1. The Rule of Safavids

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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

9. 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