Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran
In association with The Iran Heritage Foundation
19 February – 14 June 2009
Reading Room
Admission charge
In February 2009, the British Museum will open the first major
exhibition to explore the rule and legacy of Shah 'Abbas, one of
the formative figures in the creation of modern Iran. Shah of Iran
from 1587 – 1629 AD, he is remembered as one of the country’s most
influential kings and a great military leader, ruling Iran at a
time of political renewal, when it succeeded in positioning itself
as a world power with a sharply defined national identity.
Shah 'Abbas came to the throne in 1587, the fifth ruler of the
Safavid Dynasty. Through trade, patronage and diplomacy Shah 'Abbas
fostered good relations with Europe and ushered in a golden period
in the arts, commissioning beautiful works of art and grand
architecture. He was a great builder and restorer of major
monuments across the country and this architectural legacy will
provide the context in which to explore the themes of his reign.
The exhibition will feature luxurious gold-ground carpets,
exquisite Chinese porcelains, illustrated manuscripts, watercolour
paintings, metalwork and beautiful silks, objects similar to those
Shah 'Abbas gave to important religious sites across Iran. The
famous calligrapher Ali Riza 'Abbasi was a key figure throughout
Shah 'Abbas’s reign and examples of his work will feature
prominently in the exhibition.
Shah 'Abbas was a man with a strong sense of personal piety;
though Shiism was declared the state religion of Iran in 1501, it
was Shah 'Abbas who consolidated its preeminence through the rule
of law and the suppression of heterodox Shi'i sects and extremist
dervish orders. The clerics in the circle of Shah 'Abbas
established the parameters of Shi'i orthodoxy and in so doing
strengthened the role of the religious elite throughout Iran.
In association with The Iran Heritage Foundation, the exhibition
will feature extraordinary loans, never before seen outside of
Iran, alongside loans from Europe and the US. The exhibition is the
third in a series examining empire and power in different parts of
the globe and follows exhibitions on the First Emperor of China and
the Roman emperor Hadrian.
"Shah 'Abbas was restless, decisive,
ruthless and intelligent. This exhibition will provide a rare
opportunity to learn about this important ruler. Shah 'Abbas was a
critical figure in the development of Iran and his legacy is still
with us today." Sheila Canby, curator of the exhibition
To book tickets phone +44 (0)20 7323 8181 or
book online.
For further information or images please contact Hannah Boulton
on 020 7323 8522/ hboulton@britishmuseum.org
The exhibition will focus on four key sites
which Shah 'Abbas transformed or embellished as public statements
of royal power.
Isfahan: the new
capital
Shah 'Abbas made Isfahan his new capital in
1598 and it became his main administrative city and the seat of his
power. He completed an ambitious building programme, including
the construction of a royal palace and his personal mosque (named
after his father-in-law and spiritual advisor Shaykh Lutf Allah) as
well as new quarters for the Safavid elite and the Armenian
merchant class which drove Iran’s international silk trade. It was
also the site of the royal artists’ workshop, led by the famous
calligrapher Ali Riza 'Abbasi.
Ardabil: the
ancestral shrine
Ardabil contains the tomb of Shaykh
Safi, a fourteenth-century sufi mystic and ancestor of Shah 'Abbas.
The site contained a lodge for dervishes who followed the Shaykh’s
teaching and was the dynastic shrine of the Shah’s family. Under
Shah 'Abbas the role of this complex as a symbol of the Safavid
Dynasty grew. He renovated the shrine, gifting magnificent
decorative objects, including precious Chinese porcelains, mosque
lamps and important manuscripts, examples of which can be seen in
the exhibition.
Mashhad: the tomb of
the martyred Imam
Mashhad is a holy shrine city of
huge significance. It is the burial site of Imam Riza, the only
Shi'i imam, or infallible spiritual guide, who is buried in Iran.
The Shah himself walked in pilgrimage to the shrine from Isfahan, a
distance of 600 miles. It houses the Shah’s collection of Qur’ans
and Arabic scientific manuscripts and other elegant furnishings for
the many chambers of the shrine. Objects similar to those given by
the Shah to Mashhad will be on display.
Qum: studying the
faith
Qum is the shrine city of Fatimeh Ma'sumeh, the
sister of Imam Riza and a focus of Safavid female piety and
spirituality. By the seventeenth century many religious
colleges were associated with the shrine, a situation that
continues to this day. At the very end of his reign Shah 'Abbas
took a particular interest in this shrine and after his death his
successors donated exquisite silk brocades, calligraphy and
manuscripts.
Research, undertaken by the British Museum’s
Dr Sheila Canby and Professor Robert Gleave from Exeter University,
investigating the importance of Shah 'Abbas in renovating these key
religious spaces has contributed to a better/greater understanding
of their importance. Funded by the Arts and Humanities
Research Council (AHRC) this research has been key in the
preparation of the exhibition.
Notes to editors
- The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated book by
Sheila R.Canby ‘Shah 'Abbas: The remaking of Iran',
published by BM Press priced £25.
- A full public programme of lectures, workshops, family events,
film screenings and gallery talks will accompany the exhibition.
For more information
- Takhti – Hero and Iranian Icon (19
February – 19 April 2009) will take place in Room 3: the Asahi
Shimbun displays. The show will display a recent acquisition
of contemporary Iranian art made by the Iranian artist Khusrow
Hassanzade. The piece is a large shrine-like object inspired
by the image of Takhti (d.1968) a national hero from Iran renowned
for his physical prowess as a wrestler and also his good social
deeds.
- Also coinciding with the exhibition will be a coins and
medals display entitled The splendour
of
Isfahan: coins
from Iran (5 March –
July 2009) in Room 69a. The exhibition will show the history of
this splendid city through its coinage, focusing particularly on
the Safavid period from the sixteenth – eighteenth
centuries.
- Iran Heritage Foundation is in partnership with the British
Museum for the forthcoming Shah 'Abbas
exhibition, opening in February 2009. IHF has supported the
British Museum over a number of years, collaborating on exhibitions
such as Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient
Persia in 2005, and academic conferences such as
Wondrous Words: The Poetic Mastery of Jalal al-Din Rumi in
2007 and The World of Achaemenid Persia in 2005. Founded
in 1995, Iran Heritage Foundation is a UK registered non-political
charity dedicated to enhancing awareness and contributing to the
expansion of knowledge about Iran’s culture and history and to help
celebrate, preserve and promote the huge diversity of languages,
traditions, art and literature of Iran. http://www.iranheritage.org/
- Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC
provides approximately £100 million from the Government to support
research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from
archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one
year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around
1,000 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer
review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest
quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by
this investment of public funds not only provides social and
cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of
the UK. http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/