Slaves of the Shah
Subtitle: new elites of Safavid Iran
By: Sussan Babaie ... [et al.].
Contributors: Babaie, Sussan.; Conference on Iranian Studies (2nd : 1998 : Bethesda, Md.)
Series: Library of Middle East history ;; v. 3
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Published: 2004
Place of publication: London; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 218
Subjects: Iran -- History -- Ṣafavid dynasty, 1501-1736.
Description: "The Safavid dynasty represented the pinnacle of Iran's power and influence in its early modern history. The evidence of this-- the creation of a nation state, military expansion and success, economic dynamism, and the exquisite art and architecture of the period -- is well-known. What is less understood is the extent to which the Safavid success depended on an elite originating from outside Iran: the slaves of Caucasian descent and the Armenian merchants of Isfahan. This book describes how these elites, following their conversion to Islam, helped to transform Isfahan's urban, artistic and social landscape."
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
"Our panel was entitled "New Elites of Isfahan: Patronage, Aesthetics and Power in Safavid Iran", Second Biennial Conference on Iranian Studies (SIS/AIIS), Washington DC, May 1998".--p.149.