published: 03 Sep 2011
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![Shah Ismail of Safavid empire [History of Azerbaijan]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121025075754im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/847IOlLyM4A/0.jpg "The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the \"Safawiyyah\" which was established in the city of Ardabil in Azerbaijan. In 1501, 15 year old Shah Ismail proclaimed himself Shah of Safavids, choosing Tabriz, province of Azerbaijan, as the capital. Azeri language was declared the state language. Establishment of the vast Azeri Safavids, united all the territories of Azerbaijan under Shah Ismail's state power. Shah Ismail was a wise and talented poet. He established Azeri as a state of the Safavid Empire and was respected by European Power of that time. Shah Ismail is considered an important figure in the literary of Azeri language and has left approximately 1400 verses in this language. Because of Shah Ismail, Safavid State had become one of the most powerful military powers of the world in 16th-18th century.")
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Achaemenid Empire
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Afghanistan
{{Infobox country
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Akkadian Empire
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Anatolia
Anatolia (, from Greek '; also Asia Minor, from , ') is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, Georgia to the northeast, the Armenian Highland to the east, Mesopotamia to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west. Anatolia has been home to many civilizations throughout history, such as the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians, Armenians, Romans, Byzantines, Anatolian Seljuks and Ottomans. As a result, Anatolia is one of the archeologically richest areas in the world.
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Ardabil
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Armenia
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Asalouyeh
Asalouyeh () , and sometimes prefixed by bandar, meaning port, is a town in southern Iran, in Bushehr Province. Located on the shore of the Persian Gulf some 270 km SE of the provincial capital of Bushehr, it is best known as the site for the land based facilities of the huge PSEEZ (Pars Special Energy Economic Zone) project. The town itself is of minor significance, although it is common practice to refer to PSEEZ (established 1998) and Asaluyeh town collectively as Asaluyeh. Asaluyeh is located at: ().
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Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts (also Assembly of Experts of the Leadership) of Iran (), is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids (Islamic scholars) that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.
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Austrian Empire
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Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan ( ; ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (), is one of the six independent Turkic states in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south.
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Baghdad
Baghdad (, , ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is coterminous. Having a population estimated between 7 and 7.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq and the second largest city in the Arab World (after Cairo, Egypt).
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Bahrain
Bahrain, officially Kingdom of Bahrain (, , literally: "Kingdom of the Two Seas"), is a small island country in the Persian Gulf ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. While Bahrain is an archipelago of thirty-three islands, the largest (Bahrain Island) is long by wide. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway, which was officially opened on 25 November 1986. Qatar is to the southeast across the Gulf of Bahrain.
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Baku
Baku (), sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakou, is the capital, the largest city, and the largest port of Azerbaijan and all the Caucasus. Located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, the city consists of two principal parts: the downtown and the old Inner City (21.5 ha). Dating to antiquity, its urban population at the beginning of 2009 was estimated at just over two million people.
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Balkh
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Balochistan (Iran)
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Battle of Chaldiran
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British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1922 the British Empire held sway over about 458 million people, one-quarter of the world's population at the time, and covered more than 13 million square miles (34 million km2), almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its political, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was often said that "the sun never sets on the British Empire" because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous territories.
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Bursa
Bursa (, Prousa) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. With a population of 1,854,634 (2009), it is Turkey's fourth largest city, as well as one of the most industrialized and culturally charged metropolitan centers in the country.
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Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope (, Dutch: , ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.
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Caucasus
The Caucasus or Caucas (also referred to as Caucasia, , , , (''K'avk'asia''), , , , , , , ) is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia. It is home to the Caucasus Mountains, including Europe's highest mountain (Mount Elbrus).
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Central Bank of Iran
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Chahar Bagh School
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Delhi
Delhi, known locally as Dilli (, , {{Lang-ur| '), and by the official name National Capital Territory of Delhi''' (NCT), is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest metropolis by population in India. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with more than 12.25 million inhabitants in the territory and with nearly 22.2 million residents in the National Capital Region urban area (which also includes Noida, Gurgaon, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad). The name Delhi is often also used to include some urban areas near the NCT, as well as to refer to New Delhi, the capital of India, which lies within the metropolis. The NCT is a federally administered union territory.
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Elam
Elam was an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elam was centered in the far west and the southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Khuzestan and Ilam Province, as well as a small part of southern Iraq.
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Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a political entity that comprised present-day Brazil under the rule of Emperors Pedro I and his son Pedro II. Founded in 1822 it was replaced by a republic in 1889.
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Fars Province
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Fars province
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Geography of Iran
Iran is located in southwest Asia and borders the Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Caspian Sea.
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Georgia (country)
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German Empire
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Ghazni
For the Province of Ghazni see Ghazni Province
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Gulf of Aden
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Gurjara-Pratihara
{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=250 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
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Hamadan
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Han Dynasty
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Hasht Behesht
Hasht Behesht ("Eight Paradises") is a Safavid era palace in Isfahan, Iran.
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Herat
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Hindukush
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Idrisid dynasty
The Idrisids () were a Zaydi-Shia Arab dynasty of Morocco, ruling from 788 to 985, named after its first sultan, Idriss I.
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Iran
Iran ( ), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Central Eurasia and Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was also known to the western world as Persia. Both Persia and Iran are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, Iran is the name used officially in political contexts.
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Iran Air Flight 655
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Iranian Navy
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Iraq
Iraq ( or , Arabic: ), officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic:
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Isfahan
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Isfahan (city)
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Italian Empire
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Jahrom
Jahrom is a city in Fars Province, Iran.
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Jolfa district
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Kabul
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Kabul Shahi
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Kandahar
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Karbala
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Kerman
Kerman () is a city in Iran. It is the center of Kerman province. Located in a large and flat plain, this city is located 1,076 km (669 mi) south of Tehran, capital of Iran.
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Khoy
Khoy (, ) (sometimes spelt Khoi, Khuy, and Khvoy), is a city in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran. It is located north of the province's capital and largest city Urmia, and 807 km north-west to Tehran. The region's economy is based around agriculture, particularly the production of fruit, grain, and timber. Khoy is nicknamed as the Sunflower city of Iran. As of 2006 census, the city had a population of 178,708, with an estimated 2008 population of 184,409. Both Azeri and Persian are spoken in Khoy, while the local language is Azeri, most inhabitants can converse in Persian. In Khoy Azerbaijanis are in majority. The main religion is Shia Islam.
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Kingdom of Aksum
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Kish Island
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Korean Empire
The Greater Korean Empire (, hanja: ) was an empire of Korea that succeeded the Joseon Dynasty.
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Kuwait
The State of Kuwait (, Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab nation situated in the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, and Iraq to the north. It lies on the northwestern shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic "akwat", the plural of "kout", meaning fortress built near water. The emirate covers an area of 17,820 square kilometres (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 2.7 million.
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Lahore
Lahore ({{lang-pa|, {{lang-ur|, ) is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. The city lies along the Ravi River and is situated approximately from Wagah (the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan). Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, Lahore has been a center of Muslim heritage since the Data Durbar is located here. It is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage. It successively served as provincial/regional capital of the empires of the Shahi kingdoms in the 11th century, the Ghaznavids in the 12th century, the Ghurid State in the 12th and 13th century, the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century, and it was the capital of the Punjab region under the British Raj in the mid 19th and early 20th century. Mughal structures such as the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, and the mausolea of Jehangir and Nur Jehan are popular tourist attractions for the city. Lahore is also home to many British colonial structures built in the Mughal-Gothic style, such as the Lahore High Court, the General Post Office (GPO), the Lahore Museum, and many older universities including the University of the Punjab. Lahore is often referred to as the cultural heart of Pakistan, as it is the center of Pakistani arts, films and intelligentsia.
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Mahabad
Mahabad (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran with a population of 133,324 in 2006 census.[http://www.gazetteer.de/wg.php?x=1132961442&men;=gcis&lng;=en&gln;=xx&des;=gamelan&dat;=200&geo;=-106&srt;=pnan&col;=aohdqcfbeimg&va;=x&pt;=a] The city lies south of Lake Urmia in a narrow valley 1,300 metres above sea level, in West Azarbaijan Province.The name of 'Mahabad' (mah+abad) is the Persian translation of the ancient Mannaean name meaning place of moon, which is also a cognate with the Kurdish word mang. Mannaeans were a branch of Hurrians (Khurrites), a northern Mesopotamian people. It was referred to in the Turkic languages as 'Savoj-bolaq', or 'Sablakh', which means "Cold-spring water".
http://wn.com/Mahabad -
Mashhad
http://wn.com/Mashhad -
Medes
http://wn.com/Medes -
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty (; ), or Empire of the Great Ming (, also anachronistically ), was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans. Although the Ming capital Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng who established the Shun Dynasty, which was soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, regimes loyal to the Ming throne (collectively called the Southern Ming Dynasty) survived until 1662.
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Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire (, ; Urdu: ; self-designation: , ), or Mogul (also Moghul) Empire in former English usage, was an Indian-Islamic power that ruled a large portion of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, invaded and ruled most of South Asia by the late 17th and early 18th centuries and ended in the mid-19th century.
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Najaf
Najaf (; BGN: An Najaf) is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate. It is one of the holiest cities of Shi'a Islam and the center of Shia political power in Iraq.
http://wn.com/Najaf -
Naqsh-e Jahan Square
http://wn.com/Naqsh-e_Jahan_Square -
Naqsh-i Jahan Square
http://wn.com/Naqsh-i_Jahan_Square -
Nazi Germany
http://wn.com/Nazi_Germany -
Neo-Assyrian Empire
The Neo-Assyrian Empire was a period of Mesopotamian history which began in 934 BC and ended in 608 BC. During this period, Assyria assumed a position as possibly the most powerful nation on earth, and vying with Babylonia and other lesser powers for dominance of the region, though not until the reforms of Tiglath-Pileser III in the 8th century BC, did it become a powerful and vast empire. In the Middle Assyrian period of the Late Bronze Age, Assyria had been a minor kingdom of northern Mesopotamia (modern-day northern Iraq), competing for dominance with its southern Mesopotamian rival Babylonia. Beginning with the campaign of Adad-nirari II, it became a great regional power, growing to be a serious threat to 25th dynasty Egypt.
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Operation Ajax
http://wn.com/Operation_Ajax -
Ormus
The Kingdom of Ormus (also known as Ohrmuzd, Hormuz, and Ohrmazd; Portuguese Ormuz) was a 10th to 17th century kingdom located within the Persian Gulf and extending as far as the Strait of Hormuz. The Kingdom was established by Arab princes in the 10th century who in 1262 came under the suzerainty of Persia, before becoming a client state of the Portuguese Empire.
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Pakistan
{{Infobox country
http://wn.com/Pakistan -
Parthian Empire
http://wn.com/Parthian_Empire -
Persia
http://wn.com/Persia -
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Historically and commonly known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is also controversially referred to as the Arabian Gulf (by the Arab nations on the Arab side of the gulf) or simply The Gulf by most Arab states, and Gulf of Basra by Turkey, although none of the latter three terms is recognized internationally.
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Portuguese Empire
http://wn.com/Portuguese_Empire -
Qabala Radar
The Qabala Radar or Qabala Radar (Radiolocation) Station (in many Western sources Qabala is spelled Gabala) is a Daryal-type (known in the West as Pechora after the location Daryal was first tested and installed) bistatic phased-array early warning radar, built by the Soviet Union in the Qabala district of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1985 located at ( ). It is now operated by the Russian Space Forces. The radar station has a range of up to , and was designed to detect missile launches as far as from the Indian Ocean. The radar's surveillance covers Iran, Turkey, India, Iraq and the entire Middle East. It allows not only detection of the launch of a missile but also to track the whole of its trajectory so as to enable a ballistic missile defense system to intercept an offensive strike. The Radar Station hosts about 1000 Russian servicemen.
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Qasr-e Shirin
http://wn.com/Qasr-e_Shirin -
Qazvin
Qazvin (, , , also spelled as Qazwin or Ghazvin) is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran with an estimated population of 331,409 in 2005. [http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/2005_world_city_populations/Iran.html]
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Qazvin (city)
http://wn.com/Qazvin_(city) -
Qing Dynasty
http://wn.com/Qing_Dynasty -
Republic of Armenia
http://wn.com/Republic_of_Armenia -
Russia
Russia (; ), also officially known as the Russian Federation (), is a state in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the United States by the Bering Strait. At , Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than a ninth of the Earth's land area. Russia is also the ninth most populous nation with 142 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 9 time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Sa'dabad complex
http://wn.com/Sa'dabad_complex -
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire () or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.
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Shiraz, Iran
http://wn.com/Shiraz_Iran -
Spanish Empire
http://wn.com/Spanish_Empire -
St. Petersburg
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Strait of Hormuz
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Straits of Malacca
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Syria
Syria ( ; ' or '), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
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Tabriz
http://wn.com/Tabriz -
Teotihuacan
http://wn.com/Teotihuacan -
Turkey
Turkey (), known officially as the Republic of Turkey (), is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Eastern Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
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Turkmenistan
The Turkmenistan (), also known as Turkmenia () is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR). Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, Uzbekistan to the east and northeast, Kazakhstan to the north and northwest and the Caspian Sea to the west.
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Uzbekistan
http://wn.com/Uzbekistan -
Van Province
Van Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and has a population of 1,012,707 .
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Venice
Venice ( , Venetian: Venesia) is a city in northern Italy known both for tourism and for industry, and is the capital of the region Veneto, with a population of about 272,000 (census estimate 1 January 2004). Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area (population 1,600,000).
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Warsangali Sultanate
The Warsangali Sultanate or Gerad Dynasty (, ) was a Somali imperial ruling house centered in northeastern and in some parts of southeastern Somalia. It was one of the largest sultanates ever established in the territory, and, at the height of its power, included the Sanaag region and parts of the northeastern Bari region of the country, an area historically known as Maakhir or the Maakhir Coast. The Sultanate was founded in the late 13th century in northern Somalia by a group of Somalis from the Warsangali branch of the Darod clan, and was ruled by the descendants of the Gerad Dhidhin. In the late 19th century, the influential Sultan Mohamoud Ali Shire governed the Sultanate, assuming control during some of its most turbulent years. The Akil Dhahar ruled south of Sanaag and some portions of the Bari region. In 1884, the United Kingdom established the protectorate of British Somaliland through various treaties with the northern Somali sultanates, including the Warsangali Sultanate.
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Yazd
http://wn.com/Yazd -
Yuan Dynasty
http://wn.com/Yuan_Dynasty -
Zayanderud
http://wn.com/Zayanderud
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Abbas I of Persia
http://wn.com/Abbas_I_of_Persia -
Abbas II of Persia
Shah Abbas II () (born 31 December 1632 ; died 25/26 October 1666) was Shah of Iran from 1642 to 1666. He was the seventh Shah of the Safavid Dynasty. He was the son of Shah Safi I and a Circassian, Anna Khanum, and originally bore the name Sultan Muhammed Mirza before his coronation on May 15, 1642. Since he was less than ten years old when he became shah, the job of governing Persia was placed in the hands of the grand vizier Saru Taqi, while Abbas concentrated on his education.
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Abbas III
Abbas III () (died 1739?; reigned 1732-1736) was a son of Shah Tahmasp II of the Safavid dynasty. After the deposition of his father by Nader Khan (the future Nader Shah) the infant Abbas was appointed nominal ruler of Iran on 7 September 1732. Nader Khan, who was the real ruler of the country, assumed the positions of deputy of state and viceroy. Abbas III was deposed on March 1736, when Nader Khan had himself crowned as Nader Shah. This marked the official end of the Safavid dynasty. Abbas was sent to join his father in prison in Sabzevar, Khorasan.
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Adyghe people
The Adyghe or Adygs () are a people of the northwest Caucasus region, principally inhabiting the Republic of Adygea (24.2%) (a federal subject of Russia) and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (11.3%) (where they are called "Cherkess"). Shapsugsky National District, an autonomous district founded for Shapsigh (or Shapsugh) tribe living on the Black Sea coast was abolished in 1943. Kabardin of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (55.3%) (along with Besleney tribe) who speak the Kabardian language are often conceived as the eastern branch of Adyghe.
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Afshar tribe
Afshars, also called Avshar are a branch of the Turkic Oghuz groups. These originally nomadic Oghuz tribes moved from Central Asia through Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and finally most of them settled in Anatolia.Most of Afshars are followers of Shia Islam.
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Ahmad Shah Durrani
http://wn.com/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani -
Ak Koyunlu
http://wn.com/Ak_Koyunlu -
Alavids
http://wn.com/Alavids -
Allahverdi Khan
http://wn.com/Allahverdi_Khan -
Almohad Caliphate
http://wn.com/Almohad_Caliphate -
Almoravid dynasty
http://wn.com/Almoravid_dynasty -
Ange de Saint Joseph
Ange de Saint Joseph (secular name Joseph de la Brosse) (b. at Toulouse, 1636; d. at Perpignan, 1697) was a French missionary friar of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. He was a linguist, and wrote works on Oriental pharmacology.
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Anthony Jenkinson
Anthony Jenkinson (1529 – 1610/1611) was born at Market Harborough, Leicestershire, on 8 October 1529. He was one of the first Britons to explore Muscovy and present day Russia. Jenkinson was a traveler and explorer on behalf of the Muscovy Company and the British crown. He also met Ivan the Terrible several times during his trips to Moscow and Russia. He detailed the accounts of his travel through several written works over his life.
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Anthony Sherley
http://wn.com/Anthony_Sherley -
Anthony Shirley
http://wn.com/Anthony_Shirley -
Aq Qoyunlu
http://wn.com/Aq_Qoyunlu -
Arabs
http://wn.com/Arabs -
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians (, hayer) are a nation and ethnic group native to the Caucasus and the Armenian Highland.
http://wn.com/Armenians -
Armenians in Iran
http://wn.com/Armenians_in_Iran -
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit Arya ('Noble') and denoting variously
http://wn.com/Aryan -
Attar of Nishapur
http://wn.com/Attar_of_Nishapur -
Avicenna
http://wn.com/Avicenna -
Ayyubid dynasty
http://wn.com/Ayyubid_dynasty -
Azerbaijani people
http://wn.com/Azerbaijani_people -
Azeri people
http://wn.com/Azeri_people -
Battle of DimDim
The Battle of DimDim is the name for the battle between the Kurds and the Safavid Empire between 1609 and 1610.
http://wn.com/Battle_of_DimDim -
Bayezid II
http://wn.com/Bayezid_II -
Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term which has been used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany. Depending on one's perspective, this Empire can be seen as the later history of the Frankish Realm or the early history of France and of the Holy Roman Empire.
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Chagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Mongol, and later linguistically Turkicized, khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan (alternative spellings Chagata, Chugta, Chagta, Djagatai, Jagatai, Chaghtai), second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors. Initially it was considered a part of the Mongol Empire, but it later became fully independent.
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Demographics of Iran
'''Iran's population''' increased dramatically during the later half of the 20th century, reaching about 72 million by 2008. In recent years, however, Iran's birth rate has dropped significantly. Studies project that Iran's rate of population growth will continue to slow until it stabilizes above 90 million by 2050. In 2008, the number of households stood at 15.3 million (4.8 person/household).
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Emperor Rudolf II
http://wn.com/Emperor_Rudolf_II -
Georgian people
http://wn.com/Georgian_people -
Georgians
The Georgians (, kartvelebi) are a South Caucasian people and nation mainly centered in Georgia. They also live in Turkey, Russia, the United States, Iran, and other countries.
http://wn.com/Georgians -
Ghurid Dynasty
http://wn.com/Ghurid_Dynasty -
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire () was a medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. From their homelands near the Aral sea, the Seljuqs advanced first into Khorasan and then into mainland Persia before eventually conquering eastern Anatolia.
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Gurgin Khan
http://wn.com/Gurgin_Khan -
Halil İnalcık
http://wn.com/Halil_İnalcık -
Hephthalites
http://wn.com/Hephthalites -
History of Germany
The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France), which he had conquered. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) prevented annexation by the Roman Empire. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Franks subdued the other West Germanic tribes. When the Frankish Empire was divided among Charlemagne's heirs in 843, the eastern part became East Francia, ruled by Louis the German. Henry the Fowler became the first king of Germany in 919. In 962, Henry's son Otto I became the first emperor of what historians refer to as the Holy Roman Empire, the medieval German state.
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Humayun
http://wn.com/Humayun -
Hunnic Empire
Hunnic Empire was an empire founded by the Huns. The Huns were a confederation of Eurasian tribes from the steppes of Central Asia. Appearing from beyond the Volga River some years after the middle of the 4th century, they first overran the Alani, who occupied the plains between the Volga and the Don rivers, and then quickly overthrew the empire of the Ostrogoths between the Don and the Dniester. About 376 they defeated the Visigoths living in what is now approximately Romania and thus arrived at the Danubian frontier of the Roman Empire. Their mass migration into Europe, led by Attila, brought with it great ethnic and political upheaval. According to some theories, their language might be a Turkic language.
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Husayn (Safavid)
http://wn.com/Husayn_(Safavid) -
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire, (Quechua: Tawantinsuyu) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru.
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Iranian Languages
http://wn.com/Iranian_Languages -
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages or Iranic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family and its subfamily, Indo-Iranian. They are spoken by the Iranian peoples. Old Persian and Avestan are the oldest recorded Iranian languages.
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Iranian peoples
The Iranian people or Iranic peoples are a historical ethnic-linguistic group, forming a branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly on the Iranian plateau and beyond in central, southern, and southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe. As a group of people, they are predominantly defined along linguistic lines as speaking the Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family. They are spread across the Iranian plateau, stretching from the Hindu Kush to the Armenian Highlands and central Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf - a region that is sometimes termed Greater Iran. Speakers of Iranian languages, however, were once found throughout Eurasia, from the Balkans to western China. As Iranian people are not confined to the borders of the current state of Iran, the term Iranic peoples is sometimes used to avoid confusion with the citizens of Iran.
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Ismail I
http://wn.com/Ismail_I -
Ismail II
http://wn.com/Ismail_II -
Jean de Thévenot
http://wn.com/Jean_de_Thévenot -
Johann Homann
http://wn.com/Johann_Homann -
John IV of Trebizond
http://wn.com/John_IV_of_Trebizond -
Kara Koyunlu
http://wn.com/Kara_Koyunlu -
Karim Khan
Karim Khan Zand, (), (c. 1705- 1779), was the ruler and de facto Shah of Iran from 1749 until 1779. Karim Khan was the chief of the Zand tribe, which was from the Laki. Lakki is the language of west of Iran. He never styled himself as "shah" or king, and instead used the title ''Vakil e-Ra'aayaa (President'').
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Kurdish people
http://wn.com/Kurdish_people -
List of Azeris
Below are lists of prominent people from the Republic of Azerbaijan (or, previously, the Azerbaijan SSR), Azeri people from Iran, Georgia, Russia, Turkey (Anatolia), Afghanistan and Iraq
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Marinid dynasty
:The Anglicised name used for this article derives from the Arabic Banu Marin or the Berber Ayt Mrin, which is the source of the Spanish name.
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Medes
http://wn.com/Medes -
Mir Fendereski
http://wn.com/Mir_Fendereski -
Mohsen Fayz Kashani
http://wn.com/Mohsen_Fayz_Kashani -
Mongols
http://wn.com/Mongols -
Muhammad
http://wn.com/Muhammad -
Muhammad Shaybani
'''Abu 'I-Fath Muhammad (), known in later centuries as Shaybani Khan''' (c. 1451 – 2 December 1510), was a khan of the Uzbeks (from 1500) who continued consolidating various Uzbek tribes and laid foundations for their ascendance in Transoxiana. [http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-73654 He was a descendant] of Genghis Khan through his grandson Shayban and considered the Timurids as usurpers of the Genghisid heritage in Central Asia. His native Turkic name was Shabaq (wormwood, whence Shaibak, thence Shaybani--a pseudo-authentication of the Turkic name into a more prestigious Arabic tribal name of Shayban.
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Mulla Sadra
http://wn.com/Mulla_Sadra -
Murad IV
http://wn.com/Murad_IV -
Nader Shah
http://wn.com/Nader_Shah -
Nadir Shah
http://wn.com/Nadir_Shah -
Nizami Ganjavi
http://wn.com/Nizami_Ganjavi -
Oghuz Turks
http://wn.com/Oghuz_Turks -
Ottoman Empire
http://wn.com/Ottoman_Empire -
Ottomans
http://wn.com/Ottomans -
Persian peoples
http://wn.com/Persian_peoples -
Philip III of Spain
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http://wn.com/Philip_III_of_Spain -
Pietro Della Valle
http://wn.com/Pietro_Della_Valle -
Pontic Greeks
The Pontian Greeks (also called Pontic Greeks, Pontians or Greeks of Pontus; or , ) are an ethnic group consisting of Greeks from the shores of the Black Sea (or Pontos in Greek, also see:Pontus). They traditionally speak Pontic, a distinct form of the Greek language which, due to the remoteness of Pontus, has had a process of linguistic evolution different from that of the rest of the Greek world.
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Pope Clement VIII
:Not to be confused with Antipope Clement VIII.
http://wn.com/Pope_Clement_VIII -
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but is subordinate to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for
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Qara Qoyunlu
http://wn.com/Qara_Qoyunlu -
Rashidun Caliphate
The Rashidun Caliphate (), also known as the Rightly Guided Caliphate, comprising the first four caliphs in Islam's history, was founded after Muhammad's death in 632. At its height, the Caliphate extended from the Arabian Peninsula, to the Levant, Caucasus and North Africa in the west, to the Iranian highlands and Central Asia in the east. It was the one of the largest empires in history up until that time.
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Robert Sherley
http://wn.com/Robert_Sherley -
Robert Shirley
http://wn.com/Robert_Shirley -
Roger Savory
http://wn.com/Roger_Savory -
Safi of Persia
Shah Safi () was Shah of Iran from 1629 to 1642. He was the sixth ruler of the Safavid dynasty.
http://wn.com/Safi_of_Persia -
Safi-ad-din Ardabili
'''Sheikh Safi-ad-din Is'haq Ardabili''' (of Ardabil) (1252-1334) (), eponym of the Safavid dynasty, was the spiritual heir and son in law of the great Sufi Murshid (Grand Master) Sheikh Zahed Gilani, of Lahijan in Gilan Province in northern Iran. His origin is obscure and he was of Persian and Kurdish background. Most of what we know about him comes from the Safvat as-safa, a hagiography written by one of his followers.
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Selim I
http://wn.com/Selim_I -
Shah Ismail I
http://wn.com/Shah_Ismail_I -
Shah Nimatullah Wali
http://wn.com/Shah_Nimatullah_Wali -
Shah Safi
http://wn.com/Shah_Safi -
Shah Tahmasp
http://wn.com/Shah_Tahmasp -
Shaykh Bahai
http://wn.com/Shaykh_Bahai -
Somali people
Ethnic group
http://wn.com/Somali_people -
Suhrawardi Maqtul
http://wn.com/Suhrawardi_Maqtul -
Suleiman I
http://wn.com/Suleiman_I -
Suleiman I of Persia
Suleiman I () was a Safavid shah of Persia who reigned between 1666 and 1694. He was the elder son of the previous shah Abbas II and a Circassian slave, Nakihat Khanum.
http://wn.com/Suleiman_I_of_Persia -
Sultan Husayn
http://wn.com/Sultan_Husayn -
Tahmasp I
http://wn.com/Tahmasp_I -
Tahmasp II
Tahmasp II (1704? – 1740) was one of the last Safavid rulers of Persia (Iran).
http://wn.com/Tahmasp_II -
Tajik people
Ethnic group
http://wn.com/Tajik_people -
Teotihuacan
http://wn.com/Teotihuacan -
Tsar Nicholas II
http://wn.com/Tsar_Nicholas_II -
Turkic peoples
The Turks (or Turkics) are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, Mongolia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds. The term Turkic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people including existing societies such as the Chuvashes, Kazakhs, Tatars, Kyrgyzs, Turkish, Turkmen, Uyghur, Uzbeks, Bashkirs, Qashqai, Gagauzs, Yakuts, Crimean Karaites, Krymchaks, Karakalpaks, Karachays, Krymchaks, Nogais and as well as past civilizations such as the Kumans, Kipchaks, Avars, Turgeshs, Seljuks, Khazars, Ottomans, Mamluks, Timurids, and possibly the Xiongnu and Huns.
http://wn.com/Turkic_peoples -
Turkmen people
http://wn.com/Turkmen_people -
Uzbek people
http://wn.com/Uzbek_people -
Uzbeks
http://wn.com/Uzbeks -
Uzun Hassan
Uzun Hassan (1423 - January 6, 1478, , ), where uzun means tall ),, Sultan of the Ak Koyunlu dynasty, or White Sheep Turkmen. Hassan ruled in parts of present-day western Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia between 1453 and 1478.
http://wn.com/Uzun_Hassan -
Öljaitü
http://wn.com/Öljaitü
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Shia Safavid Empire of Iran & Christian Europe
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:21
- Published: 03 Sep 2011
- Updated: 30 Sep 2012
Europian Christians had always a very good relationship with the Shia Iran, until the Zionist Masonic new world order started to from strongly in Europe
http://wn.com/Shia_Safavid_Empire_of_Iran_Christian_Europe
THE TURBAN - OPIUM OF THE SAFAVIDS - Documentary
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 57:10
- Published: 25 Sep 2011
- Updated: 30 Jul 2012
www.riffat73.wordpress.com http www.youtube.com www.dailymotion.com www.youtube.com facebook.com www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/THE_TURBAN_OPIUM_OF_THE_SAFAVIDS_Documentary
The Safavids (1/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:17
- Published: 30 Jun 2012
- Updated: 21 Oct 2012
At the peak of their success the Safavids ruled over a vast territory which included all of modern-day Iran. They converted their subjects to Shi'a Islam, and so created the religious identity of modern Iran - although they were also often ruthless in their suppression of Sunni practices. They thrived on international trade, and their capital Isfahan, rebuilt by the visionary Shah Abbas, became one of the most magnificent cities in the world. Under Safavid rule Persia became a cultural centre, producing many great artists and thinkers.
http://wn.com/The_Safavids_1_3
Safavid Empire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:26
- Published: 16 Oct 2009
- Updated: 02 Oct 2012
The Political History of the Safavid Empire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:40
- Published: 07 Feb 2010
- Updated: 13 Oct 2012
A brief decription of the political history of the Islamic Safavid Empire. This was made as a school project for World History AP.
http://wn.com/The_Political_History_of_the_Safavid_Empire
Safavid dynasty
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:49
- Published: 18 Aug 2007
- Updated: 02 Aug 2012
safavids Destiny
http://wn.com/Safavid_dynasty
Shah Ismail of Safavid empire [History of Azerbaijan]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Published: 14 Jun 2011
- Updated: 23 Oct 2012
The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the "Safawiyyah" which was established in the city of Ardabil in Azerbaijan. In 1501, 15 year old Shah Ismail proclaimed himself Shah of Safavids, choosing Tabriz, province of Azerbaijan, as the capital. Azeri language was declared the state language. Establishment of the vast Azeri Safavids, united all the territories of Azerbaijan under Shah Ismail's state power. Shah Ismail was a wise and talented poet. He established Azeri as a state of the Safavid Empire and was respected by European Power of that time. Shah Ismail is considered an important figure in the literary of Azeri language and has left approximately 1400 verses in this language. Because of Shah Ismail, Safavid State had become one of the most powerful military powers of the world in 16th-18th century.
http://wn.com/Shah_Ismail_of_Safavid_empire_History_of_Azerbaijan_
Constantinople / Light on Persian music under Safavids, KUH-PAREH, Agha Mo'men ( c.1525-1600)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:50
- Published: 20 Jun 2012
- Updated: 14 Oct 2012
KUH-PAREH, Pishrow HESSAR, Osul Duyek, Agha Mo'men ( c.1525-1600 ) Cantemir Collection #163 PATHS TO THE SUMMIT Live recording Montreal, March 24 2011, Salle Pierre-Mercure Constantinople featuring : Siamak Aghaie, santour, voice Didem Bashar, kanun Pierre-Yves Martel, viola da gamba Kyriakos Kalaitzides, oud Ziya Tabassian, percussions Kiya Tabassian, setar, artistic director PATHS TO THE SUMMIT sheds light on an obscure period in Persian history, when large numbers of Iranian musicians migrated to the neighbouring Ottoman and Byzantine cultural centres during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736). While retracing this migration route, we came across manuscripts from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which preserved and annotated compositions by Iranian musicians from the era. These manuscripts had been kept for centuries in palace and monastery libraries in Turkey and Greece. They testify to the influence of Iranian music in these regions and the many fruitful exchanges between Iranian musicians and those from neighbouring countries. These sources open paths to reach and understand more the Iranian music prior to the 19th century (before dastgah). These works have several features and particularities that distinguish them: - they are composed in the maqam system, with musical phrasings and formal developments that are distinctly Persian in coloration; - they contain the complex ancient rhythmic cycles that disappeared from the Persian dastgah; - they reveal the practice of <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Constantinople_Light_on_Persian_music_under_Safavids,_KUH-PAREH,_Agha_Mo'men_c1525-1600
Anti-Arab fashist Safavid Shia regime of Iran oppressing Shia&Sunni; Arabs inside Iran! (Ahwaz)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:52
- Published: 17 Dec 2011
- Updated: 17 Oct 2012
Anti-Arab fashist Safavid Shia regime of Iran oppressing Shia&Sunni Arabs inside Iran! (Ahwaz). The AhlulBayt Islamic Mission is run by the Iranian regime as a propaganda exercise to convert people to the IRI's hateful ideology. The question is, why do the likes of Mehdi Hassan obsess about Bahraini Shia and not Ahwazi Arabs? Suppression of speech might be the norm in countries led by dictatorships, however what do you know? even in England. And the persons telling to 'shhhh' are British Journalists. Event held by Ahle Bayt society at Imperial College London BAHRAIN: Not My Problem? The levels of bad attitude and aggression in particular from the event organisers and the panel was disgusting. Extremely disgraceful attack on Freedom of Speech. Lady was threatened when asking a question to Mehdi Hassan of the new statesman and the Guardian. Her question was related to Mehdi's earlier comments during his speech and very relevant, however because it was challenging, she was spoken to rudely and demoralised by member of audience and leader of panel. Other men received the same levels of aggressive treatment when trying to raise questions. Just plain horrible- was hoping to learn a thing or two, but will never go to an event organised by them again and would dis-encourage my friends from going too. Vindictive people! Stay away...
http://wn.com/Anti-Arab_fashist_Safavid_Shia_regime_of_Iran_oppressing_Shia&Sunni;_Arabs_inside_Iran!_Ahwaz
The Safavids (2/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:34
- Published: 30 Jun 2012
- Updated: 21 Oct 2012
At the peak of their success the Safavids ruled over a vast territory which included all of modern-day Iran. They converted their subjects to Shi'a Islam, and so created the religious identity of modern Iran - although they were also often ruthless in their suppression of Sunni practices. They thrived on international trade, and their capital Isfahan, rebuilt by the visionary Shah Abbas, became one of the most magnificent cities in the world. Under Safavid rule Persia became a cultural centre, producing many great artists and thinkers.
http://wn.com/The_Safavids_2_3
Safavid Palace-Iran-09-04-2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:21
- Published: 07 Sep 2011
- Updated: 17 May 2012
www.presstv.com The Safavid dynasty ruled Iran for over 200 years. In this episode of Iran, Razieh Babagolzadeh visits the great Safavid Palace in the historical city of Qazvin.
http://wn.com/Safavid_Palace-Iran-09-04-2011
Green Turbaned Feminine Safavid-Majosi Ahlul-Bait (Shocking Reality)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:33
- Published: 11 Sep 2012
- Updated: 22 Oct 2012
Extremely shocking video which discovers the reality of rafidah and how they infiltrated Islam. Must see for everyone who wants to know about rafidism and its root with majos.
http://wn.com/Green_Turbaned_Feminine_Safavid-Majosi_Ahlul-Bait_Shocking_Reality
Shah Ismail of Azerbaijan Safavid Empire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:00
- Published: 21 Jul 2010
- Updated: 29 Nov 2011
Safavids empire is one of the greatest empires of Azerbaijan like Aqqoyunlu, Qaraqoyunlu. It was founded by Shah Ismail Xetai in 1501.
http://wn.com/Shah_Ismail_of_Azerbaijan_Safavid_Empire
Sefeviler Shah Ismail of Safavid empire
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Published: 04 Feb 2011
- Updated: 03 Oct 2012
Constantinople / Light on Persian music under Safavids, KUME ACAM
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:24
- Published: 20 Jun 2012
- Updated: 30 Sep 2012
KUME ACAM, Pishrow MOHAYER, Osul Duyek, Acemler (1500-1550), Cantemir Collection #37/ Macmua-i Saz u Suz S 72, 73 PATHS TO THE SUMMIT Live recording Montreal, March 24 2011, Salle Pierre-Mercure Constantinople featuring : Siamak Aghaie, santour, voice Didem Bashar, kanun Pierre-Yves Martel, viola da gamba Kyriakos Kalaitzides, oud Ziya Tabassian, percussions Kiya Tabassian, setar, artistic director PATHS TO THE SUMMIT sheds light on an obscure period in Persian history, when large numbers of Iranian musicians migrated to the neighbouring Ottoman and Byzantine cultural centres during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736). While retracing this migration route, we came across manuscripts from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which preserved and annotated compositions by Iranian musicians from the era. These manuscripts had been kept for centuries in palace and monastery libraries in Turkey and Greece. They testify to the influence of Iranian music in these regions and the many fruitful exchanges between Iranian musicians and those from neighbouring countries. These sources open paths to reach and understand more the Iranian music prior to the 19th century (before dastgah). These works have several features and particularities that distinguish them: - they are composed in the maqam system, with musical phrasings and formal developments that are distinctly Persian in coloration; - they contain the complex ancient rhythmic cycles that disappeared from the Persian dastgah; - they <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Constantinople_Light_on_Persian_music_under_Safavids,_KUME_ACAM
3d architecture islam safavid wmv
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:59
- Published: 08 Sep 2009
- Updated: 13 May 2012
islamic 3d architecture in the safavid empire
http://wn.com/3d_architecture_islam_safavid_wmv
Constantinople / Light on Persian music under Safavids, GOLESTAN, Pishrow PANJ-GÂH
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:01
- Published: 20 Jun 2012
- Updated: 03 Oct 2012
GOLESTAN, Pishrow PANJ-GÂH, Osul Duyek ( 8 temps), Acemler (1500-1550), Cantemir Collection #27 PATHS TO THE SUMMIT Live recording Montreal, March 24 2011, Salle Pierre-Mercure Constantinople featuring : Siamak Aghaie, santour, voice Didem Bashar, kanun Pierre-Yves Martel, viola da gamba Kyriakos Kalaitzides, oud Ziya Tabassian, percussions Kiya Tabassian, setar, artistic director PATHS TO THE SUMMIT sheds light on an obscure period in Persian history, when large numbers of Iranian musicians migrated to the neighbouring Ottoman and Byzantine cultural centres during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736). While retracing this migration route, we came across manuscripts from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which preserved and annotated compositions by Iranian musicians from the era. These manuscripts had been kept for centuries in palace and monastery libraries in Turkey and Greece. They testify to the influence of Iranian music in these regions and the many fruitful exchanges between Iranian musicians and those from neighbouring countries. These sources open paths to reach and understand more the Iranian music prior to the 19th century (before dastgah). These works have several features and particularities that distinguish them: - they are composed in the maqam system, with musical phrasings and formal developments that are distinctly Persian in coloration; - they contain the complex ancient rhythmic cycles that disappeared from the Persian dastgah; - they reveal the practice of <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Constantinople_Light_on_Persian_music_under_Safavids,_GOLESTAN,_Pishrow_PANJ-GÂH
safavids vs ottomans wmv
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:31
- Published: 08 Sep 2009
- Updated: 27 Apr 2011
shows the conflicts between the two great empires of the past and how one empire demolished the other on the basis of power.
http://wn.com/safavids_vs_ottomans_wmv
safavid architecture wmv
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:13
- Published: 08 Sep 2009
- Updated: 31 Jul 2011
the architectural importance in safavid(muslim empire) times.
http://wn.com/safavid_architecture_wmv
![The Turban Opium of The Safavids [ 1 - 6 ]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121025075754im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_UKOnh2Vi-I/0.jpg "The Turban Opium of The Safavids [ 1 - 6 ]")
The Turban Opium of The Safavids [ 1 - 6 ]
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:26
- Published: 27 Sep 2009
- Updated: 07 Aug 2012
www.youtube.com This is the English version of The Turban film. DOWNLOAD THE FULL MOVIE: www.Karbala-TV.com http In cooperation with: www.ansaaar.com http
http://wn.com/The_Turban_Opium_of_The_Safavids_1_6_
Sociology of Shi'ism - Part 4: From Safavids to Qaajaars
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 93:38
- Published: 12 Mar 2007
- Updated: 24 Apr 2012
In this 4th part of his lecture on sociology of Shi'ism, Dr. Esmail Nooriala talks to Mr. Faramarz Foruzandeh, the host of TV program "Nasim e Shomal" on Channel One Iranian TV Network. Dr. Nooriala gives a detailed report on the different developmental stages of Shi'ism from the end of Safavid period to the death of Amir Kabir.
http://wn.com/Sociology_of_Shi'ism_Part_4_From_Safavids_to_Qaajaars
Muslimgauze - Muta Safavid
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:58
- Published: 19 Jul 2011
- Updated: 18 Oct 2012
Muslimgauze - Wish Of The Flayed 5 - Muta Safavid Muslimtapes (MUSLIMTAPE 01) - Jun 1996 * remastered & replaced in Apr 2008 www.discogs.com ...
http://wn.com/Muslimgauze_Muta_Safavid
Constantinople / Light on Persian music under Safavids, Pishrow RAST
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:27
- Published: 20 Jun 2012
- Updated: 17 Oct 2012
Pishrow RAST, Osul Nim Saqil (24 temps), Acemler (1500-1550), Cantemir Collection #308 PATHS TO THE SUMMIT Live recording Montreal, March 24 2011, Salle Pierre-Mercure Constantinople featuring : Siamak Aghaie, santour, voice Didem Bashar, kanun Pierre-Yves Martel, viola da gamba Kyriakos Kalaitzides, oud Ziya Tabassian, percussions Kiya Tabassian, setar, artistic director PATHS TO THE SUMMIT sheds light on an obscure period in Persian history, when large numbers of Iranian musicians migrated to the neighbouring Ottoman and Byzantine cultural centres during the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736). While retracing this migration route, we came across manuscripts from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which preserved and annotated compositions by Iranian musicians from the era. These manuscripts had been kept for centuries in palace and monastery libraries in Turkey and Greece. They testify to the influence of Iranian music in these regions and the many fruitful exchanges between Iranian musicians and those from neighbouring countries. These sources open paths to reach and understand more the Iranian music prior to the 19th century (before dastgah). These works have several features and particularities that distinguish them: - they are composed in the maqam system, with musical phrasings and formal developments that are distinctly Persian in coloration; - they contain the complex ancient rhythmic cycles that disappeared from the Persian dastgah; - they reveal the practice of singing <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Constantinople_Light_on_Persian_music_under_Safavids,_Pishrow_RAST
Creative Commons / Pascal Coste
Creative Commons / Philippe Chavin (Simorg)
Creative Commons / Grandmaster
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / Asadi![Vank Cathedral in the New Julfa district of Isfahan. one of the oldest Iran's Armenian churches that build during Safavid Persian Empire, 1665.[citation needed]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121025075754im_/http://cdn6.wn.com/pd/ce/3d/a114188347e34acd367cc76bb923_small.jpg "Vank Cathedral in the New Julfa district of Isfahan. one of the oldest Iran's Armenian churches that build during Safavid Persian Empire, 1665.[citation needed]")
Creative Commons
Creative Commons / Pasha el Azem.
Creative Commons / Raeky
Creative Commons / Mr.minoqu
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AP / Murad Sezer
Creative Commons File
![Vank Cathedral in the New Julfa district of Isfahan. one of the oldest Iran's Armenian churches that build during Safavid Persian Empire, 1665.[citation needed]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121025075754/http://cdn0.wn.com/pd/ce/3d/a114188347e34acd367cc76bb923_medium.jpg "Vank Cathedral in the New Julfa district of Isfahan. one of the oldest Iran's Armenian churches that build during Safavid Persian Empire, 1665.[citation needed]")
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Last year, on the day after United States forces killed Osama bin Laden, the group he founded was seen by some as on its last legs. No more. While under siege by drones in Pakistan and increasingly in Yemen, Al-Qaeda not only received a new lease of life from the Arab Awakening, but has also created...(size: 7.0Kb)
| The Royal Safavid Dynasty of Iran[1][2] سلسلهٔ صفويان |
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| Capital | Tabriz (1501–1555) Qazvin (1555–1598) Isfahan (1598–1722) |
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| Language(s) |
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| Religion | Twelver Shia Islam (state religion)[16] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shah | |||||||||||||||||||
| - 1501–24 | Ismail I | ||||||||||||||||||
| - 1524–76 | Tahmasp I | ||||||||||||||||||
| - 1587–1629 | Abbas I | ||||||||||||||||||
| - 1694–1722 | Sultan Husayn | ||||||||||||||||||
| - 1729–32 | Tahmasp II | ||||||||||||||||||
| - 1732–36 | Abbas III | ||||||||||||||||||
| - 1732–36 | Nader Afshar | ||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||
| - Establishment of the Safaviyya by Safi-ad-din Ardabili | 1301 | ||||||||||||||||||
| - Established | 1501 | ||||||||||||||||||
| - Hotaki Invasion | 1722 | ||||||||||||||||||
| - Reconquest under Nader Afshar | 1726–29 | ||||||||||||||||||
| - Disestablished | 1736 | ||||||||||||||||||
| - Nader Shah crowned | October 1, 1736 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 2,850,000 km2 (1,100,391 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Tuman, Abbasi, Shahi.[17]
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Countries today
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| History of Azerbaijan | |
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| 100px This article is part of a series |
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| Antiquity | |
| Ancient history and Roman era | |
| Atropatene | |
| First Persian Empire and Alexander's conquests |
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| Caucasian Albania | |
| Middle Ages | |
| Islamic period | |
| Seljuk dynasty | |
| Atabegs of Azerbaijan | |
| Ilkhanate | |
| Qara Qoyunlu | |
| Aq Qoyunlu | |
| Shirvanshahs | |
| Early Modern history | |
| Safavid dynasty | |
| Khanates | |
| Qajar dynasty | |
| Russian Rule | |
| Early independence | |
| History of the name Azerbaijan | |
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Azerbaijan Portal |
The Safavid dynasty (Persian: سلسلهٔ صفويان; Azerbaijani: صفویلر) was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia[18][19][20][21] and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam[22] as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in Muslim history. The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736) and at their height, they controlled all of modern Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan and Republic of Armenia, most of Iraq, Georgia, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus, as well as parts of Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey. Safavid Iran was one of the Islamic "gunpowder empires", along with its neighbours, the Ottoman and Mughal empires.
The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the Safaviyya Sufi order, which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Azerbaijan region. It was of mixed ancestry (Azerbaijani,[23] Kurdish[24] and Turkmen,[25] which included intermarriages with Georgian[26] and Pontic Greek[27] dignitaries). From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over all of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region,[28] thus becoming the first native dynasty since the Sassanid Empire to establish a unified Iranian state.[29]
Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Persia as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy based upon "checks and balances", their architectural innovations and their patronage for fine arts. The Safavids have also left their mark down to the present era by spreading Shi'a Islam in Iran, as well as major parts of the Caucasus, South Asia, Central Asia, and Anatolia.
Contents
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Genealogy – The Ancestors of The Safavids and its multi-cultural identity[link]
See also: Safavid dynasty family tree, Safaviyya, Safvat as-safa, Silsilat-al-nasab-i Safaviya, and Firuz Shah Zarin-Kolah
The Safavid Kings themselves claimed to be Seyyeds,[30] family descendants of the prophet Muhammad, although many scholars have cast doubt on this claim.[31] There seems now to be a consensus among scholars that the Safavid family hailed from Persian Kurdistan,[22] and later moved to Azerbaijan, finally settling in the 5th/11th century at Ardabil. Traditional pre-1501 Safavid manuscripts trace the lineage of the Safavids to Firuz Shah Zarin-Kulah.[24][32]
According to some historians,[33][34] including Richard Frye, the Safavids were of Azeri (Turkish) origin:[23]
The Turkish speakers of Azerbaijan are mainly descended from the earlier Iranian speakers, several pockets of whom still exist in the region. A massive migration of Oghuz Turks in the 11th and 12th centuries not only Turkified Azerbaijan but also Anatolia. Azeri Turks were the founders of Safavid dynasty.
Other historians, such as Vladimir Minorsky[35] and Roger Savory, refute this idea:[36]
From the evidence available at the present time, it is certain that the Safavid family was of indigineous Iranian stock, and not of Turkish ancestry as it is sometimes claimed. It is probable that the family originated in Persian Kurdistan, and later moved to Azerbaijan, where they adopted the Azari form of Turkish spoken there, and eventually settled in the small town of Ardabil sometimes during the eleventh century.
By the time of the establishment of the Safavid empire, the members of the family were native Turkish-speaking and Turkicized,[13][37] and some of the Shahs composed poems in their native Turkish language. Concurrently, the Shahs themselves also supported Persian literature, poetry and art projects including the grand Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp,[38][39] while members of the family and some Shahs composed Persian poetry as well.[40][41] In terms of identity, it should be noted that the authority of the Safavids were religiously based and they based their legitimacy on being direct male descendants of the Ali,[42] the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, and the first Shi'ite Imam.
Background – The Safavid Sufi Order[link]
Main articles: Safaviyya and Safi al-Din Ardabili
Safavid history begins with the establishment of the Safaviyya by its eponymous founder Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334). In 700/1301, Safi al-Din assumed the leadership of the Zahediyeh, a significant Sufi order in Gilan, from his spiritual master and father-in-law Zahed Gilani. Due to the great spiritual charisma of Safi al-Din, the order was later known as the Safaviyya. The Safavid order soon gained great influence in the city of Ardabil and Hamdullah Mustaufi noted that most of the people of Ardabil were followers of Safi al-Din.
Extant religious poetry from him, written in the Old Azari language[43][44] – a now-extinct Northwestern Iranian language – and accompanied by a paraphrase in Persian which helps their understanding, has survived to this day and has linguistic importance.[43]
After Safī al-Dīn, the leadership of the Safaviyya passed onto Sadr al-Dīn Mūsā († 794/1391–92). The order at this time was transformed into a religious movement which conducted religious propaganda throughout Persia, Syria and Asia Minor, and most likely had maintained its Sunni Shafi’ite origin at that time. The leadership of the order passed on from Sadr ud-Dīn Mūsā to his son Khwādja Ali († 1429) and in turn to his son Ibrāhīm († 1429–47).
When Shaykh Junayd, the son of Ibrāhim, assumed the leadership of the Safaviyya in 1447, the history of the Safavid movement was radically changed. According to R.M. Savory, "'Sheikh Junayd was not content with spiritual authority and he sought material power'". At that time, the most powerful dynasty in Persia was that of the Kara Koyunlu, the "Black Sheep", whose ruler Jahan Shah ordered Junāyd to leave Ardabil or else he would bring destruction and ruin upon the city.[22] Junayd sought refuge with the rival of Kara Koyunlu Jahan Shah, the Aq Qoyunlu (White Sheep Turkomans) Khan Uzun Hassan, and cemented his relationship by marrying Uzun Hassan's sister, Khadija Begum. Junayd was killed during an incursion into the territories of the Shirvanshah and was succeeded by his son Haydar Safavi. Haydar married Martha 'Alamshah Begom,[27] Uzun Hassan's daughter, who gave birth to Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty. Martha's mother Theodora – better known as Despina Khatun[45] – was a Pontic Greek princess, the daughter of the Grand Komnenos John IV of Trebizond. She had been married to Uzun Hassan[46] in exchange for protection of the Grand Komnenos from the Ottomans.
After Uzun Hassan's death, his son Ya'qub felt threatened by the growing Safavid religious influence. Ya'qub allied himself with the Shirvanshah and killed Haydar in 1488. By this time, the bulk of the Safaviyya were nomadic Oghuz Turkic-speaking clans from Asia Minor and Azerbaijan and were known as Qizilbash "Red Heads" because of their distinct red headgear. The Qizilbash were warriors, spiritual followers of Haydar, and a source of the Safavid military and political power.
After the death of Haydar, the Safaviyya gathered around his son Ali Mirza Safavi, who was also pursued and subsequently killed by Ya'qub. According to official Safavid history, before passing away, Ali had designated his young brother Ismail as the spiritual leader of the Safaviyya.[22]
History[link]
Founding of the dynasty by Shāh Ismāil I[link]
Main article: Ismail I
Persia prior to Ismāil's rule[link]
After the decline of the Timurid Empire (1370–1506), Persia was politically splintered, giving rise to a number of religious movements. The demise of Tamerlane's political authority created a space in which several religious communities, particularly Shi’i ones, could now come to the fore and gain prominence. Among these were a number of Sufi brotherhoods, the Hurufis, Nuqtawis and Musha‘sha‘. Of these various movements, the Safawid Qizilbash was the most politically resilient, and it was on account of its success that Shah Isma’il I gained political prominence in 1501 CE.[47] There were many local states prior to the Iranian state established by Ismāil.[48] The most important local rulers about 1500 were:
- Huṣayn Bāyqarā, the Timurid ruler of Herāt
- Alwand Mīrzā, the Aq Qoyunlu Khan of Tabrīz
- Murad Beg, Aq Qoyunlu ruler of Irāq al-Ajam
- Farrokh Yaṣar, the Shah of Širvan
- Badi Alzamān Mīrzā, local ruler of Balkh
- Huṣayn Kīā Chalavī, the local ruler of Semnān
- Murād Beg Bayandar, local ruler of Yazd
Ismāil was able to unite all these lands under the Iranian Empire he created.
Rise of Shāh Ismāil I[link]
The Safavid dynasty was founded about 1501 by Shāh Ismāil I.[49] Shah Ismail's background is disputed: the language he used is not identical with that of his "race" or "nationality" and he was bilingual from birth.[50] Some scholars argue that Ismāil was of mixed Azeri, Kurdish, and Pontic Greek descent,[23] although others argue that he was non-Azeri[50] and was a direct descendant of Sheikh Safi al-Din. As such, he was the last in the line of hereditary Grand Masters of the Safaviyeh order, prior to its ascent to a ruling dynasty. Ismāil was known as a brave and charismatic youth, zealous with regards to his Shi’a faith, and believed himself to be of divine descent—practically worshipped by his Qizilbāsh followers. In 1500, Ismāil invaded neighboring Shirvan to avenge the death of his father, Sheik Haydar, who had been murdered in 1488 by the ruling Shirvanshah, Farrukh Yassar. Afterwards, Ismail went on a conquest campaign, capturing Tabriz in July 1501, where he enthroned himself the Shāh of Azerbaijan,[51][52][53] proclaimed himself Shahanshah of Iran[54][55][56] and minted coins in his name, proclaiming Shi’ism the official religion of his domain.[22] The establishment of Shi’ism as the state religion led to various Sufi orders openly declaring their Shi’i position, and others, to promptly assume Shi’ism. Among these, the founder of one of the most successful Sufi orders, Ni’matullah (d. 1431) traced his descent from the Ismaili Imam Muhammad b. Ismail, as evidenced in a poem as well as another unpublished literary composition. Though Nimatullah was apparently Sunni, the Ni’matullahi order soon declared his order to be Shi’I after the rise of the Safavid dynasty.[57]
Although Ismail I initially gained mastery over Azerbaijan alone, the Safavids ultimately won the struggle for power in all of Persia which had been going on for nearly a century between various dynasties and political forces. A year after his victory in Tabriz, Ismāil claimed most of Persia as part of his territory,[22] and within 10 years established a complete control over all of it. Ismail followed the line of Turkmen rulers prior to him by assumption of the title "Padishah-i-Iran", previously held by Uzun Hasan.[58] The Ottoman sultans addressed him as the king of Persian lands and the heir to Jamshid and Kaykhusraw.[59] Hamadan fell under his power in 1503, Shiraz and Kerman in 1504, Najaf and Karbala in 1507, Van in 1508, Baghdad in 1509, and Herat, as well as other parts of Khorasan, in 1510. By 1511, the Uzbeks in the north-east, led by their Khan Muhammad Shaybāni, were driven far to the north, across the Oxus River where they continued to attack the Safavids. Ismail's decisive victory over the Uzbeks, who had occupied most of Khorasan, ensured Iran's eastern borders, and the Uzbeks never since expanded beyond the Hindukush. Although the Uzbeks continued to make occasional raids to Khorasan, the Safavid empire was able to keep them at bay throughout its reign.
Clashes with the Ottomans[link]
Main articles: Battle of Chaldiran and Qizilbash
More problematic for the Safavids was the powerful Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans, a Sunni dynasty, considered the active recruitment of Turkmen tribes of Anatolia for the Safavid cause as a major threat. To counter the rising Safavid power, in 1502, Sultan Bayezid II forcefully deported many Shi'as from Anatolia to other parts of the Ottoman realm. In 1514, Bayezid's son, Sultan Selim I marched through Anatolia and reached the plain of Chaldiran near the city of Khoy, and a decisive war was fought there (Battle of Chaldiran). Most sources agree that the Ottoman army was at least double the size of that of Ismāil,[49] however, what gave the Ottomans the advantage was the artillery which the Safavid army lacked. According to R. M. Savory, "Salim's plan was to winter at Tabriz and complete the conquest of Persia the following spring. However, a mutiny among his officers who refused to spend the winter at Tabriz forced him to withdraw across territory laid waste by the Safavid forces, eight days later".[49] Although Ismāil was defeated and his capital was captured, the Safavid empire survived. The war between the two powers continued under Ismāil's son, Shāh Tahmāsp I (q.v.), and the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I, until Shāh Abbās (q.v.) retook the area lost to the Ottomans by 1602.
The consequences of the defeat at Chaldiran were also psychological for Ismāil: the defeat destroyed Ismāil's belief in his invincibility, based on his claimed divine status.[22] His relationships with his Qizilbāsh followers were also fundamentally altered. The tribal rivalries between the Qizilbāsh, which temporarily ceased before the defeat at Chaldiran, resurfaced in intense form immediately after the death of Ismāil, and led to ten years of civil war (930-40/1524-33) until Shāh Tahmāsp regained control of the affairs of the state.
Early Safavid power in Iran was based on the military power of the Qizilbāsh. Ismāil exploited the first element to seize power in Iran. But eschewing politics after his defeat in Chaldiran, he left the affairs of the government to the office of the Wakīl (q.v.). Ismāil's successors, and most ostensibly Shāh Abbās I successfully diminished the Qizilbāsh's influence on the affairs of the state.
Shāh Tahmāsp[link]
Main article: Shah Tahmasp
Shāh Tahmāsp, the young governor of Herat, succeeded his father Ismāil in 1524, when he was ten years and three months old. He was the ward of the powerful Qizilbash amir Ali Beg Rūmlū (titled "Div Soltān") who saw himself as the de facto ruler of the state. The qizilbash, which still suffered under the legacy of the battle of Chaldiran, was engulfed in internal rivalries. The low morale within the military, and the decentralized structure of the government, with much power in the hands of local governors, eventually led to 10 years of civil war. Rival Qizilbāsh factions fought amongst themselves for the control of the empire until Shāh Tahmāsp came of age and reasserted his authority. Tahmasp reigned for 52 years, the longest reign in Safavid history.[22]
The Uzbeks, during the reign of Tahmāsp, attacked the eastern provinces of the kingdom five times and the Ottomans under Soleymān I initiated four invasions of Persia.[60] Losing territory in Iraq and the north-west, Tahmāsp realized that his capital was not secure, and he was forced to move the capital from Tabriz to Qazvin. Tahmasp made the Peace of Amasya with the Ottomans in 1555, ending the war during his life.[22]
Alliances to the East – The Mughal Emperor at the Shah's court[link]
Almost simultaneously with the emergence of the Safavid Empire, another Muslim society was developing in South-Asia. The Mughal Empire, which ruled a largely Hindu population, adhered to Sunni Islam. But a common foe, in the Uzbeks, would eventually lead the two empires closer together. During the reign of Tahmasp, Shah Humayun of Mughal Hindustan found himself in a desperate situation, with devastating wars being fought against the Afghans and the Uzbeks and Humayuns brother, Kamran, attempting a coup d'état.[61] Having to flee from city to city, Humayun eventually sought refuge at the court of Tahmasp. Tahmasp, who refused to hand him over to his brother, greeted Humayun at his court in Qazvin as the true emperor of the Mughal dynasty, despite the fact that Humayun had been living in exile for more than fifteen years.[61][62] After converting to Shia Islam,[63] Tahmasp offered him military assistans to fight off the revolts in return for Kandahar, which had for long been a battle ground between the two empires, and a combined Persian-Mughal force managed to seize Kandahar and occupy Kabul.[64] This eventually led to strong ties between the Safavids and the Mughals, and they persisted, almost unabated, throughout the history of the Safavid dynasty.
Legacy of Shah Tahmasp[link]
When Shah Tahmasp entered the throne at a young age, Persia was in a dire state. But despite of a weak economy, a civil war and wars being fought on two fronts, Tahmasp had managed to maintain his position as the shah. During the first 30 years of his long reign, he had managed to suppress the internal divisions, slowly elevate the strength of the military to a level that finally led to the retreat of the Ottomans during the fourth war in 1533, and, in 1553, even wage a campaign against the Ottomans. This resulted in the peace treaty of Amasya, a treaty that favoured the Persians and secured Tabriz and the North-Western borders.[65] Some years before, in 1528, he had also converted an unfavorable war against the Uzbeks, at the battle of Jam, into a victory by the Persians.[66] When Shah Tahmasp's throne was overtaken by his successor, Persia was in a calm state, with secure borders and cordial relations with the neighbours to both east and west. What remained unchanged, was the decentralized power structure of the government, and that would not change until the throne was overtaken by his grandson, Shah Abbas.
After the death of Tahmāsp in 984/1576, the struggle for a dominant position in the state flared up again and was complicated by rival groups and factions. Dominant political factions vied for power and support three different candidates. The mentally unstable Ismāil, the son of Tahmāsp and the purblind Muhammad Khudābanda were some of the candidates but did not get the support of all the Qizilbāsh chiefs. The Turkmen Ustājlū tribe, one of the most powerful tribes among the Qizilbāsh, threw its support behind Haydar, who was of a Georgian mother, but the majority of the Qizilbāsh chiefs saw this as a threat to their own, Turkmen-dominated power. Instead, they first placed Ismāil II. on the throne (1576–77) and after him Muhammad Shāh Khudābanda (1578–88).[22]
In addition, Tahmasp must be credited for the revival of the fine arts, which flourished under his patronage and were brought to the pitch of perfection. Safavid culture is often admired for the large-scale city planning and architecture, achievements made during the reign of later shahs, but the arts of persian miniature, book-binding and calligraphy, in fact, never received as much attention as they did during his time.[67]
Shah Abbas[link]
Main article: Abbas I of Persia
Copper engraving by Dominicus Custos, Atrium heroicum Caesarum (1600–2).
The greatest of the Safavid monarchs, Shah Abbas I (1587–1629) came to power in 1587 aged 16 following the forced abdication of his father, Shah Muhammad Khudābanda, having survived Qizilbashi court intrigues and murders. He recognized the ineffectualness of his army which was consistently being defeated by the Ottomans who had captured Georgia and Armenia and by Uzbeks who had captured Mashhad and Sistan in the east. First he sued for peace in 1590 with the Ottomans giving away territory in the north-west. Then two Englishmen, Robert Sherley and his brother Anthony, helped Abbas I to reorganize the Shah's soldiers into an officer-paid and well-trained standing army similar to a European model (which the Ottomans had already adopted). He wholeheartedly adopted the use of gunpowder (See Military history of Iran). The army divisions were: Ghulams غلام (crown servants,[68] usually conscripted from Georgians and Circassians), Tofangchis (تفگنچى, musketeers), and Topchis (Tupchis, توپچى, artillery-men).
Abbas moved the capital to Isfahan, deeper into central Iran. Abbas I built a new city next to the ancient Persian one. From this time the state began to take on a more Persian character. The Safavids ultimately succeeded in establishing a new Persian national monarchy.
Abbas I first fought the Uzbeks, recapturing Herat and Mashhad in 1598. Then he turned against the Ottomans recapturing Baghdad, eastern Iraq and the Caucasian provinces by 1622. He also used his new force to dislodge the Portuguese from Bahrain (1602) and, with English help, from Hormuz (1622), in the Persian Gulf (a vital link in Portuguese trade with India). He expanded commercial links with the English East India Company and the Dutch East India Company. Thus Abbas I was able to break the dependence on the Qizilbash for military might and therefore was able to centralize control.
The Ottoman Turks and Safavids fought over the fertile plains of Iraq for more than 150 years. The capture of Baghdad by Ismail I in 1509 was only followed by its loss to the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I in 1534. After subsequent campaigns, the Safavids recaptured Baghdad in 1623 yet lost it again to Murad IV in 1638. Henceforth a treaty, signed in Qasr-e Shirin, was established delineating a border between Iran and Turkey in 1639, a border which still stands in northwest Iran/southeast Turkey. The 150 year tug-of-war accentuated the Sunni and Shi'a rift in Iraq.
In 1609–10, a war broke out between Kurdish tribes and the Safavid Empire. After a long and bloody siege led by the Safavid grand vizier Hatem Beg, which lasted from November 1609 to the summer of 1610, the Kurdish stronghold of Dimdim was captured. Shah Abbas ordered a general massacre in Beradost and Mukriyan (Mahabad, reported by Eskandar Beg Monshi, Safavid Historian (1557–1642), in "Alam Ara Abbasi") and resettled the Turkic Afshar tribe in the region while deporting many Kurdish tribes to Khorasan.[69][70] Nowadays, there is a community of nearly 1.7 million people who are descendants of the tribes deported from Kurdistan to Khurasan (Northeastern Iran) by the Safavids.[71]
Due to his obsessive fear of assassination, Shah Abbas either put to death or blinded any member of his family who aroused his suspicion. One of his sons was executed and two blinded. Since two other sons had predeceased him, the result was personal tragedy for Shah Abbas. When he died on 19 January 1629, he had no son capable of succeeding him.[72]
The beginning of the 17th century saw the power of the Qizilbash decline, the original militia that had helped Ismail I capture Tabriz and which had gained many administrative powers over the centuries. Power was shifting to a new class of merchants, many of them ethnic Armenians, Georgians and Indians.
At its zenith, during the long reign of Shah Abbas I the empire's reach comprised Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey.
Contacts with Europe during Abbas' reign[link]
Abbas' tolerance towards Christians was part of his policy of establishing diplomatic links with European powers to try to enlist their help in the fight against their common enemy, the Ottoman Empire. The idea of such an anti-Ottoman alliance was not a new one — over a century before, Uzun Hassan, then ruler of part of Iran, had asked the Venetians for military aid — but none of the Safavids had made diplomatic overtures to Europe and Abbas' attitude was in marked contrast to that of his grandfather, Tahmasp I, who had expelled the English traveller Anthony Jenkinson from his court on hearing he was a Christian.[73] For his part, Abbas declared that he "preferred the dust from the shoe soles of the lowest Christian to the highest Ottoman personage."[74]
In 1599, Abbas sent his first diplomatic mission to Europe. The group crossed the Caspian Sea and spent the winter in Moscow, before proceeding through Norway, Germany (where it was received by Emperor Rudolf II) to Rome where Pope Clement VIII gave the travellers a long audience. They finally arrived at the court of Philip III of Spain in 1602. Although the expedition never managed to return to Iran, being shipwrecked on the journey around Africa, it marked an important new step in contacts between Iran and Europe and Europeans began to be fascinated by the Iranians and their culture — Shakespeare's 1601–2 Twelfth Night, for example, makes two references (at II.5 and III.4) to 'the Sophy', then the English term for the Shahs of Iran.[75][76] Henceforward, the number of diplomatic missions to and fro greatly increased.[77]
The shah had set great store on an alliance with Spain, the chief opponent of the Ottomans in Europe. Abbas offered trading rights and the chance to preach Christianity in Iran in return for help against the Ottomans. But the stumbling block of Hormuz remained, a port which had fallen into Spanish hands when the King of Spain inherited the throne of Portugal in 1580. The Spanish demanded Abbas break off relations with the English East India Company before they would consider relinquishing the town. Abbas was unable to comply. Eventually Abbas became frustrated with Spain, as he did with the Holy Roman Empire, which wanted him to make his 170,000 Armenian subjects swear allegiance to the Pope but did not trouble to inform the shah when the Emperor Rudolf signed a peace treaty with the Ottomans. Contacts with the Pope, Poland and Moscow were no more fruitful.[78]
More came of Abbas' contacts with the English, although England had little interest in fighting against the Ottomans. The Sherley brothers arrived in 1598 and helped reorganise the Iranian army. The English East India Company also began to take an interest in Iran and in 1622 four of its ships helped Abbas retake Hormuz from the Portuguese in the Capture of Ormuz (1622). It was the beginning of the East India Company's long-running interest in Iran.[79]
Decline of the Safavid state[link]
Main articles: Hotaki dynasty and Afsharid dynasty
In addition to fighting its perennial enemies, the Ottomans and Uzbeks, as the 17th century progressed Iran had to contend with the rise of new neighbors. Russian Muscovy in the previous century had deposed two western Asian khanates of the Golden Horde and expanded its influence into the Caucasus Mountains and Central Asia. In the east, the Mughals of India had expanded into Khorasan (now Afghanistan) at the expense of Iranian control, taking Qandahar.
More importantly, the Dutch East India company and later English/British used their superior means of maritime violence to control trade routes in the western Indian ocean. As a result, Iran was cut off from overseas links to East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and South Asia.[80] But overland trade between Iran and South Asia grew. Many Indian merchants established a permanent presence in Iran and moved into Russia from the mid-seventeenth century.[81] Iran was also able to further develop its overland trade with North and Central Europe during the second half of the seventeenth century.[82] In the late seventeenth century, Iranian merchants established a permanent presence as far north as Narva on the Baltic sea, in what now is Estonia.[83]
The Dutch and English were still able to drain the Iranian government of much of its precious metal supplies. Except for Shah Abbas II, the Safavid rulers after Abbas I were therefore rendered ineffectual, and the Iranian government declined and finally collapsed when a serious military threat emerged on its eastern border in the early eighteenth century.[84] The end of the reign of Abbas II, 1666, thus marked the beginning of the end of the Safavid dynasty. Despite falling revenues and military threats, later shahs had lavish lifestyles. Sultan Husayn (1694–1722) in particular was known for his love of wine and disinterest in governance.[85]
The country was repeatedly raided on its frontiers — Kerman by Baloch tribes in 1698, Khorasan by the Hotakis in 1717, constantly in Mesopotamia by peninsula Arabs. Sultan Hosein tried to forcibly convert his Afghan subjects in Qandahar from Sunni to the Shi'a sect of Islam. In response, a Ghilzai Afghan chieftain named Mir Wais Hotak revolted and killed Gurgin Khan, the Safavid governor of the region, along with his army. In 1722, an Afghan army led by Mir Wais' son Mahmud advanced on the heart of the empire and defeated the government forces at the Battle of Gulnabad. He then besieged the capital of Isfahan, until Shah Sultan Husayn abdicated and acknowledged him as the new king of Persia.[86]
The tribal Afghans rode roughshod over their conquered territory for seven years but were prevented from making further gains by Nader Shah, a former slave who had risen to military leadership within the Afshar tribe in Khorasan, a vassal state of the Safavids. Nadir Shah defeated the Ghilzai Hotaki forces in the 1729 Battle of Damghan. He had removed them from power, and in 1738 conquered their last stronghold in Qandahar; in the same year he occupied Ghazni, Kabul, Lahore, and as far as Delhi in India. However, these cities were later inherited by his Abdali Afghan military commander, Ahmad Shah Durrani. Nadir had effective control under Shah Tahmasp II and then ruled as regent of the infant Abbas III until 1736 when he had himself crowned shah.
Immediately after Nadir Shah's assassination in 1747, the Safavids were re-appointed as shahs of Iran in order to lend legitimacy to the nascent Zand dynasty. However the brief puppet regime of Ismail III ended in 1760 when Karim Khan felt strong enough take nominal power of the country as well and officially end the Safavid dynasty.
Shia Islam as the state religion[link]
Even though Safavids were not the first Shia rulers in Iran, they played a crucial role in making Shia Islam the official religion in the whole of Iran. There were large Shia communities in some cities like Qom and Sabzevar as early as the 8th century. In the 10th and 11th centuries the Buwayhids, who were of the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia, ruled in Fars, Isfahan and Baghdad. As a result of the Mongol conquest and the relative religious tolerance of the Ilkhanids, Shia dynasties were re-established in Iran, Sarbedaran in Khorasan being the most important. The Ilkhanid ruler Öljaitü converted to Twelver Shiism in the 13th century.
Following his conquest of Iran, Ismail I made conversion mandatory for the largely Sunni population. The Sunni Ulema or clergy were either killed or exiled. Ismail I, despite his heterodox Alevi Shia beliefs (Momen, 1985), brought in mainstream Ithnā‘ashariyyah Shi'a religious leaders and granted them land and money in return for loyalty. Later, during the Safavid and especially Qajar period, the Shia Ulema's power increased and they were able to exercise a role, independent of or compatible with the government. Despite the Safavid's Sufi origins, most Sufi groups were prohibited, except the Nimatullahi order.
Iran became a feudal theocracy: the Shah was held to be the divinely ordained head of state and religion. In the following centuries, this religious stance cemented both Iran's internal cohesion and national feelings and provoked attacks by its Sunni neighbors.
Military and the role of Qizilbash[link]
Main article: Qizilbash
The Qizilbash were a wide variety of Shi'ite (ghulāt) and mostly Turcoman militant groups who helped found the Safavid Empire. Their military power was essential during the reign of the Shahs Ismail and Tahmasp. The Qizilbash tribes were essential to the military of Iran until the rule of Shah Abbas I- their leaders were able to exercise enormous influence and participate in court intrigues (assassinating Shah Ismail II for example).
A major problem faced by Ismail I after the establishment of the Safavid state was how to bridge the gap between the two major ethnic groups in that state: the Qizilbash ("Redhead") Turcomans, the "men of sword" of classical Islamic society whose military prowess had brought him to power, and the Persian elements, the "men of the pen", who filled the ranks of the bureaucracy and the religious establishment in the Safavid state as they had done for centuries under previous rulers of Persia, be they Arabs, Mongols, or Turkmens. As Vladimir Minorsky put it, friction between these two groups was inevitable, because the Qizilbash "were no party to the national Persian tradition".
Between 1508 and 1524, the year of Ismail's death, the shah appointed five successive Persians to the office of vakil. When the second Persian vakil was placed in command of a Safavid army in Transoxiana, the Qizilbash, considering it a dishonor to be obliged to serve under him, deserted him on the battlefield with the result that he was slain. The fourth vakil was murdered by the Qizilbash, and the fifth was put to death by them.[49]
Reforms in the military[link]
Shah Abbas realized that in order to retain absolute control over his empire without antagonizing the Qizilbash, he needed to create reforms that reduced the dependency that the shah had on their military support. Part of these reforms was the creation of the 3rd force within the aristocracy, but even more important in undermining the authority of the Qizilbash was the introduction of the Royal Corps into the military. This military force would serve the shah only and eventually consisted of four separate branches:[87]
- Shahsevans – these were 12 000 strong and built up from the small group of qurchis that Shah Abbas had inherited from his predecessor. The Shahsevans, or "Friends of the King", were Qizilbash tribesmen who had forsaken their tribal allegiance for allegiance to the shah alone.[88]
- Gulams – Tahmasp had started introducing Georgian, Armenian and Circassian slaves from the Caucasus, appointing them either in the harem or the royal household. Shah Abbas expanded this program significantly and eventually created a force of 15 000 ghulam cavalrymen.
- Musketers – realizing the advantages that the Ottomans had because of their firearms, Shah Abbas was at pains to equip both the qurchi and the ghulam soldiers with up-to-date weaponry. More importantly, for the first time in Iranian history, a substantial infantry corps of musketeers (tofang-chis), numbering 12 000, was created.
- Artillery Corps – with the help of Westerners, he also formed an artillery corps of 12 000 men, although this was the weakest element in his army. According to Sir Thomas Herbert, who accompanied the British embassy to Persia in 1628, the Persians relied heavily on support from the Europeans in manufacturing cannons.[89] It wasn't until a century later, when Nadir Shah became the Commander in Chief of the military that sufficient effort was put into modernizing the artillery corps and the Persians managed to excel and become self sufficient in the manufacturing of firearms.
Despite the reforms, the Qizilbash would remain the strongest and most effective element within the military, accounting for more than half of its total strength.[89] But the creation of this large standing army, that, for the first time in Safavid history, was serving directly under the Shah, significantly reduced their influence, and perhaps any possibilities for the type of civil unrest that had caused havoc during the reign of the previous shahs.
Society[link]
A proper term for the Safavid society is what we today can call a meritocracy, meaning a society in which officials were appointed on the basis of worth and merit, and not on the basis of birth. It was certainly not an oligarchy, nor was it an aristocracy. Sons of nobles were considered for the succession of their fathers as a mark of respect, but they had to prove themselves worthy of the position. This system avoided an entrenched aristocracy or a cast society.[90] There even are numerous recorded accounts of laymen that rose to high official posts, as a result of their merits.[91]
Nevertheless, the Persian society during the Safavids was that of a hierarchy, with the Shah at the apex of the hierarchical pyramid, the common people, merchants and peasants at the base, and the aristocrats in between. The term dowlat, which in modern Persian means "government", was then an abstract term meaning "bliss" or "felicity", and it began to be used as concrete sense of the Safavid state, reflecting the view that the people had of their ruler, as someone elevated above humanity.[92]
Also among the aristocracy, in the middle of the hierarchical pyramid, were the religious officials, who, mindful of the historic role of the religious classes as a buffer between the ruler and his subjects, usually did their best to shield the ordinary people from oppressive governments.[92]
The customs and culture of the people[link]
Jean Chardin devoted a whole chapter in his book to describing the Persian character, which apparently fascinated him greatly. As he spent a large bulk of his life in Persia, he involved himself in, and took part in, their everyday rituals and habits, and eventually acquired intimate knowledge of their culture, customs and character. He admired their consideration towards foreigners, but he also stumbled upon characteristics that he found challenging. His descriptions of the public appearance, clothes and customs are corroborated by the miniatures, drawings and paintings from that time which have survived. As he describes them:[93]
Their imagination is animated, quick and fruitful. Their memory is free and prolific. They are very favorably drawn to the sciences, the liberal and mechanical arts. Their temperament is open and leans towards sensual pleasure and self-indulgence, which makes them pay little attention to economy or business.
He then goes on:[93]
They are very philosophical over the good and bad things in life and about expectations for the future. They are little tainted with avarice, desiring only to acquire in order to spend. They love to enjoy what is to hand and they refuse nothing which contributes to it, having no anxiety about the future which they leave to providence and fate.
But as he also experienced:[94]
...the Persians are dissembling, shamelessly deceitful and the greatest flatterers in the world, using great deception and insolence. They lack good faith in business dealings, in which they cheat so adeptly that one is always taken in. Hypocrisy is the usual disguise in which they proceed. They say their prayers and perform their rituals in the most devout manner. They hold the wisest and most pious conversation of which they are capable. And although they are naturally inclined to humanity, hospitality, mercy and other worldly goods, nevertheless, they do not cease feigning in order to give the semblance of being much better than they really are.
Character[link]
It is however no question, from reading Chardin's descriptions of their manners, that he considered them to be a well educated and well behaved people, who certainly knew the strict etiquettes of social intercourse. As he describes them,[95]
| “ | The Persians are the most civilized of the peoples of the East, and what the French are to Europe, they are to the Orient... Their bearing and countenance is the best-composed, mild, serious, impressive, genial and welcoming as far as possible. They never fail to perform at once the appropriate gestures of politeness when meeting each other... They are the most wheedling people in the world, with the most engaging manners, the most supple spirits and a language that is gentle and flattering, and devoid of unpleasant terms but rather full of circumlocutions. | ” |
Unlike Europeans, they much disliked physical activity, and were not in favor of exercise for its own sake, preferring the leisure of repose and luxuries that life could offer. Travelling was valued only for the specific purpose of getting from one place to another, not interesting them self in seeing new places and experiencing different cultures. It was perhaps this sort of attitude towards the rest of the world that accounted for the ignorance of Persians regarding other countries of the world. The exercises that they took part in were for keeping the body supple and sturdy and to acquire skills in handling of arms. Archery took first place. Second place was held by fencing, where the wrist had to be firm but flexible and movements agile. Thirdly there was horsemanship. A very strenuous form of exercise which the Persians greatly enjoyed was hunting.[96]
Entertainment[link]
Since pre-Islamic times, the sport of wrestling had been an integral part of the Iranian identity, and the professional wrestlers, who performed in Zurkhanehs, were considered important members of the society. Each town had their own troop of wrestlers, called Pahlavans. Their sport also provided the masses with entertainment and spectacle. Chardin described one such event:[97]
| “ | The two wrestlers were covered in grease. They are present on the level ground, and a small drum is always playing during the contest for excitement. They swear to a good fight and shake hands. That done, they slap their thighs, buttocks and hips to the rhythm of the drum. That is for the women and to get themselves in good form. After that they join together in uttering a great cry and trying to overthrow each other. | ” |
As well as wrestling, what gathered the masses was fencing, tightrope dancers, puppet-players and acrobats, performing in large squares, such as the Royal square. A leisurely form of amusement was to be found in the cabarets, particularly in certain districts, like those near the mausoleum of Harun-e Velayat. People met there to drink liqueurs or coffee, to smoke tobacco or opium, and to chat or listen to poetry.[98]
Clothes and Appearances[link]
As noted before, a key aspect of the Persian character was its love of luxury, particularly on keeping up appearances. They would adorn their clothes, wearing stones and decorate the harness of their horses. Men wore many rings on their fingers, almost as many as their wives. They also placed jewels on their arms, such as on daggers and swords. Daggers were worn at the waist. In describing the lady's clothing, he noted that Persian dress revealed more of the figure than did the European, but that women appeared differently depending on whether they were at home in the presence of friends and family, or if they were in the public. In private they usually wore a veil that only covered the hair and the back, but upon leaving the home, they would put on a large sheet, that concealed the whole of the body except from the face. They would often dye their feet and hands with henna. Their hairstyle was simple, the hair gathered back in tresses, often adorning the ends with pearls and clusters of jewels. Women with slender waists were regarded as more attractive than those with larger figures. Women from the provinces and slaves pierced their left nostrils with rings, but well-born Persian women would not do this.[99]
The most precious accessory for men was the turban. Although they lasted a long time it was necessary to have changes for different occasions like weddings and the Nowruz, while men of status never wore the same turban two days running. Clothes that became soiled in any way were changed immediately.[100]
The Turks and the Persians[link]
One could say that, just as the administrative system was divided vertically into different branches of the society, it was also divided horizontally along ethnic lines between the two "founding" races of the Safavid society; the qizilbash Turks and the tajiki Persians (iranians), and the tensions between these two had been present from the very founding of the dynasty. As the former represented the "people of the sword" and the latter, "the people of the pen", high-level official posts would naturally be reserved for the Persians. Indeed, this had been the situation throughout Persian history, even before the Safavids, ever since the Arab conquest.[101] Shah Tahmasp introduced a change to this, when he, and later the other Safavid rulers as well, sought to blur the formerly defined lines between the two ethnic groups, by taking the sons of qizilbash officers into the royal household for their education. Consequently, they were slowly able to take on administrative jobs in areas which had hitherto been the exclusive preserve of the Iranians.[102]
The third force[link]
From 1540 and onwards, Shah Tahmasp initiated a transformation of the society by slowly constructing a new branch within the aristocracy. The campaigns that he waged against Georgia between 1540 and 1554 were primarily meant to uphold the morale and the fighting efficiency of the qizilbash military,[103] but they brought home large numbers of Georgian, Armenian and Circassian slaves. The women came to occupy prominent positions in the harems of the Safavid elite, particularly the Shah's, while the men were given special training, on completion of which they were either enrolled in one of the newly created ghulam regiments, or employed in the royal household.[65] Shah Abbas continued this program and greatly expanded the ghulam military corps from a few hundred to 15 000 highly trained cavalrymen.[104] He then went on to reduce the number of qizilbash provincial governorships and systematicly moved qizilbash governors to other districts, thus disrupting their ties with the local community, and reducing their power. Many were replaced by a ghulam, and within short time, Georgians, Armenians and Circassians had been appointed to many of the highest offices of state. By 1595, Allahverdi Khan, a Georgian, became one of the most powerful men in the Safavid state, when he was appointed the Governor-General of Fars, one of the richest provinces in Persia. And his power reached its peak in 1598, when he became the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.[105] Thus, this new group eventually came to constitute a powerful "third force" within the state, alongside the Tajik Persians and the Qizilbash Turks, and it only goes to prove the meritocratic society of the Safavids.
Emergence of a clerical aristocracy[link]
An important feature of the Safavid society was the alliance that emerged between the ulama (the religious class) and the merchant community. The latter included merchants trading in the bazaars, the trade and artisan guilds (asnāf) and members of the quasi-religious organizations run by dervishes (futuvva). Because of the relative insecurity of property ownership in Persia, many private landowners secured their lands by donating them to the clergy as so called vaqf. They would thus retain the official ownership and secure their land from being confiscated by royal commissioners or local governors, as long as a percentage of the revenues from the land went to the ulama. Increasingly, members of the religious class, particularly the mujtahids and the seyyeds, gained full ownership of these lands, and, according to contemporary historian Iskandar Munshi, Persia started to witness the emergence of a new and significant group of landowners.[106]
State and government[link]
The Safavid state was one of checks and balance, both within the government and on a local level. At the apex of this system was the Shah, with total power over the state, legitimized by his bloodline as a seyyed, or descendant of the Prophet Mohammad. So absolute was his power, that the French merchant, and later ambassador to Persia, Jean Chardin thought the Safavid Shahs ruled their land with an iron fist and often in a despotic manner.[107] To ensure transparency and avoid decisions being made that circumvented the Shah, a complex system of bureaucracy and departmental procedures had been put in place that prevented fraud. Every office had a deputy or superintendent, whose job was to keep records of all actions of the state officials and report directly to the Shah. The Shah himself exercised his own measures for keeping his ministers under control by fostering an atmosphere of rivalry and competitive surveillance. And since the Safavid society was meritocratic, and successions seldom were made on the basis of heritage, this meant that government offices constantly felt the pressure of being under surveillance and had to make sure they governed in the best interest of their leader, and not merely their own.
The Government[link]
There probably did not exist any parliament, as we know them today. But the Portuguese ambassador to the Safavids, De Gouvea, still mentions the Council of State[108] in his records, which perhaps was a term for governmental gatherings of the time.
The highest level in the government was that of the Prime Minister, or Grand Vizier (Etemad-e Dowlat), who was always chosen from among doctors of law. He enjoyed tremendous power and control over national affairs as he was the immediate deputy of the Shah. No act of the Shah was valid without the counter seal of the Prime Minister. But even he stood accountable to a deputy (vak’anevis), who kept records of his decision-makings and notified the Shah. Second to the Prime Minister post were the General of the Revenues (mostoufi-ye mamalek), or finance minister,[109] and the Divanbegi, Minister of Justice. The latter was the final appeal in civil and criminal cases, and his office stood next to the main entrance to the Ali Qapu palace. In earlier times, the Shah had been closely involved in judicial proceedings, but this part of the royal duty was neglected by Shah Safi and the later kings.[110]
Next in authority were the generals: the General of the Royal Troops (the Shahsevans), General of the Musketeers, General of the Ghulams and The Master of Artillery. A separate official, the Commander-in-Chief, was appointed to be the head of these officials.[110]
The Royal Court[link]
As for the royal household, the highest post was that of the Nazir, Court Minister. He was perhaps the closest advisor to the Shah, and, as such, functioned as his eyes and ears within the Court. His primary job was to appoint and supervise all the officials of the household and to be their contact with the Shah. But his responsibilities also included that of being the treasurer of the Shahs properties. This meant that even the Prime Minister, who held the highest office in the state, had to work in association with the Nazir when it came to managing those transactions that directly related to the Shah.[110]
The second most senior appointment was the Grand Steward (Ichik Agasi bashi), who would always accompany the Shah and was easily recognizable because of the great baton that he carried with him. He was responsible for introducing all guests, receiving petitions presented to the Shah and reading them if required. Next in line were the Master of the Royal Stables (Mirakor bashi) and the Master of the Hunt (Mirshekar bashi). The Shah had stables in all the principal towns, and Shah Abbas was said to have about 30 000 horses in studs around the country.[111] In addition to these, there were separate officials appointed for the caretaking of royal banquets and for entertainment.
Chardin specifically noticed the rank of doctors and astrologers and the respect that the Shahs had for them. The Shah had a dozen of each in his service and would usually be accompanied by three doctors and three astrologers, who were authorized to sit by his side on various occasions.[110] The Chief Physician (Hakim-bashi) was a highly considered member of the Royal court,[112] and the most revered astrologer of the court was given the title Munajjim-bashi (Chief Astrologer).[113]
During the first century of the dynasty, the primary court language remained Azeri,[109] although this increasingly changed after the capital was moved to Isfahan.[9]
Local governments[link]
On a local level, the government was divided into public land and royal possessions. The public land was under the rule of local governors, or Khans. Since the earliest days of the Safavid dynasty, the Qizilbash generals had been appointed to most of these posts. They ruled their provinces like petty shahs and spent all their revenues on their own province, only presenting the Shah with the balance. In return, they had to keep ready a standing army at all times and provide the Shah with military assistance upon his request. It was also requested from them that they appoint a lawyer (vakil) to the Court who would inform them on matters pertaining to the provincial affairs.[114] Shah Abbas I intended to decrease the power of the Qizilbash by bringing some of these provinces into his direct control, creating so called Crown Provinces (Khassa). But it was Shah Safi, under influence by his Prime Minister, Saru Taqi, that initiated the program of trying to increase the royal revenues by buying land from the governors and putting in place local commissioners.[114] In time, this proved to become a burden to the people that were under the direct rule of the Shah, as these commissioners, unlike the former governors, had little knowledge about the local communities that they controlled and were primarily interested in increasing the income of the Shah. And, while it was in the governors’ own interest to increase the productivity and prosperity of their provinces, the commissioners received their income directly from the royal treasury and, as such, did not care so much about investing in agriculture and local industries. Thus, the majority of the people suffered from rapacity and corruption carried out in the name of the Shah.[114]
Democratic institutions in a totalitarian society[link]
In 16th and 17th century Iran, there existed a considerable number of local democratic institutions. Examples of such were the trade and artisan guilds, which had started to appear in Persia from the 1500s. Also, there were the quazi-religious fraternities called futuvva, which were run by local dervishes. Another official selected by the consensus of the local community was the kadkhoda, who functioned as a common law administrator.[115] The local sheriff (kalantar), who was not elected by the people but directly appointed by the Shah, and whose function was to protect the people against injustices on the part of the local governors, supervised the kadkhoda.[116]
Legal system[link]
In Safavid Persia there was little distinction between theology and jurisprudence, or between divine justice and human justice, and it all went under Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). The legal system was built up of two branches: civil law, which had its roots in sharia, received wisdom, and urf, meaning traditional experience and very similar to the Western form of common law. While the imams and judges of law applied civil law in their practice, urf was primarily exercised by the local commissioners, who inspected the villages on behalf of the Shah, and by the Minister of Justice (Divanbegi). The latter were all secular functionaries working on behalf of the Shah.[117]
The highest level in the legal system was the Minister of Justice, and the law officers were divided into senior appointments, such as the magistrate (darughah), inspector (visir), and recorder (vak’anevis). The lesser officials were the qazi, corresponding a civil lieutenant, who ranked under the local governors and functioned as judges in the provinces.
There were no particular place assigned for the administration of justice. Each magistrate executes justice in his own house in a large room opening on to a courtyard or a garden which is raised two or three feet above the ground. The Judge is seated at one end of the room having a writer and a man of law by his side.
Chardin also noted that bringing cases into court in Persia was easier than in the West. The judge (qazi) was informed of relevant points involved and would decide whether or not to take up the case. Having agreed to do so, a sergeant would investigate and summon the defendant, who was then obliged to pay the fee of the sergeant. The two parties with their witnesses pleaded their respective cases, usually without any counsel, and the judge would pass his judgment after the first or second hearing.[118]
Criminal justice was entirely separate from civil law and was judged upon common law administered through the Minister of Justice, local governors and the Court minister (the Nazir). Despite being based on urf, it relied upon certain sets of legal principles. Murder was punishable by death, and the penalty for bodily injuries was invariably the bastinado. Robbers had their right wrists amputated the first time, and sentenced to death on any subsequent occasion. State criminals were subjected to the karkan, a triangular wooden collar placed around the neck. On extraordinary occasions when the Shah took justice into his own hand, he would dress himself up in red for the importance of the event, according to ancient tradition.[117]
Economy[link]
What fueled the growth of Safavid economy was Iran's position between the burgeoning civilizations of Europe to its west and India and Islamic Central Asia to its east and north. The Silk Road which led through northern Iran to India revived in the 16th century. Abbas I also supported direct trade with Europe, particularly England and The Netherlands which sought Persian carpet, silk and textiles. Other exports were horses, goat hair, pearls and an inedible bitter almond hadam-talka used as a spice in India. The main imports were spice, textiles (woolens from Europe, cottons from Gujarat), metals, coffee, and sugar.
Agriculture[link]
According to the historian Roger Savory, the twin bases of the domestic economy were pastoralism and agriculture. And, just as the higher levels of the social hierarchy was divided between the Turkish "men of the sword" and the Persian "men of the pen"; so were the lower level divided between the Turcoman tribes, who were cattle breeders and lived apart from the surrounding population, and the Persians, who were peasants and settled agriculturalists.[119]
The Safavid economy was to a large extent based on agriculture and taxation of agricultural products. According to the French jeweller Jean Chardin, the variety in agricultural products in Persia was unrivaled in Europe and consisted of fruits and vegetables never even heard of in Europe. Chardin was present at some feasts in Isfahan were there were more than fifty different kinds of fruit. He thought that there was nothing like it in France or Italy:[120]
| “ | Tobacco grew all over the country and was as strong as that grown in Brazil. Saffron was the best in the world... Melons were regarded as excellent fruit, and there were more than 50 different sorts, the finest of which came from Khorasan. And in spite of being transported for more than thirty days, they were fresh when they reached Isfahan... After melons the finest fruits were grapes and dates, and the best dates were grown in Jahrom. | ” |
Despite of this, he was disappointed when travelling the country and witnessing the abundance of land that was not irrigated, or the fertile plains that were not cultivated, something he thought was in starch contrast to Europe. He blamed this on misgovernment, the sparse population of the country, and lack of appreciation of agriculture amongst the Persians.[121]
In the period prior to Shah Abbas I, most of the land was assigned to officials (civil, military and religious). From the time of Shah Abbas onwards, more land was brought under the direct control of the shah. And since agriculture accounted to the by far largest share of tax revenue, he took measures to expand it. What remained unchanged, was the "crop-sharing agreement" between whom ever was the landlord, and the peasant. This agreement concisted of five elements: land, water, plough-animals, seed and labour. Each element constituted 20 per cent of the crop production, and if, for instance, the peasant provided the labour force and the animals, he would be entitled to 40 per cent of the earnings.[122][123] According to contemporary historians, though, the landlord always had the worst of the bargain with the peasant in the crop-sharing agreements. In general, the peasants lived in comfort, and they were well paid and wore good clothes, although it was also notet that they were subject to forced labour and lived under heavy demands.[124]
Travel and Caravanserais[link]
Horses were the most important of all the domestic animals, and the best were brought in from Arabia and Central-Asia. They were costly because of the widespread trade in them, including to Turkey and India. The next most important mount, when travelling through Persia, was the mule. Also, the camel was a good investment for the merchant, as they cost nearly nothing to feed, carried a lot weight and could travel almost anywhere.[125]
Under the governance of the strong shahs, especially during the first half of the 17th century, travelling through Persia was easy because of good roads and the caravanserais, that were strategically placed along the route. Thévenot and Tavernier commented that the Persian caravanserais were better built and cleaner than their Turkish counterparts.[126] According to Chardin, they were also more abundant than in the Mughal or Ottoman Empires, where they were less frequent but larger.[127] Caravanserais were designed especially to benefit poorer travellers, as they could stay there for as long as they wished, without payment for lodging. During the reign of Shah Abbas I, as he tried to upgrade the Silk route to improve the commersial prosperity of the Empire, an abundance of caravanserais, bridges, bazaars and roads were built, and this strategy was followed by wealthy merchants who also profitted from the increase in trade. To uphold the standard, another source of revenue was needed, and road toll, that were collected by guards (rah-dars), were stationed along the trading routes. They in turn provided for the safety of the travellers, and both Thevenot and Tavernier stressed the safety of travelling in 17th century Persia, and the courtesy and refinement of the policing guards.[128] The Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle was impressed by an encounter with one of these road guards:[129]
| “ | He examined our baggage, but in the most obliging manner possible, not opening our trunks or packages, and was satisfied with a small tax, which was his due... | ” |
Foreign trade and The Silk Route[link]
The Portuguese Empire and the discovery of the trading route around the Cape of Good Hope in 1487 not only hit a death blow to Venice as a trading nation, but it also hurt the trade that was going on along the Silk Route and especially the Persian Gulf. They correctly identified the three key points to control all seaborn trade between Asia and Europe; The Gulf of Aden, The Persian Gulf and the Straits of Malacca by cutting off and controlling these strategic locations with high taxation.[130] In 1602 Shah Abbas I drove the Portuguese out of Bahrain, but he needed naval assistance from the newly arrived British East India Company to finally expel them from the Strait of Hormuz and regain control of this trading route.[131] He convinced the British to assist him by allowing them to open factories in Shiraz, Isfahan and Jask.[132][133] With the later end of the Portuguese Empire, the British, Dutch and French in particular gained easier access to Persian sea-born trade. Although they, unlike the Portuguese, did not arrive as colonisers, but as merchant adventurers. The terms of trade were not imposed on the Safavid shahs, but rather negotiated.
In the long term, however, the sea-born trade route was of less significance to the Persians than was the traditional Silk Route. Lack of investment in ship building and the navy, provided the Europeans with the opportunity to monopolize this trading route. The land-born trade would thus continue to provide the bulk of revenues to the Persian state. Much of the cash revenue came not so much from what could be sold abroad, as from the custom charges and transit dues levied on goods passing through the country.[134] Shah Abbas was determined to greatly expand this trade, but faced the problem of having to deal with the Ottomans, who controlled the two most vital routes: the route across Arabia to the Mediterranean ports, and the route through Anatolia and Istanbul. A third route was therefore devised which circumvented Ottoman territory. By travelling across the Caspian sea to the north, they would reach Russia. And with the assistans of the Muscovy Company they could cross over to Moscow, reaching Europe via Poland. This trading route proved to be of vital importance, especially during times of war with the Ottomans.[135]
By the end of the 17th century, the Dutch had become dominant in the trade that went via The Persian Gulf, having won most trade agreements and managed to strike deals before the British or French were able to. They particularly established monopoly of the spice trade between the East Indies and Iran.[136]
The Armenian merchants and the trade of silk[link]
The one valuable item, sought for in Europe, which Iran possessed and which could bring in silver in sufficient quantities was silk, which was produced in the northern provinces, along the Caspian coastline. The trade of this product was done by Turks and Persians to begin with, but during the 17th century the Christian Armenians became increasingly vital in the trade of this merchandise, as middlemen.[137]
Whereas domestic trade was largely in the hands of Persian and Jewish merchants, by late 17th century, almost all foreign trade was controlled by the Armenians.[138] They were even hired by wealthy Persian merchants to travel to Europe when they wanted to create commercial bases there, and the Armenians eventually established themselves in cities like Bursa, Aleppo, Venice, Livorno, Marseilles and Amsterdam.[137] Realizing this, Shah Abbas resettled large numbers of Armenians from the Caucasus to his capital city and provided them with loans.[137] And as the shah realized the importance of doing trade with the Europeans, he assured that the Safavid society was one with religious tolerance. The Christian Armenians thus became a commercial elite in the Safavid society and managed to survive in the tough atmosphere of business being fought over by the British, Dutch, French, Indians and Persians, by always having large capital readily available and by managing to strike harder bargains ensuring cheaper prices than what, for instance, their British rivals ever were able to.[139]
Culture[link]
See also: Safavid art
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| Jewellery | Metalworks |
| Embroidery | Motifs |
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| Pottery | Mirrorworks |
| Literature | |
| Literature | Mythology |
| Folklore | Philosophy |
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| Architecture | Cuisine |
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Culture within the Safavid family[link]
The Safavid family was a literate family from its early origin. There are extant Tati and Persian poetry from Shaykh Safi ad-din Ardabili as well as extant Persian poetry from Shaykh Sadr ad-din. Most of the extant poetry of Shah Ismail I is in Azerbaijani pen-name of Khatai.[50] Sam Mirza, the son of Shah Esmail as well as some later authors assert that Ismail composed poems both in Turkish and Persian but only a few specimens of his Persian verse have survived.[49] A collection of his poems in Azeri were published as a Divan. Shah Tahmasp who has composed poetry in Persian was also a painter, while Shah Abbas II was known as a poet, writing Azerbaijani verses.[140] Sam Mirza, the son of Ismail I was himself a poet and composed his poetry in Persian. He also compiled an anthology of contemporary poetry.[141]
Culture within the empire[link]
Shah Abbas I recognized the commercial benefit of promoting the arts - artisan products provided much of Iran's foreign trade. In this period, handicrafts such as tile making, pottery and textiles developed and great advances were made in miniature painting, bookbinding, decoration and calligraphy. In the 16th century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed industry with specialization of design and manufacturing. Tabriz was the center of this industry. The carpets of Ardabil were commissioned to commemorate the Safavid dynasty. The elegantly baroque yet famously 'Polonaise' carpets were made in Iran during the 17th century.
Using traditional forms and materials, Reza Abbasi (1565–1635) introduced new subjects to Persian painting — semi-nude women, youth, lovers. His painting and calligraphic style influenced Iranian artists for much of the Safavid period, which came to be known as the Isfahan school. Increased contact with distant cultures in the 17th century, especially Europe, provided a boost of inspiration to Iranian artists who adopted modeling, foreshortening, spatial recession, and the medium of oil painting (Shah Abbas II sent Zaman to study in Rome). The epic Shahnameh ("Book of Kings"), a stellar example of manuscript illumination and calligraphy, was made during Shah Tahmasp's reign. (This book was written by Ferdousi in 1000 AD for Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi) Another manuscript is the Khamsa by Nizami executed 1539-43 by Aqa Mirak and his school in Isfahan.
Isfahan bears the most prominent samples of the Safavid architecture, all constructed in the years after Shah Abbas I permanently moved the capital there in 1598: the Imperial Mosque, Masjid-e Shah, completed in 1630, the Imam Mosque (Masjid-e Imami) the Lutfallah Mosque and the Royal Palace.
According to William Cleveland and Martin Bunton,[142] the establishment of Isfahan as the Great capital of Persia and the material splendor of the city attracted intellecutal's from all corners of the world, which contributed to the cities rich cultural life. The impressive achievements of its 400 000 residents prompted the inhabitants to coin their famous boast, "Isfahan is half the world".
Poetry stagnated under the Safavids; the great medieval ghazal form languished in over-the-top lyricism. Poetry lacked the royal patronage of other arts and was hemmed in by religious prescriptions.
The arguably most renowned historian from this time was Iskandar Beg Munshi. His History of Shah Abbas the Great written a few years after its subject's death, achieved a nuanced depth of history and character.
The Isfahan School – Islamic philosophy revived[link]
See also: School of Isfahan, Mulla Sadra, Mir Damad, Mir Fendereski, Shaykh Bahai, and Mohsen Fayz Kashani
Islamic philosophy[143] flourished in the Safavid era in what scholars commonly refer to the School of Isfahan. Mir Damad is considered the founder of this school. Among luminaries of this school of philosophy, the names of Iranian philosophers such as Mir Damad, Mir Fendereski, Shaykh Bahai and Mohsen Fayz Kashani standout. The school reached its apogee with that of the Iranian philosopher Mulla Sadra who is arguably the most significant Islamic philosopher after Avicenna. Mulla Sadra has become the dominant philosopher of the Islamic East, and his approach to the nature of philosophy has been exceptionally influential up to this day.[144] He wrote the Al-Hikma al-muta‘aliya fi-l-asfar al-‘aqliyya al-arba‘a ("The Transcendent Philosophy of the Four Journeys of the Intellect"),[145] a meditation on what he called 'meta philosophy' which brought to a synthesis the philosophical mysticism of Sufism, the theology of Shi'a Islam, and the Peripatetic and Illuminationist philosophies of Avicenna and Suhrawardi.
According to the Iranologist Richard Nelson Frye:[146]
They were the continuers of the classical tradition of Islamic thought, which after Averroes died in the Arab west. The Persians schools of thought were the true heirs of the great Islamic thinkers of the golden age of Islam, whereas in the Ottoman empire there was an intellectual stagnation, as far as the traditions of Islamic philosophy were concerned.
Medicine[link]
The status of physicians during the Safavids stood as high as ever. Whereas neither the ancient Greeks nor the Romans accorded high social status to their doctors, Iranians had from ancient times honored their physicians, who were often appointed counselors of the Shahs. This would not change with the Arab conquest of Iran, and it was primarily the Persians that took upon them the works of philosophy, logic, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, music and alchemy.[147]
By the sixteenth century, Islamic science, which to a large extent meant Persian science, was resting on its laurels. The works of al-Razi (865-92) (known to the West as Razes) were still used in European universities as standard textbooks of alchemy, pharmacology and pediatrics. The Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (c. 980–1037) was still regarded as one of the primary textbooks in medicine throughout most of the civilized world.[148] As such, the status of medicine in the Safavid period did not change much, and relied as much on these works as ever before. Physiology was still based on the four humours of ancient and mediaeval medicine, and bleeding and purging were still the principal forms of therapy by surgeons, something even Thevenot experienced during his visit to Persia.[112]
The only field within medicine where some progress were made was pharmacology, with the compilement of the "Tibb-e Shifa’i" in 1556. This book was translated into French in 1681 by Angulus de Saint, under the name "Pharmacopoea Persica".[149]
Isfahan is Half the World[link]
See also: Persian architecture
The architectural legacy of the Safavids[link]
A new age in Iranian architecture began with the rise of the Safavid dynasty. Economically robust and politically stable, this period saw a flourishing growth of theological sciences. Traditional architecture evolved in its patterns and methods leaving its impact on the architecture of the following periods.
Indeed, one of the greatest legacies of the Safavids is the architecture. In 1598, when Shah Abbas decided to move the capital of his Persian empire from the north-western city of Qazvin to the central city of Isfahan, he initiated what would become one of the greatest programmes in Persian history; the complete remaking of the city. By choosing the central city of Isfahan, fertilized by the Zāyande roud ("The life-giving river"), lying as an oasis of intense cultivation in the midst of a vast area of arid landscape, he both distanced his capital from any future assaults by the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, and at the same time gained more control over the Persian Gulf, which had recently become an important trading route for the Dutch and British East India Companies.[150]
The Chief architect of this colossal task of urban planning was Shaykh Bahai (Baha' ad-Din al-`Amili), who focused the programme on two key features of Shah Abbas's master plan: the Chahar Bagh avenue, flanked at either side by all the prominent institutions of the city, such as the residences of all foreign dignitaries. And the Naqsh-e Jahan Square ("Examplar of the World").[151] Prior to the Shah's ascent to power, Persia had a decentralized power-structure, in which different institutions battled for power, including both the military (the Qizilbash) and governors of the different provinces making up the empire. Shah Abbas wanted to undermine this political structure, and the recreation of Isfahan, as a Grand capital of Persia, was an important step in centralizing the power.[152] The ingenuity of the square, or Maidān, was that, by building it, Shah Abbas would gather the three main components of power in Persia in his own backyard; the power of the clergy, represented by the Masjed-e Shah, the power of the merchants, represented by the Imperial Bazaar, and of course, the power of the Shah himself, residing in the Ali Qapu Palace.
Distinctive monuments like the Sheikh Lotfallah (1618), Hasht Behesht (Eight Paradise Palace) (1469) and the Chahar Bagh School(1714) appeared in Isfahan and other cities. This extensive development of architecture was rooted in Persian culture and took form in the design of schools, baths, houses, caravanserai and other urban spaces such as bazaars and squares. It continued until the end of the Qajar reign.[153]
The languages of the court, military, administration and culture[link]
The Safavids by the time of their rise were Azerbaijani-speaking although they also used Persian as a second language. The language chiefly used by the Safavid court and military establishment was Azerbaijani.[11][14] But the official[154] language of the empire as well as the administrative language, language of correspondence, literature and historiography was Persian.[11] The inscriptions on Safavid currency were also in Persian.[155]
Safavids also used Persian as a cultural and administrative language throughout the empire and were bilingual in Persian.[50] According to Arnold J. Toynbee,[156]
in the heyday of the Mughal, Safawi, and Ottoman regimes New Persian was being patronized as the language of litterae humaniores by the ruling element over the whole of this huge realm, while it was also being employed as the official language of administration in those two-thirds of its realm that lay within the Safawi and the Mughal frontiers
According to John R. Perry,[157]
In the 16th century, the Turcophone Safavid family of Ardabil in Azerbaijan, probably of Turkicized Iranian, origin, conquered Iran and established Turkic, the language of the court and the military, as a high-status vernacular and a widespread contact language, influencing spoken Persian, while written Persian, the language of high literature and civil administration, remained virtually unaffected in status and content.
According to Zabiollah Safa,[14]
In day-to-day affairs, the language chiefly used at the Safavid court and by the great military and political officers, as well as the religious dignitaries, was Turkish, not Persian; and the last class of persons wrote their religious works mainly in Arabic. Those who wrote in Persian were either lacking in proper tuition in this tongue, or wrote outside Iran and hence at a distance from centers where Persian was the accepted vernacular, endued with that vitality and susceptibility to skill in its use which a language can have only in places where it truly belongs.
According to É. Á. Csató et al.,[34]
A specific Turkic language was attested in Safavid Persia during the 16th and 17th centuries, a language that Europeans often called Persian Turkish ("Turc Agemi", "lingua turcica agemica"), which was a favourite language at the court and in the army because of the Turkic origins of the Safavid dynasty. The original name was just turki, and so a convenient name might be Turki-yi Acemi. This variety of Persian Turkish must have been also spoken in the Caucasian and Transcaucasian regions, which during the 16th century belonged to both the Ottomans and the Safavids, and were not fully integrated into the Safavid empire until 1606. Though that language might generally be identified as Middle Azerbaijanian, it's not yet possible to define exactly the limits of this language, both in linguistic and territorial respects. It was certainly not homogenous - maybe it was an Azerbaijanian-Ottoman mixed language, as Beltadze (1967:161) states for a translation of the gospels in Georgian script from the 18th century.
According to Rula Jurdi Abisaab,[158]
Although the Arabic language was still the medium for religious scholastic expression, it was precisely under the Safavids that hadith complications and doctrinal works of all sorts were being translated to Persian. The 'Amili (Lebanese scholars of Shi'i faith) operating through the Court-based religious posts, were forced to master the Persian language; their students translated their instructions into Persian. Persianization went hand in hand with the popularization of 'mainstream' Shi'i belief.
According to Cornelis Versteegh,[159]
The Safavid dynasty under Shah Ismail (961/1501) adopted Persian and the Shi'ite form of Islam as the national language and religion.
Legacy[link]
It was the Safavids who made Iran the spiritual bastion of Shi’ism against the onslaughts of Sunni Islam, and the repository of Persian cultural traditions and self-awareness of Iranianhood, acting as a bridge to modern Iran. The founder of the dynasty, Shah Isma'il, adopted the title of "Persian Emperor" Pādišah-ī Īrān, with its implicit notion of an Iranian state stretching from Khorasan as far as Euphrates, and from the Oxus to the southern Territories of the Persian Gulf.[160] According to Professor Roger Savory:[161][162]
In a number of ways the Safavids affected the development of the modern Iranian state: first, they ensured the continuance of various ancient and traditional Persian institutions, and transmitted these in a strengthened, or more 'national', form; second, by imposing Ithna 'Ashari Shi'a Islam on Iran as the official religion of the Safavid state, they enhanced the power of mujtahids. The Safavids thus set in train a struggle for power between the turban and the crown that is to say, between the proponents of secular government and the proponents of a theocratic government; third, they laid the foundation of alliance between the religious classes ('Ulama') and the bazaar which played an important role both in the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1906, and again in the Islamic Revolution of 1979; fourth the policies introduced by Shah Abbas I conduced to a more centralized administrative system.
Safavid Shahs of Iran[link]
- Ismail I 1501–1524
- Tahmasp I 1524–1576
- Ismail II 1576–1578
- Mohammed Khodabanda 1578–1587
- Abbas I 1587–1629
- Safi 1629–1642
- Abbas II 1642–1666
- Suleiman I 1666–1694
- Sultan Hoseyn I 1694–1722
- Tahmasp II 1722–1732
- Abbas III 1732–1736
See also[link]
References and notes[link]
- ^ Safavid dynasty. Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516019/Safavid-dynasty.
- ^ Safavid Persia. Books. Google. http://books.google.com/books?q=%22Safavid+Persia%22.
- ^ ...the Order of the Lion and the Sun, a device which, since the 17 century at least, appeared on the national flag of the Safavids the lion representing 'Ali and the sun the glory of the Shi'i faith, Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovskiĭ, J. M. Rogers, Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House, Courtauld Institute of Art, Heaven on earth: Art from Islamic Lands : Works from the State Hermitage Museum and the Khalili Collection, Prestel, 2004, p. 178.
- ^ Ingvild Flaskerud (26 November 2010). Visualizing Belief and Piety in Iranian Shiism. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-1-4411-4907-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=fH1pvM0AdNIC&pg=PA182. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ Roemer, H. R. (1986). "The Safavid Period". The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 189–350. ISBN 0-521-20094-6, p. 331: "Depressing though the condition in the country may have been at the time of the fall of Safavids, they cannot be allowed to overshadow the achievements of the dynasty, which was in many respects to prove essential factors in the development of Persia in modern times. These include the maintenance of Persian as the official language and of the present-day boundaries of the country, adherence to the Twelever Shi'i, the monarchical system, the planning and architectural features of the urban centers, the centralised administration of the state, the alliance of the Shi'i Ulama with the merchant bazaars, and the symbiosis of the Persian-speaking population with important non-Persian, especially Turkish speaking minorities".
- ^ a b c Rudi Matthee, "Safavids" in Encyclopædia Iranica, accessed on April 4, 2010. "The Persian focus is also reflected in the fact that theological works also began to be composed in the Persian language and in that Persian verses replaced Arabic on the coins." "The political system that emerged under them had overlapping political and religious boundaries and a core language, Persian, which served as the literary tongue, and even began to replace Arabic as the vehicle for theological discourse".
- ^ Ronald W Ferrier, The Arts of Persia. Yale University Press. 1989, p. 9.
- ^ a b John R Perry, "Turkic-Iranian contacts", Encyclopædia Iranica, January 24, 2006: "...written Persian, the language of high literature and civil administration, remained virtually unaffected in status and content"
- ^ a b Cyril Glassé (ed.), The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, revised ed., 2003, ISBN 0-7591-0190-6, p. 392: "Shah Abbas moved his capital from Qazvin to Isfahan. His reigned marked the peak of Safavid dynasty's achievement in art, diplomacy, and commerce. It was probably around this time that the court, which originally spoke a Turkic language, began to use Persian"
- ^ Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History, V, pp. 514-15. excerpt: "in the heyday of the Mughal, Safawi, and Ottoman regimes New Persian was being patronized as the language of literae humaniores by the ruling element over the whole of this huge realm, while it was also being employed as the official language of administration in those two-thirds of its realm that lay within the Safawi and the Mughal frontiers"
- ^ a b c d Mazzaoui, Michel B; Canfield, Robert (2002). "Islamic Culture and Literature in Iran and Central Asia in the early modern period". Turko-Persia in Historical Perspective. Cambridge University Press. pp. 86–7. ISBN 0-521-52291-9, ISBN 978-0-521-52291-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=qwwoozMU0LMC&pg=PA86#PPA87,M1. "Safavid power with its distinctive Persian-Shi'i culture, however, remained a middle ground between its two mighty Turkish neighbors. The Safavid state, which lasted at least until 1722, was essentially a "Turkish" dynasty, with Azeri Turkish (Azerbaijan being the family's home base) as the language of the rulers and the court as well as the Qizilbash military establishment. Shah Ismail wrote poetry in Turkish. The administration nevertheless was Persian, and the Persian language was the vehicle of diplomatic correspondence (insha'), of belles-lettres (adab), and of history (tarikh)."
- ^ Ruda Jurdi Abisaab. "Iran and Pre-Independence Lebanon" in Houchang Esfandiar Chehabi, Distant Relations: Iran and Lebanon in the Last 500 Years, IB Tauris 2006, p. 76: "Although the Arabic language was still the medium for religious scholastic expression, it was precisely under the Safavids that hadith complications and doctrinal works of all sorts were being translated to Persian. The 'Amili (Lebanese scholars of Shi'i faith) operating through the Court-based religious posts, were forced to master the Persian language; their students translated their instructions into Persian. Persianization went hand in hand with the popularization of 'mainstream' Shi'i belief."
- ^ a b Savory, Roger (2007). Iran Under the Safavids. Cambridge University Press. p. 213. ISBN 0-521-04251-8, ISBN 978-0-521-04251-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=v4Yr4foWFFgC&pg=PA213. "qizilbash normally spoke Azari brand of Turkish at court, as did the Safavid shahs themselves; lack of familiarity with the Persian language may have contributed to the decline from the pure classical standards of former times"
- ^ a b c Zabiollah Safa (1986), "Persian Literature in the Safavid Period", The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-20094-6, pp. 948–65. P. 950: "In day-to-day affairs, the language chiefly used at the Safavid court and by the great military and political officers, as well as the religious dignitaries, was Turkish, not Persian; and the last class of persons wrote their religious works mainly in Arabic. Those who wrote in Persian were either lacking in proper tuition in this tongue, or wrote outside Iran and hence at a distance from centers where Persian was the accepted vernacular, endued with that vitality and susceptibility to skill in its use which a language can have only in places where it truly belongs."
- ^ Price, Massoume (2005). Iran's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook. ABC-CLIO. p. 66. ISBN 1-57607-993-7, ISBN 978-1-57607-993-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=gzpdq679oJwC&pg=PA66. "The Shah was a native Turkic speaker and wrote poetry in the Azerbaijani language."
- ^ The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Ed. Cyril Glassé, (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008), 449.
- ^ Ferrier, RW, A Journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's Portrait of a Seventeenth-century Empire, p. ix.
- ^ Helen Chapin Metz. Iran, a Country study. 1989. University of Michigan, p. 313.
- ^ Emory C. Bogle. Islam: Origin and Belief. University of Texas Press. 1989, p. 145.
- ^ Stanford Jay Shaw. History of the Ottoman Empire. Cambridge University Press. 1977, p. 77.
- ^ Andrew J. Newman, Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire, IB Tauris (March 30, 2006).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j RM Savory, Safavids, Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed.
- ^ a b c "Peoples of Iran" Encyclopædia Iranica. RN Frye.
- ^ a b RM Savory. Ebn Bazzaz. Encyclopædia Iranica
- ^ Peter B. Golden: An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples; In: Osman Karatay, Ankara 2002, p.321
- ^ Aptin Khanbaghi (2006) The Fire, the Star and the Cross: Minority Religions in Medieval and Early. London & New York. IB Tauris. ISBN 1-84511-056-0, pp. 130-1
- ^ a b Anthony Bryer. "Greeks and Türkmens: The Pontic Exception", Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Vol. 29 (1975), Appendix II - Genealogy of the Muslim Marriages of the Princesses of Trebizond
- ^ Why is there such confusion about the origins of this important dynasty, which reasserted Iranian identity and established an independent Iranian state after eight and a half centuries of rule by foreign dynasties? RM Savory, Iran under the Safavids (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1980), p. 3.
- ^ Alireza Shapur Shahbazi (2005), "The History of the Idea of Iran", in Vesta Curtis ed., Birth of the Persian Empire, IB Tauris, London, p. 108: "Similarly the collapse of Sassanian Eranshahr in AD 650 did not end Iranians' national idea. The name "Iran" disappeared from official records of the Saffarids, Samanids, Buyids, Saljuqs and their successor. But one unofficially used the name Iran, Eranshahr, and similar national designations, particularly Mamalek-e Iran or "Iranian lands", which exactly translated the old Avestan term Ariyanam Daihunam. On the other hand, when the Safavids (not Reza Shah, as is popularly assumed) revived a national state officially known as Iran, bureaucratic usage in the Ottoman empire and even Iran itself could still refer to it by other descriptive and traditional appellations".
- ^ In the pre-Safavid written work Safvat as-Safa (oldest manuscripts from 1485 and 1491), the origin of the Safavids is tracted to Piruz Shah Zarin Kolah who is called a Kurd from Sanjan, while in the post-Safavid manuscripts, this portion has been excised and Piruz Shah Zarin Kollah is made a descendant of the Imams. R Savory, "Ebn Bazzaz" in Encyclopædia Iranica). In the Silsilat an-nasab-i Safawiya (composed during the reign of Shah Suleiman, 1667–94), by Hussayn ibn Abdal Zahedi, the ancestry of the Safavid was purported to be tracing back to Hijaz and the first Shi'i Imam as follows: Shaykh Safi al-din Abul Fatah Eshaq ibn (son of) Shaykh Amin al-Din Jabrail ibn Qutb al-din ibn Salih ibn Muhammad al-Hafez ibn Awad ibn Firuz Shah Zarin Kulah ibn Majd ibn Sharafshah ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Seyyed Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Seyyed Ja'afar ibn Seyyed Muhammad ibn Seyyed Isma'il ibn Seyyed Muhammad ibn Seyyed Ahmad 'Arabi ibn Seyyed Qasim ibn Seyyed Abul Qasim Hamzah ibn Musa al-Kazim ibn Ja'far As-Sadiq ibn Muhammad al-Baqir ibn Imam Zayn ul-'Abedin ibn Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Taleb Alayha as-Salam. There are differences between this and the oldest manuscript of Safwat as-Safa. Seyyeds have been added from Piruz Shah Zarin Kulah up to the first Shi'i Imam and the nisba "Al-Kurdi" has been excised. The title/name "Abu Bakr" (also the name of the first Caliph and highly regarded by Sunnis) is deleted from Qutb ad-Din's name. ُSource: Husayn ibn Abdāl Zāhedī, 17th cent. Silsilat al-nasab-i Safavīyah, nasabnāmah-'i pādishāhān bā ʻuzmat-i Safavī, ta'līf-i Shaykh Husayn pisar-i Shaykh Abdāl Pīrzādah Zāhedī dar 'ahd-i Shāh-i Sulaymnān-i Safavī. Berlīn, Chāpkhānah-'i Īrānshahr, 1343 (1924), 116 pp. Original Persian: شیخ صفی الدین ابو الفتح اسحق ابن شیخ امین الدین جبرائیل بن قطب الدین ابن صالح ابن محمد الحافظ ابن عوض ابن فیروزشاه زرین کلاه ابن محمد ابن شرفشاه ابن محمد ابن حسن ابن سید محمد ابن ابراهیم ابن سید جعفر بن سید محمد ابن سید اسمعیل بن سید محمد بن سید احمد اعرابی بن سید قاسم بن سید ابو القاسم حمزه بن موسی الکاظم ابن جعفر الصادق ابن محمد الباقر ابن امام زین العابدین بن حسین ابن علی ابن ابی طالب علیه السلام.
- ^ R.M. Savory, "Safavid Persia" in: Ann Katherine Swynford Lambton, Peter Malcolm Holt, Bernard Lewis, The Cambridge History of Islam, Cambridge University Press, 1977. p. 394: "They (Safavids after the establishment of the Safavid state) fabricated evidence to prove that the Safavids were Sayyids."
- ^ F. Daftary, "Intellectual Traditions in Islam", I.B.Tauris, 2001. pg 147: "But the origins of the family of Shaykh Safi al-Din go back not to Hijaz but to Kurdistan, from where, seven generations before him, Firuz Shah Zarin-kulah had migrated to Adharbayjan"
- ^ Tamara Sonn. A Brief History of Islam, Blackwell Publishing, 2004, p. 83, ISBN 1-4051-0900-9
- ^ a b É. Á. Csató, B. Isaksson, C Jahani. Linguistic Convergence and Areal Diffusion: Case Studies from Iranian, Semitic and Turkic, Routledge, 2004, p. 228, ISBN 0-415-30804-6.
- ^ Minorsky, V (2009). "Adgharbaydjan (Azarbaydjan". In Berman, P; Bianquis, Th; Bosworth, CE et al.. Encyclopedia of Islam (2nd ed.). NL: Brill. http://www.encislam.brill.nl/. "After 907/1502, Adharbayjan became the chielf bulwark and rallying ground of the Safawids, themselves natives of Ardabil and originally speaking the local Iranian dialect"
- ^ Roger M. Savory. "Safavids" in Peter Burke, Irfan Habib, Halil İnalcık: History of Humanity-Scientific and Cultural Development: From the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Taylor & Francis. 1999, p. 259: "From the evidence available at the present time, it is certain that the Safavid family was of indigineous Iranian stock, and not of Turkish ancestry as it is sometimes claimed. It is probable that the family originated in Persian Kurdistan, and later moved to Azerbaijan, where they adopted the Azari form of Turkish spoken there, and eventually settled in the small town of Ardabil sometimes during the eleventh century."
- ^ E. Yarshater, "Iran", . Encyclopædia Iranica. "The origins of the Safavids are clouded in obscurity. They may have been of Kurdish origin (see R. Savory, Iran Under the Safavids, 1980, p. 2; R. Matthee, "Safavid Dynasty" at iranica.com), but for all practical purposes they were Turkish-speaking and Turkified. "
- ^ John L. Esposito, The Oxford History of Islam, Oxford University Press US, 1999. pp 364: "To support their legitimacy, the Safavid dynasty of Iran (1501-1732) devoted a cultural policy to estbalish their regime as the reconstruction of the historic Iranian monarchy. To the end, they commisioned elaborate copies of the Shahnameh, the Iranian national epic, such as this one made for Tahmasp in the 1520s."
- ^ Ira Marvin Lapidus, A history of Islamic Societies, Cambridge University Press, 2002, 2nd edition. pg 445: To bolster the prestige of the state, the Safavid dynasty sponsered an Iran-Islamic style of culture concentrating on court poetry, painting, and monumental architecture that symbolized not only the Islamic credentials of the state but also the glory of the ancient Persian traditions."
- ^ Colin P. Mitchell, "ṬAHMĀSP I" in Encyclopædia Iranica. "Shah Ṭahmāsp's own brother, Sām Mirzā, wrote the Taḏkera-yetoḥfa-ye sāmi, in which he mentioned 700 poets during the reigns of the first two Safavid rulers. Sām Mirzā himself was an ardent poet, writing 8,000 verses and a Šāh-nāma dedicated to his brother, Ṭahmāsp (see Sām Mirzā, ed. Homāyun-Farroḵ, 1969)."
- ^ See: Willem Floor, Hasan Javadi(2009), The Heavenly Rose-Garden: A History of Shirvan & Daghestan by Abbas Qoli Aqa Bakikhanov, Mage Publishers, 2009.(see Sections on Safavids quoting poems of Shah Tahmasp I)
- ^ Kathryn Babayan, Mystics, Monarchs and Messiahs: Cultural Landscapes of Early Modern Iran, Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London : Harvard University Press, 2002. pg 143: "It is true that during their revolutionary phase (1447-1501), Safavi guides had played on their descent from the family of the Prophet. The hagiography of the founder of the Safavi order, Shaykh Safi al-Din Safvat al-Safa written by Ibn Bazzaz in 1350-was tampered with during this very phase. An initial stage of revisions saw the transformation of Safavi identity as Sunni Kurds into Arab blood descendants of Muhammad."
- ^ a b "The Iranian Language of Azerbaijan" E. Yarshater, Encyclopædia Iranica
- ^ Ehsan Yarshater, Encyclopædia Iranica, Book 1, p. 240.
- ^ Peter Charanis. "Review of Emile Janssens' Trébizonde en Colchide", Speculum, Vol. 45, No. 3 (July 1970), p. 476.
- ^ Anthony Bryer, open citation, p. 136.
- ^ Virani, Shafique N. The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (New York: Oxford University Press), 2007, p.113.
- ^ The writer Ṛūmlu documented the most important of them in his history.
- ^ a b c d e "Ismail Safavi" Encyclopædia Iranica
- ^ a b c d V. Minorsky, "The Poetry of Shāh Ismā‘īl I", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 10/4 (1942): 1006–53.
- ^ Richard Tapper. "Shahsevan in Safavid Persia", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 37, No. 3, 1974, p. 324.
- ^ Lawrence Davidson, Arthur Goldschmid, A Concise History of the Middle East, Westview Press, 2006, p. 153.
- ^ Britannica Concise. "Safavid Dynasty", Online Edition 2007.
- ^ George Lenczowski, "Iran under the Pahlavis", Hoover Institution Press, 1978, p. 79: "Ismail Safavi, descendant of the pious Shaykh Ishaq Safi al-Din (d. 1334), seized Tabriz assuming the title of Shahanshah-e-Iran".
- ^ Stefan Sperl, C. Shackle, Nicholas Awde, "Qasida poetry in Islamic Asia and Africa", Brill Academic Pub; Set Only edition (February 1996), p. 193: "Like Shah Ni'mat Allah-i Vali he hosted distinguished visitors among them Ismail Safavi, who had proclaimed himself Shahanshah of Iran in 1501 after having taken Tabriz, the symbolic and political capital of Iran".
- ^ Heinz Halm, Janet Watson, Marian Hill, Shi'ism, translated by Janet Watson, Marian Hill, Edition: 2, illustrated, published by Columbia University Press, 2004, p. 80: "...he was able to make his triumphal entry into Alvand's capital Tabriz. Here he assumed the ancient Iranian title of King of Kings (Shahanshah) and setup up Shi'i as the ruling faith"
- ^ Virani, Shafique N. The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (New York: Oxford University Press), 2007, 113.
- ^ H.R. Roemer, The Safavid Period, in Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. VI, Cambridge University Press 1986, p. 339: "Further evidence of a desire to follow in the line of Turkmen rulers is Ismail's assumption of the title "Padishah-i-Iran"
- ^ "Iranian identity iii. Medieval Islamic period" in Encyclopedia Iranica: "The Safavid kings called themselves, among other appellations, the "heart of the shrine of ʿAli" (kalb-e āstān-e ʿAli), while assuming the title of Šāhanšāh (the king of kings) of Persia/Iran". Quote 2: "Even Ottoman sultans, when addressing the Āq Quyunlu and Safavid kings, used such titles as the "king of Iranian lands" or the "sultan of the lands of Iran" or "the king of kings of Iran, the lord of the Persians" or the "holders of the glory of Jamšid and the vision of Faridun and the wisdom of Dārā." They addressed Shah Esmaʿil as: "the king of Persian lands and the heir to Jamšid and Kay-ḵosrow" (Navāʾi, pp. 578, 700–2, 707). During Shah ʿAbbās's reign (q.v.) the transformation is complete and Shiʿite Iran comes to face the two adjacent Sunni powers: the Ottoman Empire to the west and the Kingdom of Uzbeks to the east."
- ^ Savory, R, Iran under the Safavids, pp. 60–4.
- ^ a b Richards, JF, The Mughal Empire, p. 11.
- ^ Riazul Islam; Indo-Persian relations (Tehran 1970), pp. 22–47.
- ^ John F Richards, Gordon Johnson (1996), Cambridge University Press, The Mughal Empire.
- ^ Savory, R, Iran under the Safavids, p. 66.
- ^ a b Blow, D; Shah Abbas: The ruthless king who became an Iranian legend, p. 9.
- ^ Savory, p. 57.
- ^ Savory, pp. 129-31.
- ^ DM Lang. "Georgia and the Fall of the Safavi Dynasty", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 14, No. 3, Studies Presented to Vladimir Minorsky by His Colleagues and Friends (1952), pp. 523–39.
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- ^ Dale, Stephen Frederic (1994). Indian merchants and Eurasian trade, 1600-1750. Cambridge. pp. 80–100, 122–123.
- ^ Kotilaine, Jarmo T. (2005). Russia's foreign trade and economic expansion in the seventeenth century: Windows on the world. Leiden. pp. 330–360, 450–485.
- ^ Utz, Axel (2011). Cultural exchange, imperialist violence, and pious missions: Local perspectives from Tanjavur and Lenape country, 1720-1760 (Ph.D. thesis). Pennsylvania State University. pp. 84–85, 93-94. http://search.proquest.com/docview/902171220.
- ^ Floor, Willem; Clawson, Patrick (2000). "Safavid Iran's search for silver and gold". International Journal of Middle East Studies 32 (3): 345–368. DOI:10.1017/S0020743800021139.
- ^ Mottahedeh, Roy, The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran, One World, Oxford, 1985, 2000, p. 204.
- ^ Axworthy pp.39-55
- ^ Blow, David; Shah Abbas: The ruthless king who became an Iranian legend, pp. 37–8.
- ^ "Shahsavan Tribes", Dr P. Shahsavand, Professor of Sociology at Islamic Azad University — Events Magazine, Cultural, Economical and General Events of Iran (retrieved 4 Sep 2007).
- ^ a b Blow, p. 38.
- ^ Savory, Roger, Iran under the Safavids, p. 183.
- ^ Sir E. Denison Ross, Sir Anthony Sherley and his Persian Adventure, pp. 219–20.
- ^ a b Savory, R, Iran under the Safavids, p. 177.
- ^ a b Ferrier, RW, A journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's portrait of a seventeenth-century empire, p. 110.
- ^ Ferrier, p. 111.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 111-113.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 114-115.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 116.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 117- 118.
- ^ Ferrier; pp. 120- 124.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 124.
- ^ Axworthy, Michael; History of Iran (2010).
- ^ Savory; 184-5.
- ^ Savory; Iran under the Safavids; p. 65
- ^ Blow; p. 37.
- ^ Savory; p. 82.
- ^ Savory, pp. 185–6.
- ^ Ferrier, R. W.; A Journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's Portrait of a Seventeenth-century Empire; pp 71-71.
- ^ Blow, p. 173.
- ^ a b Blow, David. Shah Abbas: the ruthless king who became an Iranian legend, p. 165.
- ^ a b c d Ferrier, pp. 80–2.
- ^ Blow, p. 170.
- ^ a b Savory, Roger, Iran under the Safavids, p. 221.
- ^ Blow, p. 175.
- ^ a b c Ferrier; pp. 85-89.
- ^ Malcolm; vol II, p. 456.
- ^ Savory; p. 182.
- ^ a b Ferrier, RW, A journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's Portrait of a Seventeenth-century Empire, pp. 90–4.
- ^ a b Ferrier p. 91.
- ^ Savory, R.; Iran under the Safavids; pp. 186-7.
- ^ Ferrier, R. W.; A journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's portrait of a seventeenth-century Empire; p. 24.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 23.
- ^ Savory; p.187.
- ^ Blow, D.; Shah Abbas: The ruthless king who became an Iranian legend; p. 211.
- ^ Lambton, A. K. S.; Landlord and Peasant in Persia (Oxford 1953); p 127-8.
- ^ Ferrier; pp. 25-6.
- ^ Savory; p.190.
- ^ Ferrier; p. 31.
- ^ Savory; p. 191.
- ^ Blow; p. 210.
- ^ Savory, R; Iran under the Safavids; pp. 193-5.
- ^ Blow, D; Shah Abbas: The ruthless king who became an Iranian legend; pp. 113-131.
- ^ Blow; chapter: "English adventurers at the servise of Shah Abbas."
- ^ Savory; p. 195.
- ^ Blow; p. 212.
- ^ Savory; p. 196.
- ^ Savory; pp. 199-200.
- ^ a b c Blow; p. 213.
- ^ Savory; p. 195-8
- ^ Savory; p. 202.
- ^ E. Yarshater, Language of Azerbaijan, vii., Persian language of Azerbaijan", Encyclopædia Iranica, v, pp. 238–45, Online edition.
- ^ Emeri "van" Donzel, Islamic Desk Reference, Brill Academic Publishers, 1994, p. 393.
- ^ William L. Cleveland and Martin P. Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East (Westview Press, 2000), 2nd ed., pp. 56-57.
- ^ Dabashi, H. (1996) 'Mir Damad and the Founding of the School of Isfahan', in SH Nasr and O. Leaman (eds) History of Islamic Philosophy, London: Routledge, ch. 34, 597–634.
- ^ Rizvi, Sajjad (Summer 2009). "Mulla Sadra". In Zalta, Edward N. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2009/entries/mulla-sadra/.
- ^ Nasr, Seyyed Hossein, Sadr al-Din Shirazi and his Transcendent Theosophy, Background, Life and Works, 2nd ed., Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies.
- ^ RN Frye, The Golden Age of Persia, Phoenix Press, 2000, p. 234
- ^ Savory, Roger: Iran under the Safavids, pp. 220–5.
- ^ Savory, pp. 220.
- ^ Savory, p. 222.
- ^ Savory, Roger; Iran under the Safavids, p. 155.
- ^ Sir Roger Stevens; The Land of the Great Sophy, p. 172.
- ^ Savory; chpt: The Safavid empire at the height of its power under Shāh Abbas the Great (1588-1629)
- ^ Jodidio, Philip, Iran: Architecture For Changing Societies:Umberto Allemandi (August 2, 2006).
- ^ Roemer, HR (1986). "The Safavid Period". The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 189–350. ISBN 0-521-20094-6, p. 331: "Depressing though the condition in the country may have been at the time of the fall of Safavids, they cannot be allowed to overshadow the achievements of the dynasty, which was in many respects to prove essential factors in the development of Persia in modern times. These include the maintanence of Persian as the official language and of the present-day boundaries of the country, adherence to the Twelever Shi'i, the monarchical system, the planning and architectural feartures of the urban centers, the centralised administration of the state, the alliance of the Shi'i Ulama with the merchant bazaars, and the symbiosis of the Persian-speaking population with important non-Persian, especially Turkish speaking minorities".
- ^ Ronald W. Ferrier, The Arts of Persia, Yale University Press, 1989, p. 199.
- ^ Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History, V, pp. 514-15.
- ^ John R. Perry, "Turkic-Iranian contacts", Encyclopædia Iranica, January 24, 2006.
- ^ Ruda Jurdi Abisaab. "Iran and Pre-Independence Lebanon" in Houchang Esfandiar Chehabi, Distant Relations: Iran and Lebanon in the Last 500 Years, I.B. Tauris (2006), p. 76.
- ^ Cornelis Henricus Maria Versteegh, The Arabic Language, Columbia University Press, 1997, p. 71.
- ^ Hillenbrand R., Islamic Art and Architecture, London (1999), ISBN 0-500-20305-9, p. 228.
- ^ Savory, RM. "Rise of a Shi'i State in Iran and New Orientation in Islamic Thought and Culture". 'UNESCO: History of Humanity. 5: From the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. London, New York: Routledge. p. 263. http://www.unesco.org/culture/humanity/html_eng/volume5.htm.
- ^ Mujtahid: A mujtahid in Arabic means a person who qualified to engange in ijtihad, or interpretation of religious texts. Ithna 'ashari is the number twelve in Arabic, signifying Twelver Imami Shi'i Islam. Ulama: Arabic for religious scholars.
Literature[link]
- M.I. Marcinkowski (tr.),Persian Historiography and Geography: Bertold Spuler on Major Works Produced in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and Early Ottoman Turkey, M. Ismail Marcinkowski, Singapore: Pustaka Nasional, 2003, ISBN 9971-77-488-7.
- M.I. Marcinkowski (tr., ed.),Mirza Rafi‘a's Dastur al-Muluk: A Manual of Later Safavid Administration. Annotated English Translation, Comments on the Offices and Services, and Facsimile of the Unique Persian Manuscript, M. Ismail Marcinkowski, Kuala Lumpur, ISTAC, 2002, ISBN 983-9379-26-7.
- M.I. Marcinkowski,From Isfahan to Ayutthaya: Contacts between Iran and Siam in the 17th Century, M. Ismail Marcinkowski, Singapore, Pustaka Nasional, 2005, ISBN 9971-77-491-7.
- Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman, "Safavi Ahad Main Ilm Tashreeh Ka Mutala (a book in Urdu on Studies of History of anatomy during Safavid dynasty), Tibbi Academy, Aligarh, India, 1983, 96 pp.
- "The Voyages and Travels of the Ambassadors", Adam Olearius, translated by John Davies (1662),
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Safavid Empire |
- History of the Safavids on Iran Chamber
- "Safavid dynasty", Encyclopædia Iranica by Rudi Matthee
- The History Files: Rulers of Persia
- BBC History of Religion
- Iranian culture and history site
- Artistic and cultural history of the Safavids from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- History of Safavid art
- A Study of the Migration of Shi'i Works from Arab Regions to Iran at the Early Safavid Era.
- Why is Safavid history important? (Iran Chamber Society)
- Historiography During the Safawid Era
- NEWMAN, Andrew J. Safavid Iran - Rebirth of a Persian Empire. New York: I.B. Tauris, 2009.
- "IRAN ix. RELIGIONS IN IRAN (2) Islam in Iran (2.3) Shiʿism in Iran Since the Safavids: Safavid Period", Encyclopædia Iranica by Hamid Algar
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| Ismail I | |
|---|---|
| Shahanshah of Azerbaijan and Iran | |
 Shah Ismail I. |
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| Reign | 1501–1524 |
| Coronation | 1501 |
| Buried | Ardabil |
| Successor | Tahmasp I |
| Consort | daughter of Shirvanshah II Khalilullah[1][2][3][4] |
| Royal House | Safavid dynasty |
| Father | Haydar Safavi |
Ismail I (July 17, 1487 – May 23, 1524), known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil (Persian: شاه اسماعیل; full name: Abū l-Muzaffar bin Haydar as-Safavī), was a Shah of Azerbaijan (1501), Shah of Iran (1502) [5][6] and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an Twelver Shia militant religious order and unified all of Iran by 1509.[7] Born in Ardabil in Northwestern Iran, he reigned as Shah Ismail I of Iran from 1502 to 1524.
Ismail played a key role in the rise of Twelver Islam; he converted Iran from Sunni and Ismaili Shi'i Islam, importing religious authorities from the Levant.[8] In Alevism, Shah Ismail remains revered as a spiritual guide.
Ismail was also a prolific poet who, under the pen name Khatā'ī ("Sinner") contributed greatly to the literary development of the Azerbaijani language.[9]
Contents |
Life and political history[link]
Ismail was born to Martha and Shaykh Haydar on July 17, 1487 in Ardabil. His father, Haydar, was the sheikh of the Safaviyya Sufi order and a direct descendant of its founder, Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334). Ismail was the last in line of hereditary Grand Masters of the Safaviyah Sufi order, prior to his ascent to a ruling dynasty. As a boy only a year old, he lost his father, the leader of a growing Qizilbash Shi'i community in Azerbaijan, who died in battle. His mother, Martha, was the daughter of Uzun Hasan by his Pontic Greek wife Theodora, better known as Despina Khatun.[10] Theodora was the daughter of Emperor John IV of Trebizond. (She had married Uzun Hassan in a deal to protect Trebizond from the Ottomans.[11]) Ismail grew up bilingual, speaking Persian and Azeri.[12][13]
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| Beliefs | |
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Allah · Haqq-Muhammad-Ali · Qur'an |
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| The Twelve Imams | |
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Ali · Hasan · Husayn |
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| Practices | |
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Fasting · Sama · Music |
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| Leadership | |
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Dedes · Murshid · Pir · Rehber |
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| Crucial figures and influences | |
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Khadijah bint Khuwaylid · Fatimah |
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| Related Muslim Tariqah | |
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Malāmat'īyyah · Qalāndār'īyyah |
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| Alevi history | |
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Umayyads · Abu Muslim al-Khorasani |
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| Other influential groups | |
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Ismā'īlīya · Alavī Bohra · Nizārī Ismā'īlī |
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| 190px | |
| SAFAVID INFLUENCES IN IRAN | |
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Safavid Conversion of Iran from |
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| Shi'a states in Persia before Safavids | |
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Justanids · Alavids · Buyids |
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| Shi'a states in Persia after Safavids | |
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Afsharids · Shakis · Ganja |
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As legend has it, the infant Ismail went into hiding for several years. With his followers, he finally returned to Tabriz, vowing to make Shi'i Islam the official religion of Iran. Ismail found significant support among the people of Azerbaijan[citation needed], as well as some parts of the Ottoman Empire, mainly in eastern Anatolia. Ismail's advent to power was due to Turkoman tribes of Anatolia and Azerbaijan, who formed the most important part of the Qizilbash movement.[14] Centuries of Sunni rule followed by non-Muslim Mongol hegemony lent fertile ground for new teachings.[citation needed] In the summer of 1500, about 7000 Qizilbash forces, consisted of Ustaclu, Shamlu, Rumlu, Tekelu, Zhulkadir, Afshar, Qajar ve Varsak tribes, responded to the invitation of Ismail in Erzincan.[15] Qizilbash forces passed over the Kura River in Novermber 1500, and marched towards the Shirvanshah's state. They defeated the forces under the Shirvanshah Farrukh Yassar near Cabanı (present-day Shamakhi Rayon, Azerbaijan), and conquered Baku.[16] In July 1501, Ismail was enthroned as Shah of Azerbaijan,[17] choosing Tabriz, Azerbaijan, as his capital. When the Safavids came to power in 1501, Shah Ismail was 14 or 15 years old; by 1510 he had conquered the whole of Iran.[18] After defeating the Aq Qoyunlu in 1502, he took the title of Shah of Iran.[6]
In 1510, Ismail I moved against the Sunni Uzbeg tribe. In battle near the city of Merv, some 17,000 Qizilbash warriors ambushed and defeated a superior Uzbek force numbering 28,000. The Uzbek ruler, Muhammad Shaybani, was caught and killed trying to escape the battle and the shah had his skull made into a jeweled drinking goblet.
In 1514, Selim I, the Sunni Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, attacked Ismail's kingdom to stop the spread of Shiism into Ottoman dominions. Selim and Ismail had been exchanging a series of belligerent letters prior to the attack.
Selim I defeated Ismail at the battle of Chaldiran in 1514.[19] Ismail's army was more mobile and their soldiers were better prepared but the Ottomans prevailed due in large part to their efficient modern army, and possession of artillery, black powder and muskets. Ismail was wounded and almost captured in battle. Selim I entered the Iranian capital of Tabriz in triumph on September 5,[20] but did not linger. A mutiny among his troops fearing a counter attack and entrapment by the fresh Safavid forces called in from the interior, forced the triumphant Ottomans to withdraw prematurely. This allowed Ismail to recover quickly. Among the booties from Tabriz was Ismail's favorite wife, for whose release the Sultan demanded huge concessions, which were refused. Despite his defeat at Chaldiran, Ismail quickly recovered most of his kingdom, from east of the Lake Van to the shores of the Indian Ocean.
After Chaldiran, however, Ismail lost his supernatural air and the aura of invincibility, gradually falling into heavy drinking of alcohol.[21] Ismail retired to his palace and withdrew from active participation in the affairs of the state, leaving these to his minister, Mirza Shah-Hussayn.[22] He died on 23 May 1524 at the relatively early age of thirty-six.
Ismail's reign featured extensive conquests, shaping the map of Iran up to the present day.[citation needed] Iraq, including Baghdad and the holy Shi'a shrines of Najaf and Karbala, had been already seized from the Jalayirids and remained a part of Ismail's kingdom until its end. Despite the defeat at Chaldiran, where he lost western Armenia and northwestern Kurdistan, he managed to pass on to his son, Tahmasp I, his entire vast empire. Ismail destroyed Sunni sites in Baghdad including tombs of Abbasid Caliphs, tombs of Sunni Imam Abū Ḥanīfah and Abdul Qadir Gilani.[23]
His son Tahmasp I succeeded him as Shah.
Ismail's poetry[link]
Ismail is also known for his poetry using the pen-name Khatā'ī (Arabic: خطائی "Sinner").[24] According to Encyclopædia Iranica, "Ismail was a skillful poet who used prevalent themes and images in lyric and didactic-religious poetry with ease and some degree of originality". He was also deeply influenced by the Persian literary tradition of Iran, particularly by the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, which probably explains the fact that he named all of his sons after Shahnameh-characters. Dickson and Welch suggest that Ismail's "Shāhnāmaye Shāhī" was intended as a present to the young Tahmasp.[25] After defeating Muhammad Shaybani's Uzbeks, Ismail asked Hatefi, a famous poet from Jam (Khorasan), to write a Shahnameh-like epic about his victories and his newly established dynasty. Although the epic was left unfinished, it was an example of mathnawis in the heroic style of the Shahnameh written later on for the Safavid kings.[26]
He wrote in the Azerbaijani language, the language of the majority of his followers,[27] and in the Persian language. He is considered an important figure in the literary history of Azerbaijani language and has left approximately 1400 verses in this language, which he chose to use for political reasons.[27] Approximately 50 verses of his Persian poetry have also survived.
Most of the poems are concerned with love — particularly of the mystical Sufi kind — though there are also poems propagating Shi'i doctrine and Safavi politics. His other serious works include the Nasihatnāme, a book of advice, and the unfinished Dahnāme, a book which extols the virtues of love.
As Ismail believed in his own divinity and in his descent from Ali, in his poems he tended to strongly emphasize these claims.
Along with the poet Imadaddin Nasimi, Khatā'ī is considered to be among the first proponents of using a simpler Azeri language in verse that would thereby appeal to a broader audience. His work is most popular in Azerbaijan, as well as among the Bektashis of Turkey. There is a large body of Alevi and Bektashi poetry that has been attributed to him. The major impact of his religious propaganda, in the long run, was the conversion of Persia from Sunni to Shia islam.[28]
The following anecdote demonstrates the status of vernacular Turkish and Persian in the Ottoman Empire and in the incipient Safavid state. Khatā'ī sent a poem in Turkish to the Ottoman Sultan Selim I before going to war in 1514. In a reply the Ottoman Sultan answered in Persian to indicate his contempt.
Issue[link]
- Sons
- Tahmasp I
- Prince Shahzadeh ‘Abul Ghazi Sultan Alqas Mirza (15 March 1515 - 9 April 1550) Governor of Shirvan 1538-1547. He rebelled against his brother Tahmasp, captured and imprisoned at the Fortress of Qahqahan. m. Khadija Sultan Khanum, having had issue, two sons, Sultan Ahmad Mirza (died 1568) and Sultan Farrukh Mirza (died 1568)
- Prince Sultan Rustam Mirza (born 13 September 1517)
- Prince ‘Abul Naser Sultan Sam Mirza (28 August 1518 - December 1567) Governor-General of Khorasan 1521-1529 and 1532–1534, and of Ardabil 1549-1571. He rebelled against his brother Tahmasp, captured and imprisoned at the Fortress of Qahqahan. He had issue, two sons and one daughter. His daughter, married Prince Jésé (d. 1583) Governor of Sakki the third son of Levan King of Kakheti in Georgia.
- Prince ‘Abu'l Fat'h Sultan Moez od-din Bahram Mirza (7 September 1518 - 16 September 1550) Governor of Khorasan 1529-1532, Gilan 1536-1537 and Hamadan 1546-1549. m. Zainab Sultan Khanum. She had issue, four sons and one daughter: Sultan Hassan Mirza died in his youth, Sultan Husain Mirza (died 1567) ‘Abu'l Fat'h Sultan Ibrahim Mirza (1541–1577), Sultan Badi uz-Zaman Mirza (k.1577)
- Prince Shahzadeh Soltan Hossein Mirza (born 11 December 1520)
- Daughters
- Princess ‘Alamiyan Fulaneh Begum, m. as his second wife, before 14 May 1513, Prince Murad Effendi, elder son of Şehzade Ahmet, Crown Princess of Ottoman Empire, son of Bayezid II.
- Princess ‘Alamiyan'' Janish Khanum (26 February 1507 – 2 March 1533) m. (first) at Hamadan, 24 August 1518, [[Sultan Mozaffar Amir-i-Dibaj (k. at Tabriz, 23 September 1536), Governor of Rasht and Fooman 1516-1535, son of Amir Hisam od-din Amir-i-Dibaj.
- Princess [['Alamiyan Pari-Khan Khanum m. in 4 October 1521, Sultan Khalil Governor of Shirvan 1523-1536, son of Sheikh Shah Sultan Ibrahim bin Farrokh Yasar.
- Princess ''Alamiyan'' Khair un-nisa Khanish Khanum (died 12 March 1564) m. 1537, Seyyed Nur od-din Nimatu’llah Baqi Yazdi (d. 21 July 1564), son of Mir Nezam od-din ‘Abdu'l Baqi Yazdi.
- Princess ‘Alamiyan'' Shah Zainab Khanum (born 1519)
- Princess ‘Alamiyan'' Farangis Khanum (born 1519)
- Princess ‘Alamiyan'' Mahin Banu Khanum (1519- 20 January 1562)[29]
Legacy[link]
Ismail's greatest legacy was establishing an enduring empire which lasted over 200 years. Even after the fall of Safavids in 1736, their cultural and political influence endured through the era of Afsharid, Zand, Qajar, and Pahlavi dynasties into the modern Islamic Republic of Iran, where Shi’a Islam is still the official religion as it was during the Safavids.
Memory[link]
In the name of Ismail I mentioned:
- Metro, District and Facility[30] in Azerbaijan.
- The street in Ganja and Prospect in Baku.
- In 1993, in Baku was erected a monument to Ismail I.
- The sculpture was erected in Khachmaz (city) to Ismail I.
Alevism[link]
Main article: Alevism
In Alevism, Shah Ismail is seen as a religious figure, and a moral spiritual leader. His teachings are in the Buyruk.
Ancestry[link]
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See also[link]
- Safavid dynasty family tree
- List of Turkic Languages poets
- Safavid conversion of Iran from Sunnism to Shiism
Footnotes[link]
- ^ Mюнeджжим-бaши, c.173
- ^ Шapaф-xaн Бидлиcи, т.ц c.169
- ^ Xoндeмиp, 'т.III, ч.4, c.570-571, 599-601
- ^ Дopн, c.593-595 Эфeндиeв. Heкoтыpыe cвeдeния, c.90.
- ^ Ismāʿīl I, in Encyclopædia Britannica, online ed., 2011
- ^ a b Woodbridge Bingham, Hilary Conroy, Frank William Iklé, A History of Asia: Formations of Civilizations, From Antiquity to 1600, and Bacon, 1974, p. 116.
- ^ Encyclopedia Iranica. R.M. Savory. Esmail Safawi
- ^ Ismāʿīl I at Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ G. Doerfer, "Azeri Turkish", Encyclopaedia Iranica, viii, Online Edition, p. 246.
- ^ Peter Charanis. "Review of Emile Janssens' Trébizonde en Colchide", Speculum, Vol. 45, No. 3,, (Jul., 1970), p. 476
- ^ Anthony Bryer, open citation, p. 136
- ^ Roger M. Savory. „Safavids“ in Peter Burke, Irfan Habib, Halil Inalci:»History of Humanity-Scientific and Cultural Development: From the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century", Taylor & Francis. 1999. Excerpt from pg 259:"Доказательства, имеющиеся в настоящее время, приводят к уверенности, что семья Сефевидов имеет местное иранское происхождение, а не тюркское, как это иногда утверждают. Скорее всего, семья возникла в Персидском Курдистане, а затем перебралась в Азербайджан, где ассимилировалась с говорящими по-тюркски азерийцами, и в конечном итоге поселились в маленьком городе Ардебиль где-то в одиннадцатом веке [Evidence available at the present time leads to the conviction that the Safavid family came from indigenous Iranian stock, and not from Turkish ancestry as it is sometimes claimed. It is probable that the family originated in Persian Kurdistan, and later moved to Azerbaijan, where it became assimilated to Turkic-speaking Azeris and eventually settled in the small town of Ardabil sometime during the eleventh century.]".
- ^ Вопрос о языке, на котором говорил шах Исмаил, не идентичен вопросу о его «расе» или «национальности». Его происхождение было смешанным: одна из его бабушек была греческая принцесса Комнина. Хинц приходит к выводу, что кровь в его жилах была главным образом, не тюркской. Уже его сын шах Тахмасп начал избавляться от своих туркменских преторианцев. [The question of the language used by Shah Ismail is not identical with that of his race or of his "nationality". His ancestry was mixed: one of his grandmothers was a Greek Comnena princess. Hinz, Aufstieg, 74, comes to the conclusion that the blood in his veins was chiefly non-Turkish. Already, his son Shah Tahmasp began to get rid of his Turcoman praetorians.] — V. Minorsky, "The Poetry of Shah Ismail I," Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 10/4 (1942): 1006–53.
- ^ Encyclopaedia Iranica. R. N. Frye. Peoples of Iran.
- ^ Faruk Sümer, Safevi Devletinin Kuruluşu ve Gelişmesinde Anadolu Türklerinin Rolü, Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları, Ankara, 1992, p. 15. (Turkish)
- ^ Nesib Nesibli, "Osmanlı-Safevî Savaşları, Mezhep Meselesi ve Azerbaucan", Türkler, Cilt 6, Yeni Türkiye Yayınları, Ankara, 2002, ISBN 975-6782-39-0, p. 895. (Turkish)
- ^ The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropædia, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1991, ISBN 978-0-85229-529-8, p. 295.
- ^ BBC, (LINK)
- ^ Michael Axworthy Iran: Empire of the Mind (Penguin, 2008) p.133
- ^ The later Crusades, 1274-1580: from Lyons to Alcazar Door Norman Housley, page 120, 1992
- ^ The Cambridge History of Islam, Part 1, By Peter Malcolm Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, Bernard Lewis, p. 401.
- ^ Momen (1985), p. 107.
- ^ History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey
- ^ Encyclopedia Iranica. ٍIsmail Safavi
- ^ M.B. Dickson and S.C. Welch, The Houghton Shahnameh, 2 vols. (Cambridge, Mass., and London, 1981. See p. 34 of vol. I).
- ^ R.M. Savory, "Safavids", Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd edition
- ^ a b V. Minorsky, "The Poetry of Shah Ismail I," Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 10/4 (1942): 1006–53.
- ^ http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v8f6/v8f665.html
- ^ The Royal Ark
- ^ Отмечен день рождения Шаха Исмаила Хатаи
References[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shah Ismail I |
- Momen, Moojan (1985). An Introduction to Shi`i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelve. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03531-4.
- R.M. Savory, Esmā'il Safawī, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, (LINK)
- Mirză Răsul İsmailzadä, Şah İsmail Säfävi (Xätai) küllüyyatı: qäzällär, qäsidälär, näsihätnamä, dähnamä, qoşmalar / Xätai ; mätnin elmi-tänqidi täktibatçısı; Alhoda Publishers, Iran, 2004 (in Azeri), ISBN 964-8121-09-5, OCLC 62561234
- M. Momen, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam, Yale Univ. Press, 1985, pp. 397, ISBN 0-300-03499-7
External links[link]
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Ismail I
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| New creation | Shah of Persia 1502–1524 |
Succeeded by Tahmasp I |
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Ismail 01 |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 17 July 1487 |
| Place of birth | Ardabil, Persia |
| Date of death | 23 May 1524 |
| Place of death | Tabriz, Persia |
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Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Shah Isma'il I
http://cs.wn.com/Ismá‘íl I.
http://es.wn.com/Ismail I
http://ru.wn.com/Исмаил I
http://nl.wn.com/Ismail I
http://pl.wn.com/Isma'il I
http://fr.wn.com/Ismail Ier
http://de.wn.com/Ismail I. (Schah)
http://hi.wn.com/इस्माईल प्रथम
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
