The Safavid Empire...It was GGRRRRRREAT!

The Safavid Empire was ruled by a family in Southeast Asia from 1501 to 1722
Controlled all parts of present day Iran, Iraq, Azerbijan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan
Made Shiah Islam the official religion of the empire
The name Safavid comes from Sheik Safi al-Din who formed a mystical religious order

Mysticism is the belief that God or truth can be known by individual insight rather than by reasoning or study

* He declared himself shah (king) and claimed that he was a divine messiah

* His disciples were Turkic warriors known as Qizilbash (red heads)

* Ismail and his disciples conquered Persia

* The conquest marked the beginning of the Safavid Empire

Ismail I

* One of his expansions was the Ottoman Empire territory

* Tension between the two areas grew and the Ottomans turned back the Safavids at Chaldiran

* After the defeat Ismail withdrew from public life and never again led an army into battle

After Ismail the two greatest Safavid shahs were Tahmasb and Abbas I
Art, architecture, and literature flourished under then
Height of the empire came under Abbas I - he helped keep the Portuguese and Spanish from expanding into Islamic areas
The Safavid Empire declined when Abbas I died
Culture flourished under Safavid patronage; tilemaking, pottery, and textiles developed and great advances were made in miniature painting, bookbinding, decoration, and calligraphy
Ended in 1722 when a group of Afghan invaders from the east conquered the Safavid

Shahs

* Ismail I 1501–1524

* Tahmasp I 1524–1576

* Ismail II 1576–1578

* Mohammed Khodabanda 1578–1587

* Abbas I 1587–1629

* Safi 1629–1642

* Abbas II 1642–1666

* Suleiman I 1666–1694

* Sultan Hoseyn I 1694–1722

* Tahmasp II 1722–1732

* Abbas III 1732–1736