Abbas the Great

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/abbas-the-great

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Abbas the Great born?January 27, 1571
2. When did Abbas the Great die?January 19, 1629 (age 57)
3. Where was Abbas the Great born?Iran
4. Who was Abbas the Great?Abbas the Great was a powerful ruler of the Safavid Empire who became king in 1588 and worked to make his country strong and united.
5. How did Abbas make his army stronger?He recruited many slave‑soldiers called ghilman from places like Circassia, Georgia, and Armenia, and gave them jobs in the army and government so they would follow him directly.

Safavid Empire: A Persian empire that ruled from 1501 to 1736, known for establishing Shi'a Islam as the state religion and fostering a golden age of art and culture.
Ghilman System: A military and administrative reform initiated by Abbas the Great, utilizing slave-soldiers from Caucasian backgrounds to create a loyal force independent of tribal affiliations.
Qizilbash: A confederation of Turkic tribal groups who were instrumental in the rise of the Safavids but later became a source of internal instability, which Abbas worked to overcome.
Naqsh-e Jahan Square: The grand central square of Isfahan, commissioned by Abbas the Great, serving as the heart of his magnificent capital and a testament to Safavid architectural grandeur.