Safavid << sa FAH veed >> dynasty was a family that ruled an influential empire in Southwest Asia from 1501 to 1722. At the height of their power, the Safavids controlled all or parts of present-day Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. The Safavids introduced the Shī`ah division of Islam to this area and made it the empire’s official religion. Today, Shī`ah Islam is the state religion of Iran, and nearly all Iranians are Shī`ites (see Shī`ites).
The name Safavid comes from Sheikh Safi al-Din, who formed a mystical religious order in the 1300’s. Mysticism is the belief that God or truth can be known by individual insight rather than by reasoning or study. In 1501, Ismail, a descendant of Safi, became head of the order. Ismail declared himself shah (king) and claimed to be a divine messiah (savior). His disciples were Turkic warriors known as Qizilbash (Red Heads). The Qizilbash wore red hats to indicate their Shī`ah beliefs. In 1501, Ismail and the Qizilbash conquered Persia (now Iran). This conquest marked the beginning of the Safavid empire.
For the next 13 years, Ismail continued to expand his empire. In 1507, he began attacking territory of his western neighbor, the Ottoman Empire. Tension between the Ottomans and Safavids grew. In 1514, the Ottomans turned back the Safavids at Chaldiran, a town in what is now Turkey. Following this defeat, Ismail withdrew from public life and never again led an army into battle.
After Ismail’s death in 1524, the two greatest Safavid shahs were Tahmasb (also spelled Tahmasp) and Abbas I. Tahmasb, Ismail’s son, ruled from 1524 to 1576, and Abbas I ruled from 1587 to 1629. Art, architecture, and literature flourished under both shahs. Under Abbas, the Persian city of Isfahan was turned into a magnificent capital with beautiful mosques, palaces, and gardens.
The height of the Safavid dynasty’s power came under Abbas I. During Abbas’s reign, the Safavids helped keep the Portuguese and Spanish from expanding into Islamic areas. But the empire started to decline after the death of Abbas in 1629. The dynasty ended in 1722, when a group of Afghan invaders from the east conquered the Safavids.
