A private tour with curator, Deniz Beyazit, of the Seljuq exhibition at the MET that will be open April 27- July 24, 2016.

One of the most productive periods in the history of the region from Iran to Anatolia (eastern Turkey) corresponds to the rule of the Seljuq dynasty, from 1038 to 1307. The Seljuqs were a Turkic dynasty of Central Asian nomadic origin that established a vast, but relatively short-lived empire in West Asia (present-day Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey). Under Seljuq rule, the exchange and synthesis of diverse traditions—including Turkmen, Perso-Arabo-Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader, and other Christian cultures—accompanied economic prosperity, advances in science and technology, and a great flowering of culture within the realm. Opening April 27 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the landmark international loan exhibition Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs will feature spectacular works of art created in the 11th through 13th century from Turkmenistan to the Mediterranean.

http://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2016/court-and-cosmos