Safavid Empire

The Safavid Empire, also known as Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia and formally the Guarded Domains of Iran, was one of the largest and longest lasting Iranian empires, ruled by the Safavid dynasty from 1501 to 1736. Founded by Shah Ismail I, it is often regarded as marking the beginning of modern Iranian history and is counted among the early modern gunpowder empires for its use of firearms and artillery. Ismail I established Twelver Shia Islam as the empire's official religion, a turning point that shaped Iranian religious identity into the present and spread Shia Islam through parts of Central Asia, the Caucasus, Anatolia, the Persian Gulf, and Mesopotamia. At its height Safavid rule extended across territory now comprising Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, and parts of the North Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. As a nationality identity for a historical figure in this atlas, the Safavid Empire designates a person who lived and worked as a subject of this Iranian state.