In the early Islamic period, Nishapur in Iran was among the most important towns of Khorasan; indeed, for a short period in the 9th century it replaced Marv as the regional capital. The town was a major commercial centre, noted for its textiles and visited by merchants from all over Western Asia and Egypt. Nishapur became a capital again in 1037 under Tughril Beg, the first Saljuq ruler. His successor, Malik Shah, made the city a centre of learning, the home of Omar Khayyam, among other famous scholars. It declined in the 12th century as a result of earthquakes (in 1115 and 1145) and looting by Turkish tribesmen (1153). In 1221, Nishapur was sacked by the Mongols, and never regained its former prominence. As a result of excavations by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1935-9) and much illicit digging, Nishapur’s pre-Mongol slip-painted pottery is represented in many western collections.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied