Safavid Dynasty 1501-1736

Artistic • • • • • • • • • Social • • • • • Political • • • • • Safavid Dynasty 1501-1736 (official end in 1760) Detailed and brilliantly colored Persian miniatures in Tabriz and Isfahan Persian painters were instrumental in the Mughal painting style Silk textiles Elaborate Persian carpets became a national industry with drafted by professional artists Isfahan- great royal square with two story bazaars, great mosques, government offices, soaring arches, and formal arches on three sides Manuscript illustration- the Shahnameh epic was illustrated Great mosques of colored textiles had elaborate beauty Calligraphy- Verses of Qu’ran and Shahnameh Poetry- new style known as Persian-Hindi style since the style was taken to India Dominated early on by warrior aristocracies (Kizilbash) that helped Shah Ismail capture Tabriz Kizilbash power declined at the time of Shah Abbas Power shifted to new merchant class including ethnic Armenians, Georgians, and Indians as well as the nobility Social Structure o King and royal class o Nobility- filled administrative posts o Rich merchant class o Artisans (city-dwellers) o Peasants Women o Not equal to men o Early Safavid women had considerable power and respect and could be patrons of art, architecture, and religious institutions o Early Safavid differed with other Islamic socities o Divorce could be caused by either the wife or husband o After death of Abbas the Great, women lost some rights Capitals: Tabriz- Qazvin- Isfahan Centralized government Shah made decisions with the consultation of his advisors at the capital (mostly nobility) Wealthy merchant class had power (class included ethnic Armenians, Georgians, and Indians) Diplomatic relationships with the West o Two Englishmen, Robert Sherley and Anthony Sherley helped Abbas I to reorganize the Shah's soldiers into an officer-paid and well-trained standing army similar to a European model o Received emissaries and sent ambassadors to Europe including France, Britain, and the Netherlands • • • • • • • • • • • • Intellectual Religious Economic • • • • • • • • Began as a peaceful Sufi religious order called the Safaviyeh that gained strength in the 13th and 14th centuries in the city of Ardabil In 1501, Safaviyeh under the fifteen-year-old Shah Ismail united with Kizilbash (militia from Azerbaijan and eastern Anatolia) to capture Tabriz and create the Safavid dynasty Shah Ismail declares Shia Islam the state religious to unite the country and counter the influence of the Sunni Ottomans Throughout the next decade until 1511, Shah Ismail united the Iranian cities controlled by local In 1511, Shah Ismail drove back the Ozbegs across the Oxus River and advanced into Iraq After the defeat of the Safavids at Chaldiran, the Ottomans encountered fierce resistance by moving into mainland Iran and eventually retreated from Iran by winter At the age of 16 in 1587, Shah Abbas the Great ended the influence of the Kizilbash and reorganized the Iranian army into a professional officer-based standing army with separate divisions including artillery, equipped with firearms. In 1597, Shah Abbas moved the Safavid capital to Isfahan an reconstructed the ancient city into a “paradise” In several wars with the Ottamans, Shah Abbas defeated the Ottomans and gained all of the lands that the Ottamns had captured in previous wars by 1622 In 1602, Shah Abbas drove back the Portuguese from Bahrain and the English navy in 1622 Shah Abbas gave rise to a new powerful merchant by employing them at Isfahan At the empire’s zenith, the empire's reach comprised of Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, Georgia, and parts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan The frontiers of the empire were secured until the end of the Safavid dynasty Engineering o Domes- huge mosques that still are a mystery on how they did o City planning- squares, irrigation, sewage o Multistory buildings o Arches Major religion: Shia Islam Shah Ismail made Shia Islam Brought in religious leaders, gained power United the country under religious idealogy Countered the influence of the Sunni Ottomans Trade was a major factor o The Silk Road ran through the north part of the empire o Trade with Europe, especially England (English East India Company) • • • and the Netherlands (Dutch East India Company) Exports o Persian rugs o Silks o Textiles Imports o Spices o Metals o Coffee o Sugar Slavery- little or no slavery as a labor system o Mainly recruited among Georgian, Armenian and North Caucasian renegades o “Slaves” used in military and administration and one “slave” became the commander-in-chief of the Safavid army