By Hamid Abhari, Sarikhani Research Fellow
It was a summer morning in Tehran when the war sirens blared. My suitcase lay packed by the door, ready for a flight that would never take off. In the days that followed, I watched the news with anxiety, wondering when I could finally depart. What was meant to be the start of my fellowship at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) turned into weeks of uncer...
This narrative presents a compelling story of cultural resilience and intellectual exchange, framed through the personal journey of Hamid Abhari and his engagement with the Mirza Akbar Drawings at the V&A. The strongest version of this narrative highlights the power of cultural heritage to transcend political and geographical barriers, as seen in Abhari’s perseverance to reach London despite regional instability. The Mirza Akbar Drawings serve as a tangible link between 19th-century Iranian craf...