The Safavids descended from Sheykh Safi od-Din who led a Sufi order in the 13th century. The order represented a puritanical reaction against the sullying of Islam by the Mongol infidels who had ruled Persia under the Il-Khans during the 13th century.

Shah Abbas strengthened the Safavid dynasty when the old Sufi bands were replaced by a standing army.

He expelled Ottoman und Uzbeks troops from Persian soil and promoted commerce and the arts, so that Persian artistic achievement reached a high point during his reign.

He moved his capital to Isfahan, which became one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with spacious boulevards and a grandiose square.

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