Timeline

Imperial workshops draw craftspeople from across the empire, producing goldwork, stone relief and glazed brick of exceptional finish.

Silver vessels, silk weaving and stucco ornament establish a visual vocabulary — roundels, confronted animals, winged motifs — carried far beyond Iran.

Inlaid metalwork and lustre ceramics flourish; brickwork and tile begin their long partnership with Persian architecture.

Contact across Asia introduces new pigments and painting conventions; Lajvardina ware and large-scale tile schemes appear.

Court ateliers in Herat refine manuscript painting, illumination and bookbinding into a coherent, highly disciplined school.

The high point of organised Persian craft: royal carpet workshops, haft-rang tile, inlay, silk and velvet production on a commercial scale.

Workshops adapt to export markets and to photography; enamel, lacquer and large commercial carpet production expand.

State institutions begin documenting and classifying handicrafts; some village traditions decline as industry expands.

Master artisans work alongside designers and conservators; several techniques survive with only a handful of documented practitioners.