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In the early 17th century, Shah Abbas I, known as Abbas the Great, of the Safavid Dynasty, set to work creating a showpiece in Isfahan.

On the other hand, the 16th Century Persian dish called mutanjan, considered a favourite of the Safavid Shah Abbas the Great, was a braised meat stew.

The carpets range from an exquisite piece dating to 16th-century Iran that was made with silk, wool and metallic-wrapped thread by weavers employed by the Safavid shah’s court to simpler rugs created by rural women for household use.

While Safavid carpets may have been the envy of the world, “Fashioning an Empire” shows that these brilliant smaller textiles deserve their share of the spotlight, too.

Intricately patterned Persian carpets are renowned the world over, with the Safavid period considered one of the high points of the art form.