The Muslims Internet Directory

Offers images of Safavid period carpets and details their size.

Offers a detail of a Safavid silk carpet and furnishes a brief history of the empire.

Details the Ottoman conquest of the Safavid dynasty in a battle that pitted Ottoman Sultan Selim I against Shah Esma'il.

Traces the origins of the Safavids from the 14th century ancestry of Shaykh Safi ad Din and describes Ismail's governing sadr and qizilbash.

Details the embattled Safavid empire and the attacks sustained by the Ghilzai, Zand, Kajar, and Uzbeg tribes.

Willem Floor reviews a 1996 book edited by Charles Melville entitled "Safavid Persia: The History and Politics of an Islamic Society."

Describes the Safavid, Mughal, and Mamluk empires and describes the seizure of Northwest Iran by Ismail from Aq Quyunlu.

Explores the impact of the adoption of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of the Safavids. Describes the representation of Iran in history.

Features an impressive catalog of oil paintings, artifacts, and photographs depicting the Qajar epoch of Safavid courtly art.

Details the work of the court painter under Shah Abbas I and provides an example of his miniature painting.

Offers an in-depth history of the Safavid dynasty and details the reign of Shah Abbas and the eventual Afghan tribal victories over the empire.

Offers images of the Safavid capital, Isfahan and details the renowned Shah Abbas I. Offers a background on Shi'ism.

View a slideshow depicting the tilework of the Safavids and offering background on the construction of various mosques.

Furnishes an overview of the militant Shi'ite dynasty founded by Shah Ismail. Also profiles Shah Abbas I and Nadir Shah.

Furnishes a brief overview of the Safavid state and describes its religious militancy as a reaction to the sullying of Islam by the Mongols.

Describes the genesis of the Safavids from a Sufi mystical branch to a militant, arms-bearing Shi'ite force. Details the King of Tabriz.