Mihrab
Isfahan, Iran
Ilkhanid, 1354
Mosaic of monochrome-glaze tiles on composite body set on plaster;
135 1/16 x 113 11/16 in. (343.1 x 288.7cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1939 (39.20)

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Following the conversion to Islam of the Il-Khan Ghazan (r. 1295–1304) in 1295 and the establishment of his active cultural policy in support of his new religion, Islamic religious art flourished once again. While the first Il-khans had maintained a close relationship with the Great Khan, beginning with Ghazan, they began to seek greater independence. The religious differences between the two khanates widened this gap.