Poetry stagnated under the Safavids; the great medieval ghazal form languished in over-the-top lyricism. Abbs I, byname Abbs the Great, (born Jan. 27, 1571died Jan. 19, 1629), shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629, who strengthened the Safavid dynasty by expelling Ottoman and Uzbek troops from Persian soil and by creating a standing army. By 1511, however, Ismails troops had driven the Uzbek people across the Oxus River, establishing the eastern borders of modern Iran. citation tool such as, Authors: Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock, Book title: World History Volume 2, from 1400. Later Safavid shahs continued to expand Isfahan, adding buildings, avenues, and bridges and commissioning structures in other cities based on the style cultivated in the capital. Through this alliance many members of the ulama became landowners themselves, creating a religious aristocracy that gave them a level of political independence. Thirdly, military and political power in Persia was generally in the hands of ethnic Turks, while ethnic Persians, called Tajiks, were dominant in the areas of administration and culture. As an empire, the Safavids succeeded in placing the nomadic people groups of the region under their. Second, it brought the royal workshops closer to the silk route, making it easier for the Safavids to control the sale of Persian silk. The fourth vakil was murdered by the Qezelbash, and the fifth was put to death by them. However, beneath the shah and the powerful elites, the Safavid hierarchy was unique for its time in being largely based on merit; worth and talent, not status or birth, were the keys to upward mobility. Want to cite, share, or modify this book? Except for Shah Abbas II, the Safavid rulers after Abbas I were largely ineffectual. The dedication of the Persian Building at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exhibition, October 6, 1926. Has data issue: false The hostility between the sects that continues today is usually traced to the Safavid era and the dynastys military rivalry with the Ottomans, especially after the sultan acquired the Sunni title of caliph in 1517. Even though Safavids were not the first Shi'a rulers in Iran, they played a crucial role in making Shi'ism the official religion in Iran. Shah Abbas ordered a general massacre in Beradost and Mukriyan (Mahabad) (Reported by Eskandar Beg Monshi, Safavid Historian, 1557-1642, in the Book "Alam Ara Abbasi") and resettled the Turkish Afshar tribe in the region while deporting many Kurdish tribes to Khorasan. An empire in fragments The South Asian subcontinentmodern India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan is part of the Eurasian landmass. By the seventeenth century, trade routes between East and West had shifted away from Iran, causing a decline in commerce and trade. As Vladimir Minorsky put it, friction between these two groups was inevitable, because the Qezelbash "were no party to the national Persian tradition." Under the Peace of Amasya, concluded in 1555, Armenia and Georgia were divided between the two empires; the Ottomans gained control over Iraq and access to the Persian Gulf, while Irans control over Azerbaijan was guaranteed. Tabriz was taken but the Ottoman army refused to follow the Safavids into the Persian highlands and by winter, retreated from Tabriz. Following the conquest of Iran, Ismail I made conversion mandatory for the largely Sunni population. Updates? The Safavid Empire was less ethnically diverse than the Ottoman Empire. It was founded by Isml I, who, by converting his people from Sunnite to Shite Islam and adopting the trappings of Persian monarchy, planted the seeds of a unique national and religious identity. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. 20th and Pattison, Philadelphia (, The Safavids established an artistic identity that resonated with the dynasties that came after. The stability of the Safavid system allowed art and culture to flourish; the Safavid era is considered one of the high points of Perso-Islamic culture. The Qizilbash were largely Turcoman, another Turkic group with its own language. They sustained one of the longest running empires of Iranian history, lasting from 1501 to 1736. Presently, 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. The Safavid dynasty had its origins in a long established Sufi order, called the Safaviyeh, which had flourished in Azarbaijan since the early fourteenth century. are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing GRAB THE BEST PAPER 92.2% of users find it useful The best artists from across the empire traveled to work at the royal workshop in Tabriz, a city in northwestern Iran that was the first capital of the Safavid dynasty. How did the Safavid Empire rise to power AP world history? The Middle Ages had seen a series of invasions of Iran by Turks, Mongols, and others. Tahmasp went on to become the longest-reigning Safavid shah. 5.2: Safavid Empire - Humanities LibreTexts Published online by Cambridge University Press: The Safavids were poorly armed, while the Ottomans had muskets and artillery. (credit: The Feast of Sada, Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp by Ferdowsi/Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970 /Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain), This miniature created in the Mughal Empire in 1594 shows a scene from the, https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-2/pages/1-introduction, https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-2/pages/4-3-the-safavid-empire, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, Identify the factors that contributed to the rise of the, Discuss the similarities and differences between, Describe the political structure of the Safavid Empire. After Abbas had ordered the mass deportation of Georgians to central Iran, he sent Oghuz Turks (Turcomen) to settle the area; the local population that remained refused to allow them to do so, however, and staged a military rebellion. Later, he conquered territories as far as east as Delhi, but did not fortify his Persian base and eventually, he exhausted his army's strength. Other exports were horses, goat hair, pearls, and an inedible bitter almond hadam-talka used as a specie in India. During the period of Mongol rule over Iran and the Caucasus, the distinction between Shia and Sunni became less important than it had been. Safavid Iran - Wikipedia As the Safavid dynasty approached the middle of the eighteenth century, the last shahs took less and less interest in foreign and local affairs, and retreated to the interior life of the palace. Various groups of Persian-speaking peoples lived in the Iranian plateau and were usually described as Tajik.. Shi'a's sacred sites were much closerin Iraq, captured by the Safavids in 1623 (but surrendered again to the Ottomans in 1639). The patterns on Tahmasps robe have been embellished with gold. Muammad Mumin, A Young Lady Reclining After a Bath, leaf from the Read Persian Album Herat (Afghanistan), 1590s, 37.8 x 24.1 cm, MS M.386.5r (The Morgan Library and Museum), Around the middle of the sixteenth century, a trend developed for stand-alone illustrations of popular stories, including the, Rather than confined within the binding of books, individual miniatures were mobile. Although the Safavids were eventually able to reestablish authority, they never achieved their earlier level of control. The two states finally laid down arms and declared a peace that lasted more than thirty years. The Sunni scholars, called Ulama (from alim, knowledge), were either killed or exiled. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The three Islamic empires of the early modern period - the Mughal, the Safavid, and the Ottoman - shared a common Turko-Mongolian heritage. Through his mother, Shah Ismail I was descended from the Komnenos dynasty that once ruled the Byzantine Empire. To save content items to your account, We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. -This caused tension between the Safavid Empire and Ottoman Empires, which was a Sunni empire. Sultan Muhammad, The Court of Gayumars, Shahnameh for Shah Tahmasp I, c. 152425, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper, 45 x 30 cm, folio 20v (Aga Khan Museum, Toronto; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). The Safavid concept of kingship, combining territorial control with . In practice, however, there were well defined limits to this absolutism, even when the shah was a strong and capable ruler. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. After Ismails death in 1524, ten years of internal strife followed as rival Qizilbash factions fought for dominance and the right to be regent to Ismails ten-year-old heir Tahmasp. Fine silks. ), Reflections on the social and economic structure of Safavid Persia at its zenith, Artisans and Guild Life in the later Safavid period, Quis custodiet custodes? The epic called the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), a stellar example of manuscript illumination and calligraphy, was made during Shah Tahmasp's reign. The Rise of the Safavid Empire. The Safavid Empire of Persia - ThoughtCo When Ismail crowned himself Shah in 1501, most of Irans population was Sunni. The reflective light symbolized the presence and light of God, who was conceived as a mirror of the divine realm. At the apex of this structure was the shah. In the meantime, the navy-less Safavids lost the island of Hormuz to the Portuguese in 1507. Chardin declares emphatically that outside court circles there was no arbitrary exercise of power by the shah, and both Chardin and Malcolm assert that the awe in which the shah was held by the court and the nobility was the primary reason for the relative security and freedom from oppression enjoyed by the lower classes. While the decoration of each of these buildings varied, the structural composition remained much the same, consisting of domes surrounded by four, Fresco, c. 1597 C.E., Ali Qapu Palace (photo: reibai, CC BY 2.0). The Ardabil carpet, still one of the largest Persian carpets in existence, was made during the Safavid period. Royal and elite women often funded the construction or maintenance of caravansaries, demonstrating the value of trade to both the state and individual wealth. While Naqsh-e Jahan Square provided a focus, the city also featured a broad tree-lined avenue called the Chahar Bagh, stretching over four kilometers from the square to a royal country estate (Figure 4.28). Despite the Safavid dynasty's Sufi origins, most Sunni or Shi'a Sufi groups were prohibited by the Nimatullahi order. are licensed under a, Connections Across Continents, 15001800, Exchange in East Asia and the Indian Ocean, Capitalism and the First Industrial Revolution, The Exchange of Ideas in the Public Sphere, Nationalism, Liberalism, Conservatism, and the Political Order, Inventions, Innovations, and Mechanization, Regulation, Reform, and Revolutionary Ideologies, The Collapse of the Ottomans and the Coming of War, The Causes and Consequences of World War II, The Contemporary World and Ongoing Challenges, Science and Technology for Todays World, Recommended Resources for the Study of World History, This map shows the Safavid Empire (green) at its greatest extent, including disputed territories (dots) where the Safavids found themselves in conflict with the Ottoman Empire (orange) and the Uzbek rulers of the Khanate of Bukhara (purple). Find out more about saving to your Kindle. To spread the new beliefs and win converts, Ismail brought Shia scholars to Iran from Lebanon and Syria. For this reason, many silks used floral and vegetal motifs that appealed to both Persian and foreign markets. Then two Englishmen, Robert Sherley and his brother Anthony, helped Abbas I to reorganize the Shah's soldiers into a partially paid and well-trained standing army similar to the European model (which the Ottomans had already adopted). (credit: Abbas I of Persia by Unknown/TRAJAN 117/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain), The Shah Mosque, built by Abbas I, is located on the south side of, In this image from a Persian history of his reign written about 1650, the Safavid ruler Shah Ismail (dressed in white) stands on the steps of a mosque prior to his coronation, having the sermon read in the name of the Twelve Imams and effectively declaring Shiism to be the state religion of Iran in 1501. SAFAVID DYNASTY - Encyclopaedia Iranica In 1501, various disaffected militia from Azerbaijan and eastern Anatolia who were known as the Kizilbash (Azeri for "red heads" due to their red headgear) united with the Ardabil Safaviyeh to capture Tabriz from the then ruling Sunni Turkmen alliance known as Ak Koyunlu (The White Sheep Emirate) under the leadership of Alwand. System of governance, social organization | The Safavid Empire The Safavid Empire dates from the rule of Shah Ismail (ruled 1501-1524). The most distinctive and prized artworks of the Safavid era were illuminated manuscripts of well-known texts decorated with miniature paintings. In the early eighteenth century under the reign of Tsar Peter the Great, Russia began to encroach on the northern shores of the Caspian Sea and to compete for influence in the Caucasus. There had been, however, Shi'a communities in some cities like Qom and Sabzevar as early as eighth century. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. It is 34-1/2 by 17-1/2 feet and is on view at Londons Victoria and Albert Museum. By the end of this section, you will be able to: To the east of the lands of the Ottomans, another Islamic empire emerged at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The Safavid Empire, based in Persia ( Iran ), ruled over much of southwestern Asia from 1501 to 1736. (credit: Shah Isma'il, History of Shah Isma'il, by Mu'in Musavvir, Isfahan, Iran by Muin Musavvir/British Library/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain), The interior of the Armenian Christian Holy Savior Cathedral in Isfahan, built in 1606, incorporates both Christian imagery, such as scenes from the life of Christ, and Islamic-style decorative tilework. He 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. The Safavids (Persian: ) were a native Iranian dynasty from Azarbaijan that ruled from 1501 to 1736, and which established Shi'a Islam as Iran's official religion and united its provinces under a single Iranian sovereignty in the early modern period. When the second Persian "vakil" was placed in command of a Safavid army in Transoxiana, the Qezelbash, considering it a dishonor to be obliged to serve under him, deserted him on the battlefield with the result that he was slain. Shah Ism'l I, who established the Safavid dynasty in 907/15012, considered himself to be the living emanation of the godhead, the Shadow of God upon earth, and the representative of the Hidden Imm by virtue of direct descent from the Seventh Imm of the Twelver (Ithn'ashariyya) Sh'a, Ms al-Kzim. From the beginning of the polity in 1501 until the Ottoman Sultan Selim (r. 1512-1520) defeated the founder of the Safavid polity, Shah Ismail I (r. 1501-1524) at Chaldiran in 1514, the Safavid army was a tribal army. Based in Iran, the Safavid Empire at its height ruled over much of what is now Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Georgia, and Iraq, as well as parts of several neighboring countries including Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (Figure 4.19). At the time, he governed only Azerbaijan and part of the Caucasus. The conversion efforts of the Safavids have left long legacies in the Islamic world. In the sixteenth century, carpet weaving evolved from a nomadic and peasant craft to a well-executed industry with specialization of design and manufacturing. Even after their decline, the Safavids left an influential legacy with far reaching implications for Iranian art, religion, and culture. This warfare pattern repeated itself under Shah Tahmasp I and Sultan Suleiman I. During the Safavid period, Iran was ethnically quite diverse. In the east, the Mughal dynasty of India had expanded into Afghanistan at the expense of Iranian control, taking Kandahar and Herat. In 1750, it was mostly governed through a loose confederation of powerful princely states ^1 1 and rich port cities. Their capitals were Tabriz, Qazvin, Isfahan. His painting and calligraphic style influenced Iranian artists for much of the Safavid period, which came to be known as the Isfahan school. When the outside world finally began learning about the arts of Iran, it was through the lens and example of the Safavids. Shah Mosque (Royal Mosque), Isfahan, Iran, begun 1611 (photo: Another singular characteristic of Safavid architecture are the colorful tiles that covered exterior faced and interior domes of mosques. Abbs I (r. 15881629) brought the dynasty to its peak; his capital, Efahn, was the centre of afavid architectural achievement. (credit: Armenian Frescoes by David Stanley/Flickr, CC BY 2.0), This detail of a sixteenth-century miniature by the Persian artist Farrukh Beg shows Shah Tahmasp, who was a great patron of the arts. Europeans imported some of the highest volumes of Safavid textiles. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. In 1738, Nadir Shah reconquered Afghanistan starting with the city of Kandahar. Safavid dynasty - Wikipedia The city center was unique. At the height of their reign, the Safavids controlled not . In May 1501, Ismail I declared Tabriz his capital and himself Shah of Azerbaijan. (PDF) The Rise of the Safavids as a Political Dynasty: The Revolution In 1514, the Ottoman Sultan Selim I invaded western Armenia, causing the ill-prepared Safavid army to retreat. He also used his new force to dislodge the Portuguese from Bahrain (1602) and, with the English navy, from Hormuz (1622) in the Persian Gulf (a vital link in Portuguese trade with India). They cleverly allied themselves with European powers in order to protect themselves from the Ottomans. Sheikh Saf al-Dn Abdul Fath Is'haq Ardabil came from Ardabil, a city in today's Iranian Azerbaijan where his shrine still stands. He wholeheartedly adopted the use of gunpowder. @free.kindle.com emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. He also made Efahn the capital of Persia and fostered commerce and the arts, so that Persian artistic achievement reached a high point in his reign .