The Persian Arch

14/11/2025

New two volume book by Nils Purwins
https://brill.com/display/title/72700

14/11/2025

Object: Covered Vessel with Relief Design of Arabic Inscription in Kufic Script

Carved from steatite, this 10th-century Seljuq vessel from Nishapur, Iran, displays a remarkable blend of form and calligraphy. The circular container, complete with a thin flat lid and winged handle, is adorned with intricate cross-hatched borders and a band of Arabic inscription in raised Kufic script-one of the earliest and most elegant forms of Islamic calligraphy.

The tall, angular letters extend into delicate leaves and flowers, a decorative flourish characteristic of the 10th century. This combination of geometry, inscription, and floral stylization exemplifies the refined artistry of early Islamic stone carving, where even utilitarian objects were imbued with spiritual and aesthetic meaning.

Learn more in the Table is Set Virtual Exhibition, free to explore, here: https://exhibitions.museumwnf.org/the_table_is_set/en/theme/4/overview/9

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Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, United States of America

14/11/2025

To be published on May 2026. Have been eagerly awaiting this!

Aurangzeb 'Alamgir (r. 1658–1707) was the last of the so-called 'great' Mughal emperors. He remains a controversial historical figure: castigated for religious intolerance and placed at the centre of a narrative of Mughal decline by some; considered a great Muslim hero by others. In this richly researched exploration of Aurangzeb 'Alamgir's life and times, Munis D. Faruqui contests such simplistic understandings to unearth a more nuanced picture of the emperor and his reign.

Drawing on a large and varied archive, Faruqui provides new insights into the emperor's rise to power, his administrative and religious policies, and the role of the imperial eunuchate and harem. By unpicking the complex dynamics of a long reign, from Aurangzeb 'Alamgir's accession to the last weeks of his life and his eighteenth-century memorialisation, this remarkable new history cuts through the many myths that have obscured the extraordinary life story of Emperor Aurangzeb 'Alamgir.

14/11/2025

PUBLISHED: Revising the chronology of the Darband Wall in Central Asia
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/revising-the-chronology-of-the-darband-wall-in-central-asia/360A90F92AD20CC270429FF72ECB1461

10/11/2025

Exposition d’Anne Simin Sh*trit, "The soil will become wet" sera présentée à Ithaque. Le vernissage qui aura lieu le vendredi 14 novembre à partir de 18h.

Anne Simin Sh*trit est née en 1994 à Jérusalem d'une mère iranienne et d'un père marocain. Diplômée avec les félicitations du jury du Master des Beaux-Arts de Paris, elle explore à travers la photographie argentique les notions d’identité, de mémoire et de migration.
Ithaque · 5 Rue Des Haudriettes · 3E ARRONDISSEMENT · PARIS 75003 · France

The soil will become wet, rassemble une série de photographies réalisées entre Jérusalem et la frontière irano-arménienne, territoire qu’elle ne peut franchir mais qui devient le point d’accès le plus proche à la terre d’origine de sa mère, l’Iran. En associant archives familiales, paysages contemporains et émulsions liquides sur tissu, l’artiste explore la mémoire de l’exil et la transmission du silence entre générations.

10/11/2025

10/11/2025

Please note that from Monday, November 10 to Wednesday, November 12, the Aga Khan Park, roundabout, surface parking lot, and the Museum’s main entrance will be temporarily closed.

→ Visitors can enter the Museum through the underground parking garage, located across from 100 Wynford Drive.

→ Accessibility - Visitors requiring accessibility accommodations will continue to be assisted through the Main Driveway and Front Doors.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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Photo: Raheel Azim