The screening of a documentary on the medieval Azerbaijani state of the Safavids came about in Canada earlier this month. The film, titled “Single Azerbaijan State – The SAFAVIDS” was introduced by the Canada-based ELTV Media Group.
The documentary offers detailed perception into the historical past of the institution of the Safavid empire, its geographical areas, the explanations for its fall, and the founding father of the empire, Shah Ismail Khatai. The film broadly highlights the truth that the empire performed an important historic function within the formation of recent Azerbaijani nationwide identification.
The State Committee on Work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan and the “Vatan” Azerbaijan Artwork and Tradition Middle have initiated and sponsored the documentary as a part of the “My Historical past” venture.
“On the finish of fifteenth century Aghgoyunlu state weakened. There have been frequent wars for energy. Because of tyranny of separate feudal lords, the nation was shattered. Limitless wars prevented the event of farming, craftsmanship and commerce,” the creators of the documentary narrate the movie briefly.
“Absence of power and unity made defence from the enemies tougher. Beneath these circumstances, the authority of the Safavids elevated. Most a part of the inhabitants protected the Safavids and believed that they had been capable of save the nation …”
Safavids had been initially from Ardabil, a city in South Azerbaijan, a historic area in modern-day Iran. The founding father of the dynasty is taken into account to be Sheikh Safi, also called Safiaddin, a non secular chief, who lived within the 14th century in Ardabil. Azerbaijan was the unique political, financial, and cultural centre of the Safavids because the very starting of the empire’s institution. The Azerbaijani model of the Turkic language was the official and palace language of the nation, Tabriz – the capital metropolis of East Azerbaijan Province in modern-day Iran, was its capital, and the Azerbaijani Turks dominated the political and army management of the state.
Shah Ismail Khatai based the biggest single Azerbaijani state – the Safavids in 1501. Ismail, who had misplaced his household because of palace conflicts again in childhood years, had no equal, as a commander, in horse-riding, fencing, heroism, and speaking in ceremonies. He began his wrestle for energy again within the small ages and led the Gyzylbashlar (purple heads – they had been referred to as gyzylbashlar due to sporting a purple head cowl with 12 strips) motion. After defeating Aghgoyunlu ruler Alvand Mirza, he solemnly entered Tabriz to declare himself shah and set up the Azerbaijani state of Safavids.
On the finish of the sixteenth century, throughout the rule of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629), sure causes, notably, frequent wars with the Ottoman Empire, compelled him to relocate the centre of the Safavid Empire south of Tabriz. Consequently, the Safavid State started shedding its authentic Azerbaijani character and progressively fell underneath Persian affect. Nonetheless, the Azerbaijani-Turkic language dominated royal palaces all through the entire existence of the Safavid State (1501-1736).
German scientist Engelbert Kampfer, who travelled to the Safavid State on the finish of the seventeenth century wrote that the Turkic language, which is a local language of the Safavid dynasty, was then extensively unfold within the palace.
“The Turkic language is unfold within the palace and within the homes of excessive officers and respectable individuals and because of this, it got here out, that everybody, who tends to realize the shah’s respect speaks on this language,” he wrote.
The gradual transformation of the Safavids state from its Azerbaijani roots to Persian political, cultural, and social life, was facilitated by the relocation of the capital to Isfahan in 1598, the creation of latest army items and the appointment of Iran-descent individuals to important state departments. Consequently, the statehood traditions started to distance from Turkic towards Persian, which pushed the Azerbaijani state in direction of its collapse.
In 1736, Nadir Shah Afshar, the founding father of the Turkic-origin Afsharid dynasty, put an finish to the existence of the Safavids state. Nadir Shah was the founding father of the Afsharid Empire and one of the vital highly effective rulers all through the Center East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and South Asia.
