of Persia was once conquered by means of the Arabs, its other folks embraced Islam however strove additionally to preserve their very own language and tradition. The merging of impacts led to a particular creative taste that unfold during the Heart East. This e book follows a historic trail around the Iranian international and examines the creative legacies of serious rulers and their dynasties, from the rebirth of Persian artwork below the Seljuqs to the significant systems constructed by means of Timur-i Lang in Samarqand and the cultural flowering that happened below the Safavid dynasty and past. Palaces, mosques, madrasas, and mausoleums show a captivating ornamental complexity, with shape and decoration combining to create an indivisible complete. Impressive polychrome tiles, complicated brickwork, curling arabesque motifs, and calligraphic inscriptions reach a transcendent good looks, designed to replicate each the temporal energy of the rulers who commissioned them and the heavenly glory of advent. 280 illustrations, 255 in colour