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. But the stumbling block of Hormuz remained, a vassal kingdom that had fallen into the hands of the Spanish Habsburgs when the King of Spain inherited the throne of Portugal in 1580. The art of the Safavids is simply magnificent. As a result of the Mongol conquest and the relative religious tolerance of the Ilkhanids, Shii dynasties were re-established in Iran, Sarbedaran in Khorasan being the most important. After Saf al-Dn, the leadership of the Safaviyya passed to Sadr al-Dn Ms ( 794/139192). The Empire was founded by the Safavids, a Sufi order that goes back to Safi al-Din (1252-1334). History of the Ottoman Empire. [111][112] At the same time, he took steps to ensure that the Qizilbash did not mistake this apparent show of weakness as a signal for more tribal rivalry at the court. Their religious policies, patronage . Improved Essays. [228], 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. Early Safavid power in Iran was based on the military power of the Qizilbash. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. The Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (c. 9801037) was still regarded as one of the primary textbooks in medicine throughout most of the civilized world. After subsequent campaigns, the Safavids recaptured Baghdad in 1623 during the OttomanSafavid War (162339) yet lost it again to Murad IV in 1638 after Abbas had died. When Abbas had a lively conversation in Turkish with the Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle, in front of his courtiers, he had to translate the conversation afterwards into Persian for the benefit of most of those present. This layer would become the "third force" in Iranian society, alongside the other two forces, the Turkomans and Persians. The 16-year-old Abbas I was installed as nominal shah in 1588, but the real power was intended to remain in the hands of his "mentor," Murshid Quli Khan, who reorganized court offices and principal governorships among the Qizilbash[108] and took the title of wakl for himself. In the midst of these foreign perils, rebellion broke out in Khorasan fomented by (or on behalf of) Mohammad's son, Abbas. (1986). [77] It was a heavy price in terms of territory and prestige lost, but it allowed the empire to last, something that seemed improbable during the first years of Tahmsp's reign. No act of the Shah was valid without the counter seal of the Prime Minister. Except for Shah Abbas II, the Safavid rulers after Abbas I were largely ineffectual. Savory, "Safavid Persia" in: Ann Katherine Swynford Lambton, Peter Malcolm Holt, Bernard Lewis, F. Daftary, "Intellectual Traditions in Islam", I.B.Tauris, 2001. p. 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". They also reduced the importance of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), replacing it with pilgrimage to Shi'ite shrines. Abbas I built a new city next to the ancient Persian one. The public land was under the rule of local governors, or Khans. 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. 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". By choosing the central city of Isfahan, fertilized by the Zyande 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.[233]. The Safavid Empire, which was founded as a political dynasty in 1501, was the second Great Islamic Empire to form.It originated as a religious sect, and it acquired the military and political traits of an empire only after 1501. The aim is to delude and disarm the citizenry. The tribal rivalries among the Qizilbash, which temporarily ceased before the defeat at Chaldiran, resurfaced in intense form immediately after the death of Ismil, and led to ten years of civil war (930040/15241533) until Shh Tahmsp regained control of the affairs of the state. This agreement concisted of five elements: land, water, plough-animals, seed and labour. Power passed to the Shi'a ulama (a religious council of wise men) which eventually deposed the Shahs and proclaimed the world's first Islamic Republic in the eighteenth century. It rejected the use of reasoning in deriving verdicts and believed that only the Quran, hadith, (prophetic sayings and recorded opinions of the Imams) and consensus should be used as sources to derive verdicts (fatw). [126][127] Kakheti lost two-thirds of its population in these years by Abbas' punitive campaign. AN ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHIC PANEL THE CALLIGRAPHY BY MIR 'ALI, SHAYBANID BU. In 1598, when Shah Abbas decided to move the capital of his Iranian 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 Iranian history; the complete remaking of the city. The order at this time was transformed into a religious movement that conducted religious propaganda throughout Iran, Syria and Asia Minor, and most likely had maintained its Sunni Shafiite origin at that time. [229] Protected by Dutch naval power, competition from Bengali silk and Sino-Japanese porcelain contributed to the decline of the Safavid economy during the late 17th century.[230][231]. The moment was grave for the empire, with the Ottomans deep in Iranian territory in the west and north and the Uzbeks in possession of half of Khorasan in the east.[107]. That condition would not change (and in fact it would worsen) until Tahmsp's grandson, Abbas I, assumed the throne. That is for the women and to get themselves in good form. In 1726 an Afghan group destroyed the ruling dynasty. What remained unchanged, was the "crop-sharing agreement" between whoever was the landlord, and the farmer. They in turn would be replaced by the Shamlu, whose amir, Husain Khan, became the chief adviser. Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (/sfvd, s-/), also referred to as the Safavid Empire,[c] was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. Enemies increased. For instance, the Qajar dynasty (1789-1925), the first major dynasty to succeed the Safavids, continued the tradition of Safavid book arts, painting, and architecture. In the war against the Uzbeks he showed that the Safavids had become a gunpowder empire. When Shaykh Junayd, the son of Ibrhim, assumed the leadership of the Safaviyya in 1447, the history of the Safavid movement was radically changed. Due to the great spiritual charisma of Safi al-Din, the order was later known as the Safaviyya. The Sunni Ulema or clergy were either killed or exiled[citation needed]. Safavid history begins with the establishment of the Safaviyya by its eponymous founder Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252-1334). In 1501, the Safavid Shahs declared independence when the Ottomans outlawed Shi'a Islam in their territory. Jan 20, 2017. [106] The siege of Herat thus ended in 1583 without Ali Quli Khan's surrender, and Khorasan was in a state of open rebellion. In private they usually wore a veil that only covered the hair and the back, but upon leaving the home, they put on manteaus, large cloaks that concealed their whole bodies except their faces. One such strength would have to be its military. They were costly because of the widespread trade in them, including to Turkey and India. Whether Abbas had fully formed his strategy at the onset, at least in retrospect his method of restoring the shah's authority involved three phases: (1) restoration of internal security and law and order; (2) recovery of the eastern territories from the Uzbeks; and (3) recovery of the western territories from the Ottomans. There were five main branches of military force - infantry, cavalry, fire-arms, elephants, and war boats. Furthermore, the dynasty was from the very start thoroughly intermarried with both Pontic Greek as well as Georgian lines. It seems likely that most, if not all, of the Turkoman grandees at the court also spoke Persian, which was the language of the administration and culture, as well as of the majority of the population. They appointed an official (the Sadr) to co-ordinate this elite - and ensure that it did what the Shah wanted. Poetry lacked the royal patronage of other arts and was hemmed in by religious prescriptions. The consequences of the defeat at Chaldiran were also psychological for Ismil: the defeat destroyed Ismil's belief in his invincibility, based on his claimed divine status. Concurrently, the Shahs themselves also supported Persian literature, poetry and art projects including the grand Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp,[26][27] while members of the family and some Shahs composed Persian poetry as well.[28][29]. 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. The authority of the Safavids was religiously based, and their claim to legitimacy was founded on being direct male descendants of Ali,[30] the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, and regarded by the Shia as the first Imam. [196], On a local level, the government was divided into public land and royal possessions. [89] Ismail had been imprisoned at Qahqaha since 1556 by his father on charges of plotting a coup, but his selection was ensured when 30,000 Qizilbash supporters demonstrated outside the prison. [2] The judge (qazi) was informed of relevant points involved and would decide whether or not to take up the case. The Safavid Empire (1502-1736) was a Persian military state that dominated the region for two centuries and initiated one of Persia's golden ages. Ismail's 14-month reign was notable for two things: continual bloodletting of his relatives and others (including his own supporters) and his reversal on religion. Blow; chapter: "English adventurers at the servise of Shah Abbas.". Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Iran 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 patronage for fine arts. When he reached the capital with Abbas a public demonstration in the boy's favor decided the issue, and Shah Mohammad voluntarily handed over the insignia of kingship to his son, who was crowned Abbas I on October 1, 1588. 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. According to the Encyclopdia Iranica, for Tahmasp, the background of this initiation and eventual composition that would be only finalized under Shah Abbas I, circled around the military tribal elite of the empire, the Qizilbash, who believed that physical proximity to and control of a member of the immediate Safavid family guaranteed spiritual advantages, political fortune, and material advancement. Furthermore, the Safavids maintained a sizeable sphere of influence overseas, particularly in the Deccan region of India. "[184], Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, commonly referenced to using the title Allamah, was a highly influential scholar during the 17th century (Safavid era). The Safavid state was one of checks and balance, both within the government and on a local level. Second to the Prime Minister post were the General of the Revenues (mostoufi-ye mamalek), or finance minister,[189] and the Divanbegi, Minister of Justice. The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736 and 1750 to 1773) and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus including Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Religious poetry from Safi al-Din, written in the Old Azari language[42]a now-extinct Northwestern Iranian languageand accompanied by a paraphrase in Persian that helps its understanding, has survived to this day and has linguistic importance.[42]. The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736 and 1750 to 1773) and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus including Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Despite the predominantly Sunni character of this territory, he proclaimed Shiism the state religion and enforced its creed and prayers in the mosques of his dominion. [98] Mirza Salman left the capital before Pari Khn Khnum closed the gates and was able to meet Mohammad Khodabanda and his wife in Shiraz, to whom he offered his services. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Notwithstanding the success with firearms at Jm, Tahmsp still lacked the confidence to engage their archrivals the Ottomans, choosing instead to cede territory, often using scorched earth tactics in the process. Rosemary Stanfield Johnson, "Sunni Survival in Safavid Iran: Anti-Sunni Activities during the Reign of Tahmasp I,", Abolala Soudavar, "The Patronage of Vizier Mirza Salman,", harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSavory1980 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBomatiNahavandi1998 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFAsat'ianiBendianachvili1997 (. [197] 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). The two princes quarrelled and eventually Bayezid rebelled against his father. 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, Iran started to witness the emergence of a new and significant group of landowners. This Islamic Empire was strong enough to challenge the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east. Following his conquest of Iran and Azerbaijan, Ismail I made conversion mandatory for the largely Sunni population. Then, having made the point that he would not encourage rivalries even purporting to favor his interests, he felt secure enough to have Murshid Quli Khan assassinated on his own orders in July 1589. Isfahan had parks, libraries and mosques that amazed Europeans, who had not seen anything like this at home. The Safavids launched a vigorous campaign to convert what was then a predominantly Sunni population by persuasion and by force. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. 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. To promote Shi'ism the Safavids brought in scholars from Shi'ite countries to form a new religious elite. Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (/ s f v d, s -/), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. They were the continuers of the classical tradition of Islamic thought, which after Averroes died in the Arab west. religious differences led to much hostility between . The works of al-Razi (86592) (known to the West as Razes) were still used in European universities as standard textbooks of alchemy, pharmacology and pediatrics. They would adorn their clothes, wearing stones and decorate the harness of their horses. Unlike Usulis, Akhbari did and do not follow marjas who practice ijtihad. Ismail I, brought in mainstream Twelver Shi'a religious leaders and granted them land and money in return for loyalty. 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". The rise of the Pahlavis (1925 -79) saw the reaffirmation of a strong central authority in Iran and the re-emergence of the dynastic principle. Daggers were worn at the waist. They finally arrived at the court of Philip III of Spain in 1602. Having agreed to do so, a sergeant would investigate and summon the defendant, who was then obliged to pay the fee of the sergeant. Blow, David. This action coincided with the accession to the Ottoman throne in 1512 of Sultan Selim I, Bayezid II's son, and it was the casus belli leading to Selim's decision to invade neighbouring Safavid Iran two years later.[64]. Indeed, one of the greatest legacies of the Safavids is the architecture. Although Shh Ni'matullh was apparently a Sunn Muslim, the Ni'matullh order soon declared its adherence to Sha Islam after the rise of the Safavid dynasty. "[citation needed] At that time, the most powerful dynasty in Iran was that of the Kara Koyunlu, the "Black Sheep", whose ruler Jahan Shah ordered Junyd to leave Ardabil or else he would bring destruction and ruin upon the city. In the 10th and 11th centuries the Buwayhids, who were of the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam, ruled in Fars, Isfahan and Baghdad. [1] One feature of the battle was that the Ottoman army used guns and cannons to defeat the cavalry corps. The Safavids were often artists themselves. JOHN LENNON. Mohammad was selected and received the crown on February 11, 1579. Chardin specifically noticed the rank of doctors and astrologers and the respect that the Shahs had for them. Except for Shah Abbas II, the Safavid rulers after Abbas I were largely ineffectual. It lasted from 1501 to 1722 and was strong enough to challenge the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east. After the Peace of Amasya, Tasmsp underwent what he called a "sincere repentance." Consequently, the vast majority of captives available in seventeenth-century Istanbul were "Rus'," most hailing from what is today Ukraine. In 1619 he appointed the loyal Simon II (or Semayun Khan) on the symbolic throne of Kakheti, while placing a series of his own governors to rule of districts where rebellious inhabitants were mostly located. [65] Tahmsp was the ward of the powerful Qizilbash amir Ali Beg Rml (titled "Div Soltn Rumlu") who saw himself as the de facto ruler of the state. 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 19051906, and again in the Islamic Revolution of 1979; fourth the policies introduced by Shah Abbas I conduced to a more centralized administrative system. "Review of Emile Janssens'. The ulama developed a theory that only a Mujtahid - one deeply learned in the Sharia (Qur'anic law) and one who has had a blameless life, could rule. Between 1508 and 1524, the year of Ismail's death, the shah appointed five successive Persians to the office of vakil. PORTRAIT OF A SUFI SAINT MUGHAL INDIA, FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY Painting 3 1. Outside of Iran, Safavid art was the portal to the wider world of Persian art and architecture when art historians first began studying Islamic art in the early nineteenth century. Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Iran 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 patronage for fine arts. She did not last much longer than Mohammad's installation at Qazvin, where she was murdered. The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the Safavid order of Sufism, which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Iranian Azerbaijan region. Go to the primary resource. 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. This latest leader would only last until 1534, when he was deposed and executed. Zabiollah Safa (1986), "Persian Literature in the Safavid Period". Quickly making a name as a military genius both feared and respected amongst the empire's friends and enemies (including Iran's archrival the Ottoman Empire, and Russia; both empires Nader would deal with soon afterwards), Nader Shah easily defeated the Afghan Hotaki forces in the 1729 Battle of Damghan. The wealth from oil enabled him to head an opulent and corrupt court. [201], 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). A Study of the Migration of Shii Works from Arab Regions to Iran at the Early Safavid Era.

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