The Safavid Empire began in Azerbaijan. They also reduced the importance of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), replacing it with pilgrimage to Shi'ite shrines. Its beautiful square, its mosques, its aura that is still visible today," says Matthee, a professor of history at the University of Delaware in the United States. The Safavid Empire. According to Matthee, this stands in direct contrast to the Safavids, whose treatment of minorities was an important part of their success. This Islamic Empire was strong enough to challenge the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east. The ulama retained control of religious practice; and enforced the Sharia (Qur'anic Law) in personal and family matters. But the legacy lives on in the state that exists today and also in the culture of the Safavids - literature, architecture, art and poetry, seen particularly in Isfahan, a capital of the empire for a period. "They were not as powerful as the Ottomans but it was very sophisticated and well-run.". The Safavid Empire was based in what is today Iran. Religious problems, old ways, invasion from Ottoman and Mughal empires Learn about the Islamic empire. The ulama developed a theory that only a Mujtahid - one deeply learned in the Sharia (Qur'anic law) and one who has had a blameless life, could rule. To promote Shi'ism the Safavids brought in scholars from Shi'ite countries to form a new religious elite. The Safavid Empire, although driven and inspired by strong religious faith, rapidly built the foundations of strong central secular government and administration. The Safavids gave up on the smart way of doing that and there is a lesson there for empires in general.". Over the past months, the extremist group ISIL has rampaged through parts of Iraq and Syria, expelling minorities and often killing them. Assisting in the downfall was the degradation of the power at the state level, thereby providing more authority to the … Isfahan became one of the world's most elegant cities. Even though Safavids were not the first Shi'a rulers in Iran, they played a crucial role in making Shi'ism the official religion in Iran. This was not entirely for love of beauty. At first, Shah Ismail, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, tried to convert members of the Ottoman Empire into Shiites. "The British Empire declined. The world stands at a dangerous moment: tensions in Eastern Europe, war in Syria, the rise of militant Islamists and recent hostilities in Gaza. He was the founder of the Safavid Empire. It's a balancing act. Much of the early art was devoted to celebrating the glories of the earlier Iranian kingdom, and thus, by implication, making legitimate the Safavids as that kingdom's current heirs. he Decline and Fall of the Safavid Empire is at NYUAD. ... older notions of the Safavid fall. "There is this narrative of decline, a narrative of stasis strongly present in people's understanding - both Muslim and non-Muslim, Middle Eastern, westerner - of the Muslim world on the eve of colonialism. With the overthrow of Shah Soltan Hosein (r. 1694 - 1722) by Mir Mahmud Hotaki, an Afghan warrior, in 1722 the Safavid Empire had come to a close. This led to power being exercised through the highest officials of the ulama, the Ayatollahs. The Americans are now supposedly in decline. The army itself ceased to be reliable and began to loot and plunder the empire's inhabitants. Decline The Safavid Empire was held together in the early years by conquering new territory, and then by the need to defend it from the neighbouring Ottoman Empire. The Safavids benefited from their geographical position at the centre of the trade routes of the ancient world. The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now Iran, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. There is a lesson there for the Islamic republic," says Matthee. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. The Safavids launched a vigorous campaign to convert what was then a predominantly Sunni population by persuasion and by force. There had been, however, Shi'a communities in some cities like Qom and Sabzevar as early as eighth century. The Afghan Shahs controlled the state and foreign policy, and could levy taxes and make secular laws. "There was a clear hierarchy. "It will try to challenge the fact there is nothing interesting happening in the Muslim word and what the empire means for Muslims [today], especially Iranians. References: Wiki entry on Safavid Dynasty; Shapour Ghassemi, History of Iran: Safavid Empire, 1502-1736 In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Buwayhids, who were of Zeydi a branch of Shi'ism ruled in Fars, Isfahan, and Baghdad. The Safavids also spent money to promote religion, making grants to shrines and religious schools. It lasted from 1501 to 1722 and was strong enough to challenge the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east. The Safavid Empire long fought its two enemies - the Ottomans on the west and the Uzbeks on the east and naturally, that sucked out all the energy out … This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Afghan forces sacked Isfahan which made the outcome was an impedement in tax collections and centralization. The Safavid Empire dates from the rule of Shah Ismail (ruled 1501-1524). What caused the Safavid empire and the Ottoman empire to decline? In 1726 an Afghan group destroyed the ruling dynasty. It's a mix, says Matthee. 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