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Safavid Iran

الدولة الصفوية

1501 CE · 906 AH† – 8 March 1736 CE · 24 Shawwal 1148 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

Safavid Iran, founded by Shah Ismail of Shaykh Safi al-Din al-Ardabili's line; al-Salabi presents its drive to spread Shi'ism in Iraq and Asia Minor as the spur that turned the Ottomans east, records Ismail's crushing defeat at Chaldiran in 920/1514 with the loss of Tabriz, and his later league with the Portuguese confirming their hold on Hormuz ¹. Established 1501, ended 1736.

Depth

At a glance

Era: The Gunpowder Empires
Region: Persia & Central Asia
Identifiers: Wikidata
Review: Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

In time

The Colonial Era · The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks · The Gunpowder Empires · The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era

Overview

The Safavid state, an empire founded in 1501 CE and ended in 1736 CE, recorded in the data as the successor of the Timurid state. ²

Not covered here

The two dates come from Wikidata, and that is a single source; a second source is needed. The data contain no shahs and no events so far.

Connections

Explore the connections

Opposed by: Afonso de Albuquerque
Founded by: Ismail I (Shah Ismail Safavi)
Successor of: Timurid Empire

People and things also explored

The battle of Chaldiran and the entry into Tabriz· السلطان سليم شاه بن عثمان· Afonso de Albuquerque· Ismail I (Shah Ismail Safavi)· Timurid Empire

Sources

al-Dawla al-Uthmaniyya — Ali Muhammad al-Salabi (2001) , p. 177-184
Wikidata

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Safavid Iran”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/polity/safavid-iran/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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The battle of Chaldiran and the entry into Tabriz

Chaldiran, August 1514 — Selim forced the issue before winter, sent the shah a dervish's cloak, beads, bowl and staff to mock his Sufi lineage, killed his envoy, then crushed the Safavid army and entered Tabriz; Kurdistan and Diyarbakir became Ottoman.