Iran: A muezzin calls the faithful to prayer, while in a madrassa, students cook, read, write, wash or are beaten by the master in this painting from Tabriz, c. 1540 CE.

Tabriz was capital of the Safavid Empire from 1501 to 1548, during which time many great painters, such as Aqa Mirak, Mir Sayyid Ali and Dust Muhammad produced magnificent royal manuscripts. Safavid art set the standard for painting, literature and architecture, as well as ceramics, metal and glass. While of course nourished by Persian culture, much Safavid art was strongly influenced by Turkish, Chinese, Ottoman and Western cultures. The royal workshops of Tabriz were very influential, and illuminated and illustrated manuscripts spread throughout the empire. When the capital was transferred from Tabriz to Qazvin in 1548, the court artists fled to foreign courts, mostly Mughal or Ottoman.

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Provider: Pictures From History