TEHRAN -- The British Museum is hosting “Shah Abbas: The Remaking of Iran” exhibition which will be held until June 14.

The exhibition, cosponsored by the Iran Heritage Foundation, Iranian museums and the National Museum of Iran, opened during a ceremony on February 14.
It is the first major exhibition that explores the reign and legacy of Shah Abbas (1587 – 1629), the fifth ruler of the Safavid Dynasty, who is remembered as one of Iran’s most influential kings and a great military leader. He ruled Iran at a time of political renewal, when it succeeded in positioning itself as a world power with a sharply defined national identity.
The exhibition showcases luxurious gold-ground carpets, exquisite Chinese porcelains, illustrated manuscripts, watercolor paintings, metalwork, beautiful silks, and other objects similar to those Shah Abbas gave to many important religious sites across Iran.
The famous calligrapher Alireza Abbasi was a key figure throughout Shah Abbas’s reign and examples of his work are featured prominently in the exhibition.
Objects from world renowned museums including the State Hermitage Museum, Louvre Museum, Kiev Museum of Western and Oriental Art, the National Museums of Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are also on showcase.
Iranian museums including Vank Museum of Isfahan, Mir-Emad Museum, Isfahan Museum of Ornamental Art, Chehel Sotun Museum and Tehran Persian Carpet Museum are also displaying some items in the exhibit.
The Safavid Era is the pinnacle of Iranian culture and art following the Iranian conversion to Islam. Such exhibitions are one of the best opportunities for Iranians to introduce their authentic civilization and culture to the world, the head of Iran National Museum Mohammadreza Mehrandish told the Persian service of IRNA.
“Shah Abbas: The remaking of Iran” by British researcher Sheila R.Canby is published by BM Press is available during the exhibition.
The exhibition demonstrates Shah Abbas’s social, religious and artistic influence on Iran through the gifts he endowed to major shrines in Mashhad, Ardabil and Qom, and his magnificent new capital at Isfahan