Suchergebnisse

The Royal Harem is Perhaps One of the Most Misunderstood Institutions of the Perso-Islamic social order. The myths surrounding the harem originated primarily in the West, fomented to a great extent by European travelers over a period of several centuries. As is well known, the Islamic empires, at their zenith (beginning around A.D. 1500), attracted numerous European merchants and traders, as well as assorted adventurers, emissaries, and missionaries. Many of them took up residence in these countries, some for a short time, some for many years. They toured cities, saw the countryside and became acquainted with the local people. In several instances, some made their way into the royal courts. Many of these travelers kept extensive notes about their journeys and left careful sketches of the various aspects of the society with which they came in contact. Often, upon their return home, many made their narratives available at court and sometimes to the public.

Any effort to relate the plan and the structures of the royal ensemble of Shāh ᶜAbbās and his successors with the existing remains must draw on the observations of the French jeweler Chardin who was in Persia between 1666 and 1670 and between 1671 and 1677. His first stay coincided with the last years of the reign of ᶜAbbās II and his second with the early years of the reign of Sulayman I. In 1666 he and a friend, Herbert Diager, "Chef du Commerce des Hollandais," resolved to produce an account of Isfahan, "ou rien ne fut omis de ce que feroit digne d'être sû." Aided by two local mullas, they piled up voluminous notes, and in 1676 Chardin abridged this material to some eighty pages.According to Chardin, "La beauté d'Ispahan consiste particulièrement dans un grand nombre de Palais magnifiques, de Maisons gaies & riantes, de Caravanserais spacieux, de fort beaux Bazars, & de Canaux & de Ruës, dont les côtez sont couverts de haut platanes."

The seventeenth century ushered in a plethora of changes in global trade patterns. These fluctuating trade patterns began to generate nascent economic, political, and social trends the likes of which had never been seen before. Ultimately, the product of these trends points towards the emergence of a truly global economy. Evidence of this phenomenon is fairly well documented, as it served as the catalyst which transformed civilizations in nearly every corner of the world. It is in this critical time period where the foundation for modern terms such as "globalization" and "interconnected global economy" were first laid. Essentially, a select group of industrializing Western powers experienced an increase in demand and consumption, thereby triggering an increase in the production and transport of goods and resources from the East. Obviously, there were major consequences, intended and unintended, which stemmed from this inherently unbalanced system—e.g., colonialism, capitalism, modern imperialism, and nationalism. Despite the global scope of these developments, there are very few publications which properly document the role that Safavid Iran's economy played within this complex system. As a result, conventional wisdom has incorrectly bred the notion that Safavid Iran's economic impact was minimal. The purpose of this paper is to disprove this theory in three stages. Firstly, it will analyze the role that the Safavid economy played within the rapidly developing economic system itself. Secondly, this paper will consult sources which focus on the economic relationship between the Mughal Empire, Europe, and the Safavid Empire during this time period. Finally, the paper will examine the trade routes used to transport goods and services in and out of Iran.

Until recently, the history of women in Safavid Iran has remained practically unexplored by scholars and historians. The lack of research done on women of the period can be mostly attributed to the scarcity of information available. One cause of this lack of material is the political and religious climate of Safavid Iran, which naturally lent to Muslim historiographers chronicling a masculine view of history. And when women, almost always in the higher classes of society, were deemed important enough to penetrate the patriarchal records, their lives and aspirations were usually generalized as hopes to see their sons acquire power. ; Biography: Jessamine is an English major. ; University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award ; undergraduate

During the rule of the Safavid dynasty (1502-1722 AD) the chancellery and royal documents played an important role in the administration of the state affairs. The royal documents constituted one of the main components of the chancelleries in management of the day-to-day affairs. The said documents are one of the main sources of research which include all royal communications, decrees, documents, political agreements, administrative and officials writings, economic, cultural and military reports, judicial, financial and legal documents as well as private and family communications. Hence a study of the royal documents would shed light on the mode of administration during the said era. The present paper is an attempt to review the main features of some of the documents circulated in the chancelleries and throughout the state during the Safavid era. The Safavid documents can be divided into various categories on the basis of their functionalities. The main thrust of the present paper is to discuss the nature of the diwanyat as well as their functions in the administration of the state where there was no constitution and the royal decrees and other forms of royal documents effectively played the role of the constitution and law. Attempts have been made to rely on the original documents, which are available in different archives, libraries and museums.

Abstract
While the functioning of the postal system in Iran before 1500 and after 1800 has been studied, this article analyzes, based entirely on primary sources, the operation and characteristics of the Iranian postal system between 1500 and 1800 for the very first time. Such a study enables scholars to better understand the functioning of communication between both government officials and private individuals in Safavid, Afshari, and Zand Iran. During this time, there were two types of messengers: express-mounted couriers (chapar) for official business and foot messengers (shaters) for both official and private mail. The designation of qased was rarely used to denote mail foot messengers.

My aim in this lecture shall be to situate the world of color within the traditional context of the Islamic culture of Persia; to explore the conceptual motivations that provoked its intense crystallization and saturation during the Safavid era; and to ultimately follow this world of color as it is annihilated into nothingness within the presence of Absolute Light. We will therefore witness the conceptual birth, life and death of color as a cyclical yet timeless, metaphysical expression of the Absolute within the world of phenomenal forms.Tis light makes color visible; at nightRed, green and russet vanish from thy sight.So too the light by their contraries are shown.From the dark jungle as a lion brightColor from the viewless Spirit leaps to light.Rūmī