Safavid Persia: The History and Politics of an Islamic Society (Pembroke Persian Papers)

The historiography of Safavid prefaces The early years of Shah Ismail in the "Afzal al-tavarikh" and elsewhere The iconography of the "Shah-nama-yi Shahi" Kinship ties between the Safavids and the Qizillbash Amirs in late 16th-century Iran A case study of the political career of members of the Sharaf al-Din Ogli Tekelu family Le "Dar al-Saltana" de Qazvin, deuxieme capitale des safavides Sufis, dervishes and mullas The controversy over spiritual and temporal dominion in 17th-century Iran Shii rituals and Power II The consolidation of Safavid Shiism Folklore and popular religion Shah Abbas and pilgimage to Mashhad "Barrier of heterodoxy"? Rethinking the ties between Iran and Persian during the Safavid period Sketch for an "Etat de Langue" Similar farmans from the reign of Shah Safi The rise of the Julfa merchants in the late 16th century The Dutch and the Persian silk trade The character of the urbanization of Isfahan in the later Safavid period Unwalled cities and restless nomads Firearms and artillery in Safavid Iran. "The Safavids ruled Persia for nearly two and a half centuries, longer than any other dynasty since the pre-Islamic period. The family was descended from the sufi Shaikh Safi al-Din of Ardabil (d. 1335), and thus enjoyed spiritual authority over its disciples among the Turkish Qizilbash tribes of eastern Anatolia and northwestern Persia, who brought the young Isma'il to power in 1501. Shah Isma'il proclaimed Twelver (Imami) Shi'ism as the official faith of Persia, and a genealogy was forged to trace the dynasty back to the seventh Imam, Musa al-Kazim. There followed a slow process of adjustment, during which the orthodox Shi'i 'ulama increased their authority both at the expense of the Safavid Shahs and of the Qizilbash sufis. Despite the interest of the Safavid period, which in many ways marked the emergence of modern Iran, it has not received the scholarly attention it deserves, and many questions remain to be explored." "This book on Safavid Persia is divided into two sections, the first of which includes studies on the historiography and the religious politics of the period. Among the contributions to the second section are chapters on the silk industry, which brought European merchants into the country and at the same time exposed the Persian economy to the vagaries of world trade; on the capital city of Isfahan, beautified by successive Shahs; and on the Safavids' reluctance to adopt firearms and artillery, which was one of the factors in the collapse of the dynasty when the Afghans invaded Persia in 1722."--BOOK JACKET The Safavids ruled Persia for nearly two and a half centuries, longer than any other dynasty since the pre-Islamic period. this book on Safavid Persia is divided into two sections, the first of which includes studies on the historiography and the religious politics of the period. Among the contributions to the second section are chapters on the silk industry, which brought European merchants into the country and at the same time exposed the Persian economy to the vagaries of world trade on the capital city of Esfahan, beautified by successive Shahs and on the Safvids' reluctance to adopt firearms and artillery, which was one of the factors in the collapse of the dynasty when the Afghans invaded Persia in 1722. -- Publisher description

The Safavids ruled Persia for nearly two and a half centuries, longer than any other dynasty since the pre-Islamic period. this book on Safavid Persia is divided into two sections, the first of which includes studies on the historiography and the religious politics of the period. Among the contributions to the second section are chapters on the silk industry, which brought European merchants into the country and at the same time exposed the Persian economy to the vagaries of world trade on the capital city of Esfahan, beautified by successive Shahs and on the Safvids' reluctance to adopt firearms and artillery, which was one of the factors in the collapse of the dynasty when the Afghans invaded Persia in 1722.