-
The Safavid was an religious order that originally was located in a town in Persia. Isma‘il I became the leader of the order after it became militarized. Isma‘il I and his followers overthrew the Ak Koyunlu Dynasty.
-
Isma‘il I was crowned king in the city of Tabriz in 1501
-
Isma‘il Imade Shia Islam the official religion of his empire in 1501
-
Between 1503 and 1509 the Safavid Empire had taken control of many important cities from the Ottomans
-
The Ottoman ruler Selim defeated the Safavids and stopped the spread of Shia Islam.
-
The Safavid Empire was the beginning of present day Iran. After the death of Isma‘il the empire still remained prosperous