Isfahan and its Palaces: Statecraft, Shi`ism and the Architecture of Conviviality in Early Modern Iran (Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Art)

This beautifully illustrated history of Safavid Isfahan (15011722) explores the architectural and urban forms and networks of socio-cultural action that reflected a distinctly early-modern and Perso-Shii practice of kingship. An immense building campaign, initiated in 1590-91, transformed Isfahan from a provincial, medieval, and largely Sunni city into an urban-centered representation of the first Imami Shii empire in the history of Islam. The historical process of Shiification of Safavid Iran and the deployment of the arts in situating the shifts in the politico-religious agenda of the imperial household informs Sussan Babaies study of palatial architecture and urban environments of Isfahan and the earlier capitals of Tabriz and Qazvin. Babaie argues that since the Safavid claim presumed the inheritance both of the charisma of the Shii Imams and of the aura of royal splendor integral to ancient Persian notions of kingship, a ceremonial regime was gradually devised in which access and proximity to the shah assumed the contours of an institutionalized form of feasting. Talar-palaces, a new typology in Islamic palatial designs, and the urban-spatial articulation of access and proximity are the architectural anchors of this argument. Cast in the comparative light of urban spaces and palace complexes elsewhere and earlierin the Timurid, Ottoman, and Mughal realms as well as in the early modern European capitalsSafavid Isfahan emerges as the epitome of a new architectural-urban paradigm in the early modern age. An Immense Building Campaign, Initiated In 1590-91 At The Millennial Threshold Of The Islamic Calendar (1000 A.h.), Transformed Isfahan From A Provincial, Medieval, And Largely Sunni City Into An Urban-centered Representation Of The First Imami Shi'i Empire In The History Of Islam.this Beautifully Illustrated History Of Safavid Isfahan (1501-1722) Explores The Architectural And Urban Forms And Networks Of Socio-cultural Action That Reflected A Distinctly Early-modern And Perso-shi'i Practice Of Kingship.the Historical Process Of Shi'ification Of Safavid Iran And The Deployment Of The Arts In Situating The Shifts In The Politico-religious Agenda Of The Imperial Household Informs Sussan Babaie's Fascinating Study. Conviviality, Charismatic Absolutism, And The Persianization Of Shiʻism -- Peripatetic Kings And Palaces : From Tabriz To Qazvin In The Sixteenth Century -- Dwelling In Paradise, Or Isfahan Half The World -- The Abode Of Felicitious Rule Or The Daulatkhane Royal Precinct -- The Spatial Choreography Of Conviviality : The Palaces Of Isfahan -- Feasting And The Perso-shiʻi Etiquette Of Kingship -- The Fall Of Isfahan. Sussan Babaie. Includes Bibliography (p. [274]-293) And Index. Contents List of Figures List of Plates Series Editor’s Foreword Preface and Acknowledgments Note on the Transliteration System Safavid Dynastic Chart Timeline of Safavid Capital Cities and Major Structures Chapter 1 Introduction: Conviviality, Charismatic Absolutism, and the Persianization of Shi'ism Chapter 2 Peripatetic Kings and Palaces: FromTabriz to Qazvin in the Sixteenth Century Chapter 3 Dwelling in Paradise, or Isfahan “Half the World” Chapter 4 “The Abode of Felicitous Rule” or the Daulatkhane Royal Precinct Chapter 5 The Spatial Choreography of Conviviality: the Palaces of Isfahan Chapter 6 Feasting and the Perso-Shi'i Etiquette of Kingship Chapter 7 Epilogue: The Fall of Isfahan Select Bibliography Illustration Acknowledgments Index