Fashioning an Empire: Textiles from Safavid Iran focuses on the reign of influential ruler Shah ‘Abbas I the Great (r. 1588-1629 CE), looking at the way silk manufacturing boosted Iran’s economy, inspired artists and fostered cultural exchanges between nations as it was traded around the world.
Organised into four sections, the exhibition begins with the fascinating establishment of a regulated crown monopoly and state-funded silk production. Next visitors learn about the rise of Isfahan as a sumptuous new capital described as Naqsh-e Jahan (Image of the World) before experiencing beautiful examples of fashions and trends from Safavid society at that time.
The Museum of Islamic Art exhibition concludes with a series of contemporary commissions by local Qatari designers in response to the historic objects and textile patterns on display.
