The Safavids

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THE S A F A V I D S

•AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE EMPIRE OF TAMERLANE IN THE EARLY 15TH


CENTURY, THE AREA EXTENDING FROM PERSIA INTO CENTRAL ASIA LAPSED
INTO ANARCHY. THE UZBEKS, TURKIC-SPEAKING PEOPLES FROM CENTRAL
ASIA, WERE THE CHIEF POLITICAL AND MILITARY FORCE IN THE AREA. FROM
THEIR CAPITAL AT BOKHARA, THEY MAINTAINED A SEMBLANCE OF CONTROL
OVER THE HIGHLY FLUID TRIBAL ALIGNMENTS UNTIL THE EMERGENCE OF THE
SAFAVID DYNASTY IN PERSIA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 16TH CENTURY.
•THE SAFAVID DYNASTY WAS FOUNDED BY SHAH ISMAIL, THE DESCENDANT
OF A SHEIKH CALLED SAFI AL-DIN (THUS THE NAME SAFAVID), WHO TRACED
HIS ORIGINS TO ALI, THE FOURTH IMAM OF THE MUSLIM FAITH. IN THE EARLY
14TH CENTURY, SAFI HAD BEEN THE LEADER OF A COMMUNITY OF
TURKIC-SPEAKING TRIBESPEOPLE IN AZERBAIJAN, NEAR THE CASPIAN SEA.
SAFI’S COMMUNITY WAS ONLY ONE OF MANY SUFI MYSTICAL RELIGIOUS
GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE AREA.
•IN TIME THE DOCTRINE SPREAD AMONG NOMADIC GROUPS THROUGHOUT
THE MIDDLE EAST AND WAS TRANSFORMED INTO THE MORE ACTIVIST SHI’I
HERESY.

•IN 1501, ISMAIL’S FORCES SEIZED MUCH OF IRAN AND IRAQ, AND HE CALLED
HIMSELF THE SHAH OF A NEW PERSIAN STATE.

•BAGHDAD WAS SUBDUED IN 1508 AND THE UZBEKS IN BOKHARA SHORTLY


THEREAFTER.
•ISMAIL (1487-1524) NOW SENT SHI’TE PREACHERS INTO ANATOLIA TO
PROSELYTIZE AND PROMOTE REBELLION AMONG TURKISH TRIBAL PEOPLES
IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

•IN RETALIATION, THE OTTOMAN SULTAN SELIM I ADVANCED AGAINST THE


SAFAVIDS IN IRAN AND WON A MAJOR BATTLE NEAR TABRIZ IN 1514. BUT
SELIM COULD NOT MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AREA, AND ISMAIL REGAINED
TABRIZ A FEW YEARS LATER.
•THE OTTOMANS RETURNED TO THE ATTACK IN THE 1580S AND FORCED THE
NEW SAFAVID SHAH, ABBAS I (1587-1629), TO SIGN A PUNITIVE PEACE IN
WHICH MUCH TERRITORY WAS LOST. THE CAPITAL WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
MOVED FROM TABRIZ IN THE NORTHWEST TO ISFAHAN IN THE SOUTH. STILL,
IT WAS UNDER SHAH ABBAS THAT THE SAFAVIDS REACHED THE ZENITH OF
THEIR GLORY. HE ESTABLISHED A SYSTEM SIMILAR TO THE JANISSARIES IN
TURKEY TO TRAIN ADMINISTRATORS TO REPLACE THE TRADITIONAL
WARRIOR ELITE.
•HE ALSO USED THE PERIOD OF PEACE TO STRENGTHEN HIS ARMY, NOW
ARMED WITH MODERN WEAPONS, AND IN THE EARLY 17TH CENTURY HE
ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN THE LOST TERRITORIES

•ALTHOUGH HE HAD INITIAL SUCCESS, WAR RESUMED IN THE 1620S, AND A


LASTING PEACE WAS NOT ACHIEVED UNTIL 1638

•ABBAS THE GREAT HAD MANAGED TO STRENGTHEN THE DYNASTY


SIGNIFICANTLY, AND FOR A TIME AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1629, IT REMAINED
STABLE AND VIGOROUS
•BUT SUCCESSION CONFLICTS PLAGUED THE DYNASTY
•PARTLY AS A RESULT, THE POWER OF THE MORE MILITANT SHI’ITES BEGAN
TO INCREASE AT COURT AND IN SAFAVID SOCIETY AT LARGE

•THE INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM THAT HAD CHARACTERIZED THE EMPIRE AT ITS


HEIGHT WAS CURTAILED UNDER THE PRESSURE OF RELIGIOUS ORTHODOXY,
AND IRANIAN WOMEN, WHO HAD ENJOYED CONSIDERABLE FREEDOM AND
INFLUENCE DURING THE EARLY EMPIRE, WERE FORCED TO WITHDRAW INTO
SECLUSION AND THE VEIL
•MEANWHILE, ATTEMPTS TO SUPPRESS THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF MINORITIES LED TO
INCREASED POPULAR UNREST

•IN THE 18TH CENTURY, AFGHAN WARRIORS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF LOCAL REVOLTS TO SEIZE
THE CAPITAL OF ISFAHAN, FORCING THE REMNANTS OF THE SAFAVID RULING FAMILY TO
RETREAT TO AZERBAIJAN, THEIR ORIGINAL HOMELAND

•THE OTTOMAN SEIZED TERRITORIES ALONG THE WESTERN BORDER


•EVENTUALLY, ORDER WAS RESTORED BY THE MILITARY ADVENTURER NADIR SHAH
AFSHAR, WHO LAUNCHED AN EXTENDED SERIES OF CAMPAIGNS THAT RESTORED THE
COUNTRY’S BORDERS AND EVEN OCCUPIED THE MUGHUL CAPITAL OF DELHI

•AFTER HIS DEATH, THE ZAND DYNASTY RULED UNTIL THE END OF THE 18TH CENTURY
SAFAVID POLITICS AND SOCIETY
•LIKE THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, IRAN UNDER THE SAFAVIDS WAS A MIXED SOCIETY
•THE SAFAVIDS HAD COME TO POWER WITH THE SUPPORT OF NOMADIC
TURKIC-SPEAKING TRIBAL GROUPS, AND LEADING ELEMENTS FROM THOSE
GROUPS RETAINED CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE WITHIN THE EMPIRE

•BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION WERE IRANIAN; MOST OF THEM WERE
FARMERS OR TOWNSPEOPLE, WITH ATTITUDES INHERITED FROM THE RELATIVELY
SOPHISTICATED AND URBANIZED CULTURE OF PRE-SAFAVID IRAN
•FACED WITH THE PROBLEM OF INTEGRATING UNRULY TURKIC-SPEAKING
TRIBAL PEOPLES WITH THE SEDENTARY PERSIAN-SPEAKING POPULATION OF
THE URBAN AREAS, THE SAFAVIDS USED THE SHI’ITE FAITH AS A UNIFYING
FORCE

•THE SHAH HIMSELF ACQUIRED AN ALMOST DIVINE QUALITY AND CLAIMED TO


BE THE SPIRITUAL LEADER OF ALL ISLAM

•SHI’ISM WAS DECLARED THE STATE RELIGION


•ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A LANDED ARISTOCRACY, ARISTOCRATIC POWER
AND INFLUENCE WERE FIRMLY CONTROLLED BY STRONGMINDED SHAHS, WHO
CONFISCATED ARISTOCRATIC ESTATES WHEN POSSIBLE AND BROUGHT
THEM UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE CROWN

•APPOINTMENT TO SENIOR POSITIONS IN THE BUREAUCRACY WAS BY MERIT


RATHER THAN BIRTH

•TO AVOID ENCOURAGING COMPETITION BETWEEN TURKISH AND


NON-TURKISH ELEMENTS, SHAH ABBAS I HIRED A NUMBER OF FOREIGNERS
FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES FOR POSITIONS IN HIS GOVERNMENT
•THE SAFAVID SHAHS TOOK A DIRECT INTEREST IN THE ECONOMY AND ACTIVELY
ENGAGED IN COMMERCIAL AND MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES, ALTHOUGH THERE
WAS ALSO A LARGE AND AFFLUENT URBAN BOURGEOISIE

•AT ITS HEIGHT , SAFAVID IRAN WAS A WORTHY SUCCESSOR OF THE GREAT
PERSIAN EMPIRES OF THE PAST, ALTHOUGH IT WAS PROBABLY NOT AS WEALTHY
AS ITS MUGHAL AND OTTOMAN NEIGHBORS TO THE EAST AND WEST

•HEMMED IN BY THE SEA POWER OF THE EUROPEANS TO THE SOUTH AND BY THE
LAND POWER OF THE OTTOMANS TO THE WEST, THE EARLY SAFAVIDS HAD NO NAVY
AND WERE FORCED TO DIVERT OVERLAND TRADE WITH EUROPE THROUGH
SOUTHERN RUSSIA TO AVOID AN OTTOMAN BLOCKADE.
•IN THE EARLY 17TH CENTURY, THE SITUATION IMPROVED WHEN IRANIAN
FORCES, IN COOPERATION WITH THE ENGLISH, SEIZED THE ISLAND OF
HORMUZ FROM PORTUGAL AND ESTABLISHED A NEW SEAPORT ON THE
SOUTHERN COAST AT BANDAR ABBAS

•AS A CONSEQUENCE, COMMERCIAL TIES WITH EUROPE BEGAN TO INCREASE


SAFAVID ART AND LITERATURE
•PERSIA WITNESSED AN EXTRAORDINARY FLOWERING OF THE ARTS DURING
THE REIGN OF SHAH ABBAS I

•HIS NEW CAPITAL OF ISFAHAN WAS A GRANDIOSE PLANNED CITY WITH


WIDE VISUAL PERSPECTIVES AND A SENSE OF ORDER ALMOST UNIQUE IN
THE REGION

•SHAH ABBAS ORDERED HIS ARCHITECTS TO POSITION HIS PALACES,


MOSQUES, AND BAZAARS AROUND THE MAYDAN-I-SHAH, A MASSIVE
RECTANGULAR POLO GROUND
•MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL CITY IS STILL IN GOOD CONDITION AND REMAINS THE
GEM OF MODERN IRAN

•THE IMMENSE MOSQUES ARE RICHLY DECORATED WITH ELABORATE BLUE


TILES

•THE PALACES ARE DELICATE STRUCTURES WITH UNUSUAL SLENDER WOODEN


COLUMNS

•THESE ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF ISFAHAN EPITOMIZE THE GRANDEUR,


DELICACY, AND COLOR THAT DEFINED THE SAFAVID GOLDEN AGE
•TO ADORN THE SPLENDID BUILDINGS, SAFAVID ARTISANS CREATED
IMAGINATIVE METALWORK, TILE DECORATIONS, AND ORIGINAL AND
DELICATE GLASS VESSELS

•THE CERAMICS OF THE PERIOD, IMITATING CHINESE PROTOTYPES OF


CELADON OR BLUE-AND-WHITE MING DESIGN, LARGELY IGNORED
TRADITIONAL PERSIAN DESIGNS

•THE GREATEST AREA OF PRODUCTIVITY, HOWEVER, WAS IN TEXTILES


•SILK WEAVING BASED ON NEW TECHNIQUES BECAME A NATIONAL INDUSTRY
•THE SILKS DEPICTED BIRDS, ANIMALS, AND FLOWERS IN A BRILLIANT MASS OF
COLOR WITH SILVER AND GOLD THREADS

•ABOVE ALL, CARPET WEAVING FLOURISHED, STIMULATED BY THE GREAT DEMAND


FOR PERSIAN CARPETS IN THE WEST

•STILL HIGHLY PRIZED ALL OVER THE WORLD, THESE 17TH CENTURY CARPETS REFLECT
THE GRANDEUR AND ARTISTRY OF THE SAFAVID DYNASTY

•THE LONG TRADITION OF PERSIAN PAINTING CONTINUED IN THE SAFAVID ERA, BUT
CHANGED FROM PAINTINGS TO LINE DRAWINGS AND FROM LANDSCAPE SCENES TO
PORTRAITS, MOSTLY OF YOUNG LADIES, BOYS, LOVERS, OR DERVISHES
•ALTHOUGH SOME PERSIAN ARTISTS STUDIED IN ROME, SAFAVID ART WAS
LITTLE INFLUENCED BY THE WEST

•RIZA-I-ABASSI, THE MOST FAMOUS ARTIST OF THIS PERIOD, CREATED


EXQUISITE WORKS ON SIMPLE NATURALISTIC SUBJECTS, SUCH AS AN OX
PLOWING, HUNTERS, OR LOVERS

•SOFT COLORS, DELICACY, AND FLOWING MOVEMENT WERE THE DOMINANT


CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PAINTING OF THIS ERA
REFERENCE:

DUIKER, W. AND SPIELVOGEL, J. (2001). WORLD HISTORY. THOMSON LEARNING INC.

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