Table of Contents

1. Origins of the Safavids and prelude to the conquest; 2. The synthesis begins: Shah Isma'il I (1501-24); 3. The first efflorescence: Shah Tahmasp at Tabriz (1524-55); 4. A new capital and new patrons: Shah Tahmasp at Qazvin (1555-76); 5. The lowest ebb: Shahs Isma'il II (1576-7) and Muhammad Khudabandeh (1577-88); 6. From Qazvin to Isfahan: the glorious reign of Shah 'Abbas I (1588-1629); 7. A voluptuous interlude: Shah Safi (1629-42); 8. A new focus: Shah 'Abbas II (1642-66); 9. The patrimony squandered: Shah Sulayman (1666-94); 10. Disintegration of the dynasty: Shah Sultan Husayn (1694-1722); 11. The Safavid legacy; Bibliography; Index.

Promotional Information

Sheila R. Canby is the author of "Persian Painting", "Princes, Poets and Paladins: Islamic and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadrussin Aga Kahn" and "The Golden Age of Persian Art (1501-1722).

About the Author

Sheila R. Canby is a Curator in the Department of Oriental Antiquities, The British Museum. She is author of Persian Painting; Princes, Poets and Paladins: Islamic and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, and The Golden Age of Persian Art (1501-1722).