In the British Museum’s Reading Room the great room provided the cupola for the Shah 'Abbas exhibition . Probably the greatest of Persia’s Safavid  rulers he may not have ruled any part of Oman in the way his predecessors or even a successor did but his impact is strikingly obvious in Oman with the dome of the Lawati Mosque on the Corniche in Muttrah and the interior of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque both using the drama of the Safavid design.

Walking into the exhibition was almost a sense of ‘déjà vu ‘as the very English Sir Robert Sherley & wife Teresia gaze down as they did in the Tate’s ‘Lure of the East’ exhibition last year . This time they were not included because of the gorgeous costumes but for Robert Sherley's role as Persian Ambassador from Shah 'Abbas to various European Courts .

As with the Hadrian Exhibition last year getting close enough to read the cabinet information was a problem – with all cards small and knee level . But, all in all a very good overview.

The Oman Government presumably feels that the current political uncertainty will not affect the visit by Sultan Qaboos to Iran later this month . His Majesty has always striven to create a good political climate with Iran and hosted a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into Oman a couple of years ago .