Safavid Iran

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

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/safavid-iran

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. What is the dynastic period?1501–1736
2. What is the founding ruler and year?Shah Ismail I, 1501
3. What were the red hats that the Safavid soldiers wore?The red, conical hats were worn by the Qizilbash, the Turkoman warriors who helped Shah Ismail I build the Safavid Empire.
4. Why did the Safavid Empire make Twelver Shīʿa Islam the official religion?Shah Ismail I chose Twelver Shīʿa Islam to unite the people and set Iran apart from neighboring Sunni countries.

Persianate World: A cultural region where the Persian language and its literature, art, and culture were dominant.
Twelver Shīʿism: The dominant branch of Shīʿa Islam, characterized by belief in twelve divinely appointed Imams.
Ottoman Empire: A powerful Turkish empire that was a major rival to the Safavids, primarily adhering to Sunni Islam.