Notes on Shah Abbas, the Ottoman,
Mughals, and the Uzbek
- Abbas Safavi Shah ruled Iran from 1588 -
1629. Abbas moved the court to Isfahan
and was a patron of both art and
business. Abbas was famed for his
fairness.
- By 1588 Persia was in precarious
situation. The Ottoman had taken Tabriz
and most of Northwest Persia. Persia was
forced to pay tribute to the Ottoman.
While on the eastern front the Uzbek came
as far west as Mashad. Abbas was able to
regain Azerbaijan and it's capitol Tabriz
and he was able to regain Meshed and
Herat. To the South east he set the
border with the Mughals in Timurid Indian
at Kandahar but I note that Kandahar
passed between the Persians and the
Mughals 6 times.
- The military victories of Abbas Safavi
were important but would have been
meaningless without his farsighted
economic policy. One interesting
innovation was elevating the Armenians
into important roles in trade and even
lending them money. By subsidizing and
encouraging trade he put Persia on a
sound financial footing.
- Artistically most people call the Abbas
years the pinnacle of Persian Art. I
instead see it as the beginning of the
decline but then I am hopelessly stuck in
the "Evil Years".
- Abbas was able to shift the balance of
power from the tribal confederation to
the state. This involved a policy of
dividing the major tribes and creating
new tribal confederations at the same
time he was building a non-tribal
standing army. Out of this policy
emerged the Shahsavan
and the Chahar
Aimaq.
- 1622 Shah Abbas Safavi contributed the
screens (darih) of brass and bronze and
the Kashi tiles on the the dome of the
Shrine Imam Husayn at Karbala. History
of the Shrine of Imam Husayn at Karbala
- Shah Abbas died in 1628 at the age of 70
in Mazanderan. His tomb is in Kashan, in
the Shrine of Habib ibn-Musa. Shah
Abbas I.
- Hired British mercenaries Robert
and Anthony Sherley to train his army
and act as Ambassadors with Europe.
- I have seen references to Shah Abbas
using Georgian troops. At the furthest
extent of Safavid Persia the border did
extend north of Tblisi.
- Notes
on Isfahan
The
Carpet of Wonder - the Art
Notes
on the Shaykh Lutfallah Mosque
The
Carpet of Wonder - the Mosque
Guide
to Isfahan Rugs and Carpets
A
Saber Carpet Circa 1940
Guide
To Ghoochan Rugs
Horse
Covers, Pile, Flatweave and Tang Dynasty Pottery
Guide
to Sirjan Rugs and Carpets
Jahangir's
wild ass (gur-khar) circa 1620
People
in the SW-Asia Model - P
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