New Delhi: The Safavid dynasty is one of the most significant ruling dynasties in the history of the world, one that made the Persian Empire a close ally of the Mughal Empire though there were frequent clashes at times. Infact, it was a Safavid ruler who helped Humayun, the son and successor of Babur to regain the Mughal Empire after he was defeated and forced to go into exile by Sher Shah. In this article, we will learn more about this dynasty which is said to have heralded modern Iranian history.
Know about the Safavid dynasty
As has been mentioned, the Safavid dynasty is one of the most important ruling dynasties in the history of Iran. It ruled from 1501 to 1736 and it founded one of the earliest gunpowder empires of the world. The Safavid Shāh Ismā’īl I made the Twelver denomination of Shīʿa Islam the Persian Empire’s official religion which was one of the most significant moments in Islam’s history.
The dynasty originated from the Safavid order of Sufism, which was founded in Ardabil in the Iranian Azerbaijan region. Even though the dynasty was Iranian of Kurdish origin, it intermarried with Georgian, Turkoman, Pontic Greek and Circassian dignitaries for the expansion of power. At first, the Safavids formed Ardabil as their base and then went to control Greater Iran and reasserted the region’s Iranian identity. It was essentially the first native dynasty since the Sasanian Empire to establish a national state officially known as Iran.
During the peak of their power between 1501 and 1722, the Safavids controlled the entirety of modern-day Bahrain, Iran, Azerbaijan, eastern Georgia, Armenia, parts of the North Caucasus including Russia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and also parts of Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Along with the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire, it was one of the largest and most powerful forces in the world at that time.
The Safavid Empire was briefly restored from 1729 to 1736 and then from 1750 to 1773 but did not manage to hold on to power. Despite the fall of the dynasty due to the wrath of time, the legacy of the Safavids lies in the fact the dynasty revived Iran as an economic stronghold between East and West. Also, it established an efficient state and bureaucracy whose basis was the concept of ‘checks and balances’. Not just in administration and power, but they also left their immortal mark in architectural innovations and patronage of fine arts. The Safavids made Twelver Shīʿīsm Iran’s state religion, a legacy present to date and also spread Shīʿa Islam in major parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, the Persian Gulf, Mesopotamia, Caucasus, and Anatolia.
The Safavid dynasty is one of the most important ruling dynasties in the history of Iran. It ruled from 1501 to 1736 and it founded one of the earliest gunpowder empires of the world. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
