SAFIVID DYNATSY

7/28/2019 SAFIVID DYNATSY

1/6

SAFIVID DYNATSY

The period of the Safavids, the dynasty that took control of Persiain the early 16th century, is often considered the beginning ofmodern Persian history, also known as Persian nation state

Safavid society continued Mongol and Timurid patterns andpractices, through administrative institutions.

With the surfacing of the Shi'ite faith, the Safavid Dynasty startedto spread across the lands. This powerful dynasty lasted until its

decline starting in 1629, leading to its initial fall in 1736.

Shah Ismail, who ruled from 1487 to 1524, assumed control of thedynasty at age seven and led the Dynasty into war at age twelve.He subdued Baghdad in 1508, sent the Shiite priests into Anatolia

to promote rebellion among the Ottoman Empire, and he forces the

Shi'ite religion upon Iran . shah ismail was the first Shah of the

dynasty.

Shah Abbas 1 was Shah (king) of Iran, and generally consideredthe greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of

Shah Mohammad.

Abbas came to the throne during a troubled time for Iran. Underhis weak-willed father, the country was riven with discord between

the different factions of the Qizilbash army, who killed Abbas'

mother and elder brother.

Meanwhile, Iran's enemies, the Ottoman Empire and the Uzbeks,exploited this political chaos to seize territory for themselves.

In 1587, one of the Qizilbash leaders, Murshid Qoli Khan,overthrew Shah Mohammed in a coup and placed the 16-year-old

Abbas on the throne.


2/6

But Abbas was no puppet and soon seized power for himself. Hereduced the influence of the Qizilbash in the government and the

military and reformed the army, enabling him to fight the

Ottomans and Uzbeks and reconquer Iran's lost provinces.

He also took back land from the Portuguese and the Mughals.Abbas was a great builder and moved his kingdom's capital from

Qazvin to Isfahan.

SAFIVIDS KINGS:1502 - 1524 : Ismail I

1524 - 1576: Tahmasp1576 - 1577: Ismail II

1577 - 1587: Mohammad

1587 - 1629: Abbas I, the Great

1629 - 1642: Safi I

1642 - 1667: Abbas II

1667 - 1694: Safi II

1694 - 1722: Soltan Hossein1722 - 1732: Tahmasp II

1732 - 1736: Abbas III

SAFIVIDS ART

Safavid art is the art of the Persian Safavid dynasty from 1501 to1722, in present day Iran. From 1501 to 1722, in present day Iran.

It was a high point for the art of the book and architecture; and also

including ceramics, metal, glass, and gardens. While nourished by

ancient Persian culture, the Safavid artists were strongly influenced


3/6

by Turkmen culture due to the origins of the dynasty, as well as

Chinese, Ottoman, and Western culture

The Safavid Empire was one of the most significant rulingdynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires,with artistic accomplishments, since the Muslim conquest of Persia

Advances in art included the painting of humans and their dailylives. Young ladies, boys, lovers, dervishes were all subject to

being painted in oil paintings.

APPAREAL AND APPEARANCE:

the Persian character was its love of luxury, particularly onkeeping up appearances

They would adorn their clothes, wearing stones and decorate theharness of their horses.

Men wore many rings on their fingers, almost as many as theirwives. They also placed jewels on their arms, such as on daggers

and swords.

Daggers were worn at the waist. In describing the lady's clothing, itwas noted that Persian dress revealed more of the figure than did

the European, but that women appeared differently depending on

whether they were at home in the presence of friends and family,

or if they were in the public.

In private they usually wore a veil that only covered the hair andthe back, but upon leaving the home, they would put on a large

sheet, that concealed the whole of the body except from the face.


4/6

The Muslims under the Safavid rule were not to wear cloth made

entirely of natural silk. It was also forbidden to wear red garments.

For Muslim men, they were recommended to grow a beard becausetheir prophet, Muhammad, grew a long beard.

Muslim women were required to wear a dress which covered theirbody in a proper manner, avoiding transparent materials which

showed parts of their body. They were advised to wear dresses that

weren't hemmed too far above their ankles because of this.

Women with slender waists were regarded as more attractive thanthose with larger figures. Women from the provinces and slaves

pierced their left nostrils with rings, but well-born Persian women

would not do this.

The most precious accessory for men was the turban. As for food and drink, pork was, and still is, forbidden to all

Muslims, as well as alcoholic drink.

TECHNOLOGY

The Safavid Dynasty also gave way to other technologies that weredeveloped for trade. The Safavid held overland trade routes to other

countries, and shipped out their wares to Europe and Central Asia and

India. The Safavids usually sent out silks and Persian carpets, usually

made of wool and cotton.

SAFIVIDS TEXTILE

A crucial item of furnishing in the Islamic world, the carpet servednot merely as a floor covering but as seating and bedding as well.

Carpets were used in religious settingsprayer rugs and the multi-

niche prayer carpets, or safs made for mosquesbut also in

political settings: the monarch held official audiences in a throne


5/6

room richly embellished with textiles and carpets, and sometimes

outside, either beneath a dais or a kiosk with fitted rugs or less

formally, seated cross-legged on a small mat. Luxury textiles in the

form of robes of honor (Arabic khila), bolts of silk cloth and finecarpets were routinely conferred as a mark of favor and as

diplomatic gifts

The Iranians had since antiquity imported from India cheap cottonstuffs and cash crops, from jute, raw cotton to entire cargoes of the

precious red insect dye lc. The Persians exported luxury goods to

the Indian sub-continent, but they generated insufficient foreign

currency to compensate for the quantity of import

PERSIAN CARPET During the Safavid period, the export of carpets flourished, to

destinations in Europe and to the Mughal Empire, where Persian

carpets stimulated local production.

Some Safavid carpets were also transported by the Dutch EastIndia Company towards Jakarta, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kochi, India

as well as to the Netherlands.

European orders came to the Persian Empire for the weaving ofspecial carpets: for example, the group of "Polish carpets" was

undoubtedly knotted in Isfahan, but certain ones carry the arms

of Poland.

The rapid development of the carpet industry in the PersianEmpire during the Safavid period seems to be due to the

sovereigns' taste for this art form. Ismail I, then Shah Tahmasp


6/6

and Shah Abbas I are known for having been personally interested

in carpet production.

was in this period and particularly since Shah Tahmasp that thefirst carpets with floral decoration were created, in order tosatisfy the taste of the Safavids. The difference between the

carpets of the nomads and the floral ones is due to the role of the

"master" , who draws the pattern which will be reproduced by the

knotters.

Documents

SAFIVID DYNATSY