Diamonds which ‘shew like stars’

Shortly after the New Year celebrations for 1601, Iskandar Munshi describes how some refugee Uzbek princes reached Shah Abbas’ court in Isfahan.  Abbas welcomed them with a reception and “a cash grant of one thousand Iraqi toman in gold, to cover their living expenses”. The princes reciprocated, with “their modest gifts” including a valuable diamond …

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A New Year . . A New Blog! Happy Nowruz!

Since Nowruz (Iranian New Year) is on the 21st March, I thought I’d start this new blog off by looking at how Shah Abbas celebrated New Year. Unsurprisingly, with the Shah’s love of illuminations and festivities, there was a generally a sensational party.  At first this was in Qazvin, Abbas’ first capital: “Shah Abbas gave …

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