SafavidEmpire

Andrew A- F Period Bobby O- D Period Pat L- B Period Kevin W- A Period

=Introduction= Islam, a religion started in 1620 by the Prophet Muhammed, began in the Arabian penninsula and quickly spread. Its main focuses were of submiting to their one god, following their religious leaders, uniting with other Islamic people, and folloing the Five Pillars of Islam. These include proclaiming faith, donating to charity, making a sacred pilmigrage, following rituals, and yielding to follow praying ceremonies. This religion was the fastest spreading religion in the world and spread into the three continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The religion was able to spread through its major empires and eventually seeped into the Persian world. Here, a new empire of the great Islamic faith was born starting its own traditions and legacies. This empire became known as the Safavid Empire. This empire was a supresive Shi ' ite Islam theocracy empire which lasted from 1501-1722, in what is now Iran, but was originally Persia. This was which helped shape the Safavid culture and the location on major trade roots gave it great economic strength. The Safavid empire with its capital of Isfahan was considered one of the three great Islamic empires of which the other two where the Ottomans and the Mhugals. Founded by a religious brotherhood the Safavids became one of the greatest military forces of its time period becoming one of the few nations to challenge the Ottoman empire. The Safavids finnaly met their doom when they were conquered by Afghan invaders at the end of their great reign.



In the beginning of the Safavid Empire, a group of religiously based Sufis collected together to form a religious brotherhood in Persia. This group of religious follwers converted to a very unpopular form of Islam in the Middle East at that time. This religion is known as Shi'ite where they recognize only blood related descendants as the true caliph. They embraced the fourth caliph Ali as the true first caliph as he was the only blood related descendant of Muhammed to be caliph. Safavids began trying to spread their religion in the mid-1400's and gained power. Using their power in their military allowed them to conquer a majority of the Persian world. This group of religiously based people turned into this warring tribe that became an empire in 1501. These people unified Persia under an empire controlling the surrounding areas. The Safavid Empire was started by the strong military leader Ishmail who conquered many lands and spread their religious Shi'ite beliefs. This began hundreds of years of battling with the Ottomans for power in the Middle East and Western Asia.
 * __Beginnings[[image:http://wordincarnate.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/silhouette-of-woman-praying.jpg width="202" height="270" align="right"]]__**

**__Religion__**
The Safavid religion was the most important part of the entire empire as its beginnings and foundations were based around it. The Safavids began as a small religious group that spread quicklys emerging military power. The religion that the Safavids followed was Shi'ite Islam, which was a very unpopular form of Islam at that time because the majority of muslims were suni. In their beliefs, the Safavids differed from other groups of their own religion greatly, namely the Sunnis. This allowed the Safavids to spreed greatly because people who were excluded from the Sunni religion of went against it could go to the Safavid Empire. There they could worship under a new religion. However, the Safavids were extremely harsh about religious views and only accepted those of Shi'ite beliefs. They did not even accept Sufis, even though the basis of the empire and heritage is Sufi. They could incorperate their religion into ruling and everyday life because the Safavid government was a strict theocracy. The Shi'ite beliefs included beliefs that Ali was the second caliph as he was the only blood related descendent from Muhammed in the Rashadan caliphate. Also, they only pray in the salat three times a day instead of the Sunni five times a day ritual. They also did not encourage the trip on the hajj, but encouraged pilmigrages to Shi'ite shrines. Lastly, the Safavids paid very large amounts of money to keep their religious educational system strong and created a class of Shia elite to encourage and force Shi'ite Islam on to people. Overall, the Safavid Empire created a dominance of the Shia Muslim religion in Persia that caused the modern nation of Iran to have a country religion of Shi'ite. These lasting religious impacts were left by the Safavids on the Persian world and theIranian nation.

​ The Safavid Empire had only 11 kings throughout there whole empire, as the empires kings were actually killed before the empire was destroyed. The empires most famous leader and creator of the empire was Shah Ishmail. Ishamail started the empire in Iran, and soon after started capturing small Persian tribes around his area, usually ones not of the Shi'ite religion that soon converted to the Safavid religion. However, Ishmail biggest threat was of the people of the west, the Ottaman Turks.The Ottamans fought the Safavid Empire for 250 years for power in Western Asia, way after the death of Ishmail. Another king in the Safavid Empire was Ishmail's first descendant Shah Tahmasp, Tahmasps greatest successions were of retaking the lands captured by the Uzbek's. Also, the Capital of the Safavid empire was moved under his reign for the fear of it being captured. Another of the most important leaders in the Safavid Empire was a descendent of Shah Ishmal, named Shah Abbas The First. He had created the most formidable Safavid army that he used to conquer and control the Persian world. He took in tribal people to his army by granting them land in his empire. The new tribal warriors became very loyal to Shah Abbas which kept him in power. Also, the very successful leader embraced learning and knowledge. He was also one of the only rulers of the Safavid Empire to accept foreigners and non-Muslims. He did this to learn more from other lands. However, the last emperor of the Safavid empire, Shah Sultan Hossein, was not powerful enough in his military to hold off invaders. He died in battle and the empire was overthrown by Afghan invaders in 1722. Overall, throughout the history of the Safavid Empire, there were many very important leaders that effected its course in history.
 * __Leaders__**

The Safavid Empire began as a religious tribe, but soon evolved into a military power in its Persian world. The Safavids transformed the middle east by conquering and uniting it for two hundred years. Its miltary power came from strong loyalty of the people to their leader, or shah, who was believed to have connection with God. The empire started when the first leader Ishmail, conquered almost all of Iran and parts of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Khurasan. The Safavids then began taking on theiir new rival in the Middle East- the Ottomans. During the beginning of the empire, the Safavids first attacked the Ottomans in Asia Minor. This led to the 250 year war between the two great Islam empires that warred over power in the Middle East. As the Safavids faced problems in the East with the Ottomans, they also battled another tribe just north east of their empire. However battling this tribe, the Uzbeks, was closer to their home and empire. Despite the Safavid Empire starting religiously, it was one of the only nations to challenge the Mhugals and the Ottomans at the time. Inheriting the modern techniques of war in their area, the Safavids were able to defeat their formidable enemies for expansion. However, towards the middle of the Safavid rule, the rulers became comfortable with their empire and began trying to sustain its borders rather than expanding them. This had worked for about 100 years until the military became to weak and the Safavid Empire was soverthrown by Afghan invaders. Overall, the Safavid military became one of the strongest powers in the Middle East despite the empire starting as a religiously based group. All in all, one of the three great empires of Islam, the Safavid empire had geat econonmical and military strength despite its controversial religious Shi ' ite beginings. Founded in modern day Iran, the area previously known as Persia, was a heavy impacted the empire's culture which was supresive and an extreme Shi'ite Islam theocracy, based in its capital of Isfahan. The Safavid empire left a lasting impression especialy in Iran of extremist Shia and will always be rememered for its strength. This empire, however in a short span of time, influenced the Persian world in countless ways that still cause differences in the Middle East. The Safavid Empire was the first group of Muslims to stand up for their own beliefs and start a new civilization based on thier thoughts. This changed the course of history for ever in the Iran, the Persian world, the Middle East- and the world.
 * __Military__**
 * __CONCLUSION__**

Armenia Azerbaijan Khurasan
 * __Facts about the Safavid empire__**
 * lasted from 1501-1722
 * Included Iran and parts of Turkey and Georgia
 * It was a Theocracy which dictionary.com defines as -a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
 * Supresive all other variations of Islam and other religions
 * It's economic strength came from its location on major trade rutes
 * Capital-Isfahan
 * founded by safavids originally a religious group, later became military ruled
 * One of the 3 great Islamic empires
 * one of the few nations which challenged the ottomans and mughals
 * overthrown by Afghan invaders in 1722
 * it had religious, rather than military, beginnings
 * Safavid were Shia Muslims
 * started as a theocrocy
 * Timur
 * Unificatin of Iran since Persian Empire and started firts basis of Iranian nation
 * Iran was influenced to be heavily Shia because of Safavids
 * Early Safavid paintings combined the traditions of Timurid Herat and Turkoman
 * Had a total of 11 leaders through there reign.
 * The capital (Isfahan) was controlled by 7 noble family's.
 * Fully captured and wiped out by Nader Khan in 1730 and was then owned by the Ottaman Russians.
 * Ismail defeated the Aq-Qoyunlu in 1501 the empire In 1507 Ismail began raiding Ottoman lands in eastern Asia Minor In 1508 Ismail took Baghdad then he turned east to battle the Uzbeks who threatened the empire in 1514 the Safavids and ottomans armies met in August at Chaldiran, in eastern Asia Minor resulting in an ottoman win Fought Ottomans for power in Middle East for 250 years.
 * In the year 1500 the safavids conquered parts of

[|www.ucalgury.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/empires/safavid/] [|ttp://oz.plymouth.edu/~wbhowarth/safavid%20%20Empire.ppt#256,1,Safavid] [|www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/safavidempire_1.shtml] [] [] []