irst I must say I am Iranian, so it is natural that I like my own country art but I think it is really great and it is more than carpets. handcrafts with wood and metal are really amazing, miniatures are extremely beautiful. also I really like persian poetry, it is really delicate and touching, for architecture you must see Isfahan, its hard to say its a city or a meusum, very beautiful mosques and chatedrals. there are also great amount of sculptural art.
I think every civilization that conquered Iran has its effect on persian art so it has a really multi cultural art form both east and west.

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Throughout its development, Persian artistic achievement has normally been imperial in nature, with impressive majestic monuments or associated with royal patronage in book illustration. Countless painters, weavers, potters, calligraphers, metalworkers, stone masons etc. have produced some of the most beautiful works ever created, and contributed to the Persian artistic heritage that is known throughout the world.
The country has always been known to its own people as Iran (land of the Aryans), although for centuries it was referred to as Persia (Pars or Fars, a province in southern Iran) by the Europeans, mainly due to the writings of Greek historians. In 1935 the Government specified that it should be called Iran; however, in 1949 they allowed both names to be used. Most people today, know Persia or Iran through its carpets, its caviar, its costly war with its neighbor Iraq, or through its importance as one of the world's major oil-producing nations. Yet, Persia has one of the richest and oldest cultures in the world.  
For more than three thousand years Persia was a melting pot of civilizations and demographic movements between Asia and Europe. Under Cyrus the Great, it became the center of the world's first empire. Successive invasions by the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols and Turks developed the nation's culture through rich and diverse philosophical, artistic, scientific and religious influences. 
The long prehistoric period in Iran, is known to us mostly from excavation work carried out in a few key sites, which has led to a chronology of distinct periods, each one characterized by the development of certain types of pottery, artifacts and architecture. Pottery is one of the oldest Persian art forms, and examples have been unearthed from burial mounds (Tappeh), dating back from the 5th millennium BC.
The "Animal style" which uses decorative animal motifs is very strong in the Persian culture first appearing in pottery, reappearing much later in the Luristan bronzes and again in Scythian art. During the Achaemenian and Sassanian periods, metal-work continued its ornamental development. Some of the most beautiful examples of metal-ware are gilded silver cups and dishes decorated with royal hunting scenes from the Sassanian Dynasty.
The earliest known distinctive style of Persian painting dates back to the Seljuk period, which is often referred to as the "Baghdad School". Early painting was mainly used to decorate manuscripts and versions of the Holy Koran, though some 13th century pottery found near Tehran indicates an early, unique Persian style of art. During the Mongol period, paintings were used to decorate all sorts of books.
Persian architecture has a very long and complex history, and is often regarded as the field in which Persia made its greatest contribution to the world's culture. Although Persian styles differ sharply from any other Islamic architecture, they have strongly influenced buildings throughout much of the Islamic world, especially in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The art of the Iranian world from its earliest beginnings exhibited a constant and unmistakable characteristic, in spite of the many trends and currents and the abundance of foreign influences.

 

Persian Art and Islam

Early Persian art has been praised for its beautiful calligraphic line and intricate patterning. As Islam is not only a religion, but also a way of life, a unique artistic language has developed in art and architecture to further advance the teachings of Muhammad. The written word is quite powerful in Islam; Qur'an literally means "recitation" in Arabic. The Prophet Muhammad transcribed the word of God, and later great consideration was given to developing an Arabic script worthy of the divine message. The art of Calligraphy became highly revered, and in many cases became the dominant element in a design. Geometric forms came to represent a new form of decoration that could symbolize unity and order. Islamic mathematicians, scientists, and astronomers in late Antiquity were instrumental in developing these intricate combinations.

For more information see: Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, .

Links to Sources on Persian Culture

Museums:

Freer and Sackler Galleries:

The Nicolaysen Art Museum:

Academic programs on Persian and Iranian studies:

Center for Persian Studies, University of Maryland:



AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF IRANIAN STUDIES (AlIrS)

ILEX FOUNDATION

Middle East Studies Assosiation (MESA)

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

The Library of Congress, The Iranian World

Community Organizations:

Iran Heritage Foundation

IGSF: Iranian Graduate Student Foundation at Maryland

National Iranian American Council

The Iranian Cultural Society of Georgetown University