The Rule of Safavids

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty After the empire of Timur Lenk ended in the early 15th century, Persia fell to anarchy Lawlessness and disorder

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty In the early 16th century a new dynasty took control; the Safavids Ismail was their leader

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty In 1501 he seized much of what is now Iran and Iraq Ismail then named himself as shah, or king, of a new Persian state

Tensions with the Ottomans The Safavids were devout Shiite Muslims Ismail sent Shiite preachers into Turkish lands in order to convert members of the Ottoman Empire This alarmed the Ottomans who then attacked the Safavids

Tensions with the Ottomans The two nations constantly battled Both rulers believed they were the spiritual leader of the Islamic faith In the 1580s, the Safavids lost control of Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea to the Ottomans

Glory and Decline Under Shah Abbas, the Safavids were at their peak They attacked the Ottomans and regained the lost territory in 1612

Glory and Decline After the death of Abbas, the Safavid dynasty started declining The pressure to conform to traditional religious beliefs, orthodoxy, also increased

Glory and Decline In the early 18th century, Afghan peoples invaded and seized the Persian capital The Turks took advantage, and seized territories along the Western border Persia sank back into anarchy