"The Victoria and Albert Museum in London houses one of the world's most important collections of Islamic art from the Middle East. This book provides a beautifully illustrated record of the creation of the new Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which has been built to house more than 400 rare and precious pieces, including the famous Ardabil carpet, as well as fine examples of craftsmanship in ceramics, rock crystal and wood carving." "A history of the acquisition and early years of the V & A's Islamic collections sets the scene, and is followed by an account of the curatorial processes involved in the selection of themes and objects, both for the redisplay and for the exhibition Palace and Mosque, which travelled to the USA and Japan while the new gallery was being built. A discussion of the design concept for the Gallery, illustrated by computer-generated images of the new space, highlights the challenges of creating a more modern environment for Islamic art, and of presentation and interpretation to a wider public through interactive devices and other educational tools. V & A conservators also show, through a series of case studies, how objects of different types were prepared for display, while the lead-up to the actual installation of the objects is described in detail."--BOOK JACKET.