Attended Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran at the British Museum during the weekend. Not really my academic area, but it was a comprehensive and well thought out exhibition, making good use of the old Reading Room (which I still miss!). I had expected a more critical reading of Shah 'Abbas in places. The audio commentary used Omid Djalili as narrator - I kept waiting for the punchline. I thought the exhibition was somewhat expensive - £12 (tickets for unemployed are £10); the obligatory shop at the end was also exorbitant (no surprises there!) - it was amazing what people would buy, way beyond the Shah 'Abbas t-shirt and mug. Softcover catalogues were £25 ... I ended up with a postcard. There are some related videos here. You can also explore some of the exhibits here. Exhibition runs to 14 June.
