The coins found at Nishapur reflect the rise and fall of dynasties in the early Islamic period.

Hundreds of objects were discovered during the course of the excavations Each year, the Museum’s share was shipped back to New York, where the objects were restored and placed on display.

Former Mellon Fellow Elena Basso explores the composition and production of tenth-century ceramics excavated by the Met in Nishapur, Iran.

Situated on the great plateau of central Iran, Nishapur was for centuries an important political and cultural center: a seat of governmental power in eastern Islam, a dwelling place for diverse ethnic and religious groups, a trading stop on commercial routes from Transoxiana and China, Iraq and Egypt. Nishapur's most significant period—the one covered in this book—extended from the ninth century to 1221, when, after repeated earthquake disasters and military occupations, the city was devastated by the Mongols. Much of the history of Nishapur is reflected in the most durable of her remains: the pottery that was either produced there or brought there from other centers, east or west. Some 800 examples of this pottery are treated in detail in the present study, including exquisite creations of master potters and designers, utilitarian wares of many kinds, and pieces so poorly formed or fired that they were worthless in their own day. No matter its variations in quality, the entire collection has information to impart. Prior to the excavations conducted by the Metropolitan Museum's Iranian Expedition (1935–1940), Nishapur was little known. Subsequently, Nishapur pottery and "Nishapur" pottery have entered many museums and private collections. One of the achievements of this long-awaited book—which is in effect a final report on the years of field work—is its certification of greatly diverse material, every bit of which was unquestionably found at Nishapur. Collectors, dealers, and students will find the volume essential, while the broader information it offers, gleaned from the pottery, will be helpful to anyone interested in Islamic art and history. The author, Charles K. Wilkinson, was one of the excavators of Nishapur. The book contains 890 photographs, 350 drawings, 9 color plates, maps, and a bibliography.

The city of Nishapur, located in eastern Iran, was a place of political importance in medieval times and a flourishing center of art, crafts, and trade. Excavated by the Iranian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum in 1935–40 and again in 1947, the site yielded a wealth of artifacts. This volume is the fourth in a series issued by the Museum to publish the excavated finds. The objects are now divided between The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Iran Bastan Museum in Tehran. The Nishapur finds date from precisely the time when Islamic glassmaking in Iran was at its finest. Glass objects of outstanding quality were unearthed, as well as an unusually large number of unpretentious, strictly functional vessels that evoke the daily life of their owners. The first section of the book surveys glass of the early Islamic period throughout the Near East, examines the excavation sites at Nishapur, and discusses the significance of the Nishapur glass findings. In the catalogue section, the different glass-decorating techniques are explained and the glass objects found at Nishapur are described, illustrated in photographs and line drawings, and analyzed for style and influence, with supplementary illustrations and full references to the scholarly literature. An appendix contributed by Robert H. Brill of the Corning Museum of Glass makes use of chemical analyses to shed further light on the glass found at Nishapur. The book also contains a map and site plans, a glossary, a concordance, and an extensive bibliography.

Layah Ziaii-Bigdeli , an intern in the Department of Islamic Art, discusses the sherds of Chinese ceramics found among the 9th–10th-century fragments excavated at Nishapur, Iran.

Stonepaste—also called fritware or siliceous ware—is made primarily of finely ground quartz obtained from pebbles or sand that is mixed with small amounts of liquefied glass (glass frit or glass fragments) and refined clay for greater malleability and structure.

Intern Barbara Venezia examines two alembics in The Met collection and comments on some of the differences in their construction and original uses.