The social and political structure of the Safavid Empire - Essay Example

Summarizing Safavid Iran The article analyses the social and political structure of the Safavid Empire. Located in central Middle East, the kingdom occupied a fundamental geographic location and had substantial effect in the stability of the region. The Empire linked the eastern Asia to the Western Asia thus becoming an integral actor and an influencer of trade among other interactions with the region. The kingdom bordered the Persian Gulf to the south and the Ottoman Empire to the West; it thus influenced both trade and transportation in the region. Additionally, as an Islamic society the Empire was therefore part of a large Islamic societies expanding into North Africa and the entire Middle East. The unity enjoyed by the kingdoms at the time thus influenced the nature of the Safavid Empire. The empire had a conserved social structure, which implored subjective belief in the faith. The close relationship between the religion and the state contributed to the stability and unity of the empire within the state as both the religion and the state had mechanisms of effecting obedience to the structure of governance. Imperial culture in the Ottoman and Safavid empires The article analyses the differences and similarities between the two early empires. Among the most evident similarities included their cultures, the author portrays cultural similarities in the attire of the people from the two early societies. Firstly, both were empires thus had definite prides they wished to safeguard. The two societies built houses in similar structures and designs and even habited the same region, the expansive Middle East. The two societies thus often interacted through various means including warfare since they were neighbors. In one of such wars, the Ottoman won thus gaining greater influence over the Safavid. The victory earned the Ottoman Empire numerous commercial rights to trade with other neighboring communities as it quelled the volatility in the region for some time. Among other additional similarities in the two empires included the similarity in faith, both the empires ascribed to the Islamic faith thus had similar religious structures, which also influenced the leadership of both the societies as the religious leaders had influence in the governance of the Islamic societies. The history of the life and accomplishments of Mehed the second The royal history of Mehed the conqueror begins with the return of his father, Sultan Murad to the throne. By abducing the throne, Murad earned his son Mehed the throne through inheritance thus paving the way for the life and success of one of the greatest conquerors of the time. Mehed ascended into power with the death of his father on 18 February 1451. As a legitimate ruler, Mehed could now formulate and implement his own policies. Among his fundamental fantasies was conquering Istanbul. He therefore invested a lot of time and resources in planning his inversion and conquest of the region that would earn him exclusive commercial rights and influence. He therefore constructed the fortress of Bogaz-Kesen, which would facilitate the attack on Istanbul. He thereafter invaded and conquered Istanbul successfully thus earning the control of the commercial hub and ordered its reconstruction as part of his new territory. The successful inversion of Istanbul motivated the empire into other successive inversions including the capture of Enoz, Tasoz and Serbia thus making Mehed one of the greatest conquerors. The poetry of Shah Ismali the first Shah Ismali possessed poetic talent, which he utilized in the composition of numerous verses most of which are stored in museums in Britain. As an early poet, the Shah wrote in the native divan language, a language spoken in the southern Turkey. He wrote poems exclusively on Turkey. He received great inspiration from his friend and colleague Sultan Selim who on the other wrote exclusively on Persia. His works just as any other contemporary poetry covered such features of the society as culture, politics and the economy. His poems were relevant to the local communities, which spoke in the dialect; he targeted the local Turkish audience and other Arabic societies, which could speak the little divan dialect of the expansive Arabic. As a poet, he perfected his communication skills and use of language thus composed several poems most of which addressing such themes as the rampant wars in the region at the time. The emergence of the Ottomans The Ottoman Empire was one of the many empires in the Middle East; however, unlike many it was strong and enjoyed immense economic might, its ability to unite both the Balkans and the Anatolia made it one of the strongest empires of the time. Additionally, it sought to unite the differing regions through the Islamic faith a feature that made it a strong cohesive Empire. The rise of the Ottoman Empire began with the fall of the Seljuk state in a holy war an occurrence that led to the emergence of several principalities key among them being the Ottoman frontier principality, which later led the formation of the Ottoman Empire through warfare and military conquest thus amassing wealth and economic might. Events of the year of the Ox The fifteenth year of Shah Abass being in throne was one of his busiest, the year that began with the yearly holiday celebrations would end up being one of the busiest as the Shah later took a secret pilgrimage to devout his military and economic activities of the year to God. Just as any other year, the year of the Ox began with the normal holiday celebrations, which the Shah participated in just as normally. In a show of philanthropy, the Shah donated foodstuff and gold to refugee Uzbeg princess who had reached Isfahan by the fall of the year. Such shows would repay in folds, as the royal family would pay for his kindness in a way or another. He gave the refugees foodstuff, gold and livestock capable of propelling them into life that is more dignified. The refugee took his modest gift to the Shah the following day thus marking the end of the celebrations. Among his key official duties in the year was te secret pilgrimage to Moshad. Later in the year, winter fell and with it, the shah undertook various activities both official and private key among which included the appointment of Ambassador Jan Mohamed a move that would consolidate the empire as he increased his allies (Eskander 801). The dream The book of travel chronicles the life of some of the greatest early cities and empires in the Middle East. Elvyia Celebi the historian begins his book with an overview of Istanbul the greatest city in the region and headquarters of Ottoman. Just as discussed earlier, Ottoman became the greatest empire in the region as it united both the Anatolia and the Balkans, Istanbul the capital city thus became the greatest economic and administrative headquarter in the region. The book thus begins with the analysis of the city with the first chapter being a geographic description of Istanbul. He opens up the chapter by a devout to Allah who blessed the month of travel then begins his description of the greatest city in the early Middle East. The circumstances connected with Shah Esmali Shah Esmali was yet another great conqueror who contributed to the stability of the early Middle East. His rise into throne began by his brother’s death as he later became nominated to inherit his brother. As a legitimate leader, Esmali got effective opportunity to foster both his own dreams and the ambitions of his departed brother. However, his rise to the throne faced several challenges, as he was to inherit even his brother’s enemies despite his young age. A group of devout followers thus hid him Ardabil thus escaping an eminent murder. He rose from exile to become the empire and consolidated his military to begin a series of inversions. The first was between him and Mirza, his victory propelled him into yet another fight with Sultan Morad. His victory this time earned him Persia an expansive region, which made him an instant star as he now acquired one of the strategic commercial regions in Middle East. After the victor, Shah Esmali was now a legitimate ruler, among his other assignments was to consolidate his military, which he began by a massive operation meant to chastise the tenacious insurgents of the Persian Iraq and the capture of many other fortresses thus protecting his territory further. Work cited Eskander, B. Monshi. History of Shah Abbas the Great. Toronto: University of Toronto press, 1965. Print. Read More