The Medieval period

This period saw the Crusades, the Mongol invasions, and the rise of the powerful Timurid empire.

c. 900 - 1517 C.E.

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he exquisite, lidded container is sculpted out of ivory and dated to the mid-10th century during the reign of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.

A conservator at the V&A discusses new discoveries that have uncovered new information on their materials, techniques, history and provenance

Alexander, the Mongols, and the great epic of Iran.

In this hunting scene from the Persian Book of Kings, the ruler Bahram lives up to his nickname “Gur,” or swift.

Vessels like this one were typically decorated with calligraphy, but a procession of figures is featured here.

This prayer niche once pointed students towards Mecca. Its blue and white patterns comprise verses from the Qur’an.

These stucco statues, with vivid costumes and distinctive round faces, may once have guarded a grand hall.

Made for a Christian ruler by Islamic artisans, this cloak is full of Islamic motifs and cosmological references.

The Islamic world turned writing into an art, but it’s the decoration, not the script, that sets these folios apart.

These two paintings illustrate the same story, but in different styles—as rulers changed, so did tastes for art.

This city within a city is famed for its three highly decorative palaces and their equally elaborate gardens.

Once painted and gilded, this panel was part of a larger frieze bearing commemorative Kufic inscriptions.

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