Brilliantly painted manuscripts. Exquisitely detailed miniatures. Fine silks. Complex, ornate palaces. The art of the Safavids is simply magnificent.
Late period
Producing this lush miniature involved many Persian artists—and likely some familiarity with Chinese sources.
The Court of Gayumars
The Islamic world extended from Spain to Indonesia, where Ottomans, Timurids, Safavids, and Mughals ruled.
Arts of the Islamic world: The later ...
After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the sultan repurposed this church, adding slender “pencil” minarets.
Hagia Sophia as a mosque
Under Akbar the Great, the Mughal style of painting blended Indian, Persian, and Western artistic traditions.
Illustration from the Akbarnama
The official seal of the sultan dissolves into a vibrating field of flowers, gold accents, and snaking blue lines.
Tughra (Official Signature) of Sultan Süleiman the ...
These tiny pieces of precious metal contain a wealth of information in their Persian and Arabic inscriptions.
Coins of faith and power at the ...
The sound of the fountain led guests into this 18th-century house, where a vibrant interior stimulated ear and eye.
Qa’a (The Damascus room)
This mosque was the crowning achievement of architect Sinan’s career and a trophy of Ottoman imperial grandeur.
Mimar Sinan, Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul
Unlike other of Sinan’s mosques, this one is covered with tiles, sits above shops, and is accessed from a stairway.
Mimar Sinan, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, Istanbul
Two famous lovers meet in this miniature—as do Persian and European painting traditions.
Khusraw Discovers Shirin Bathing
This huge white-marble mausoleum is recognized the world over for its splendor, symmetry, and stunning gardens.
The Taj Mahal
The different motifs on this bowl—some Persian, others adapted from ancient Greece—relate to Safavid-era practices.
Divination Bowl with Inscriptions and Zodiac Signs
Though made in Iznik, an Ottoman center for ceramic arts, this jug blends Chinese and Iranian design elements.
Iznik ewer
This basketball-sized example of Ottoman ceramics may represent the orb of heaven or the gardens of paradise.
Spherical Hanging Ornament (Iznik)
Who’s that in the plumed hat? From emperors to kings, the painter Bichitr mastered court portraiture.
Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to ...
This wool carpet was woven for a shrine. Its dense design contains geometric patterns, floral motifs—and two lamps.
The Ardabil Carpet
Court carpets were versatile and various, decorated with flowers, hunting scenes, or even calligraphy.
Introduction to the court carpets of the ...
With its stacked domes and six minarets, the Blue Mosque dominates Istanbul’s skyline—and the nearby Hagia Sophia.
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
Located in modern Turkey, Edirne was an important Ottoman city. Its great mosque boasts an ethereal octagonal dome.
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