Safavid
Iran and Shi'a Islam
Islam was brought
to Iran in the 7th century by Arab invaders. This would mean centuries
of foreign rule for Iran and her people, until the 16th century.
In 1501 a charismatic, 14 year old Iranian boy (who would soon become the
first Safavid king, Shah Isma'il) established the Safavid monarchy in north-western
Iran, and, within a decade, he managed to control all of Iran and declare
the Shi'a faith as the state religion.
The Safavid Dynasty
is best remembered because of a dynamic king, Shah
Abbas I (r. 1588 to 1629), who was determined to transform Iran into
an empire which could challenge the Ottomans
and the Mughals for supremacy.
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