Shah Ismail I founded the Safavid state in 1501 and made Twelver Shi’ism its religion. Under Shah Abbas I Isfahan became the capital and one of the great cities of the world; the dynasty fell after the Afghan siege of 1722.
| Period | 1501–1736 |
|---|---|
| Covers | The dynasty that made Iran a Shi’a state and built Isfahan |
Pages in this era
- Shah Ismail I
- The Qizilbash
- Twelver Shi’ism Becomes Iran’s State Religion
- The Battle of Marv and the Uzbeks
- The Battle of Chaldiran (1514)
- Shah Tahmasp I
- The Ottoman–Safavid War and the Peace of Amasya
- Humayun’s Exile in Persia
- Qazvin: The Second Safavid Capital
- Ismail II and Mohammad Khodabanda
- Shah Abbas the Great
- Shah Abbas’s Military Reforms and the Ghulams
- The Sherley Brothers in Persia
- Isfahan: “Half the World”
- The Building of Naqsh-e Jahan Square
- Shah Abbas Retakes the West: The Ottoman Wars of 1603–1618
- The Capture of Hormuz from the Portuguese (1622)
- New Julfa and the Armenian Merchants
- The Safavid Silk Trade and Europe
- Sheikh Baha’i
- Reza Abbasi
- Shah Safi and the Treaty of Zuhab
- Shah Abbas II
- The Fight for Kandahar
- Chehel Sotoun Palace and Its War Paintings
- Shah Suleiman
- European Travellers in Safavid Persia
- Shah Soltan Hoseyn
- Safavid Art: Carpets, Miniatures and Tiles
- Mulla Sadra and the School of Isfahan
- The Afghan Revolt and the Battle of Gulnabad
- The Siege and Fall of Isfahan (1722)
- Peter the Great’s Persian Campaign (1722–1723)
- Tahmasp II and Hotaki Rule (1722–1732)
- Women of the Safavid Court
- The Safavid Legacy
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