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Shah Abbas I and the golden age of Safavid Isfahan

1598 (capital moved to Isfahan)·Culture, arts & philosophy·Iran (Safavid Empire)·
1598 (capital moved to Isfahan)Date
Culture, arts & philosophyCategory
30Empires active
Date
1598 (capital moved to Isfahan)
Category
Culture, arts & philosophy
Region
Iran (Safavid Empire)
Era
Early Modern
Significance

Isfahan became the Safavid capital in 1598, when Shah Abbas I (r. 1588–1629) moved his seat of power there from Qazvin, transforming the central Iranian city into one of the most splendid in the world.

The vast Naqsh-e Jahan Square, laid out between 1598 and 1629 and fringed by the Shah Mosque, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, the Ali Qapu palace and the grand bazaar, became the showpiece of Safavid architecture, giving rise to the saying Isfahan nisf-e jahan, Isfahan is half the world. Abbas raised the Safavid Empire to the height of its power: he reformed the military by creating a standing army of slave-soldiers (ghulams) equipped with artillery and muskets, reducing his dependence on the unruly Qizilbash tribes, and recovered territory lost to the Ottomans and Uzbeks. He also fostered silk exports and welcomed European and Armenian merchants, integrating Iran into global trade and leaving a cultural legacy that defines Persian art and architecture to this day.

See the world map in 1598 (capital moved to Isfahan) →More culture, arts & philosophyThe Early Modern era

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