Shah 'Abbas

On my wish-list of places to visit is Isfahan in Iran, so I was happy to be able to see this show at the British Museum earlier this month:

Shah 'Abbas - The Making of Modern Iran

Shah 'Abbas was the ruler of Iran from 1587-1689, and he collected paintings, carpets, ceramics from all over the world. The show at the BM was beautiful. The intricacy of the work in the miniature paintings, and the hours that must have been spent on the silk carpets... incredible.