Cupolas & Accessories

Safavid art refers to art in Persia (Iran) during the dynasty of the same name (1501-1722), a high point for the art of the book and architecture; other art at the time included ceramics, metal and glass. more...

Home
Fresh Flowers & Indoor...
Furniture & Décor
Patio, Lawn & Garden
Backyard Birding
Gardening Tools
Heating & Lighting
Leisure & Fitness
Mower & Power Tool...
Mowers & Tractors
Outdoor Cooking
Outdoor Décor
Banners & Flags
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Chimes
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Cupolas & Accessories
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Decorative Fences
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Doormats
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Fountains & Accessories
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Garden Sculptures & Statues
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Garden Structures
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Holiday Décor
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Mailboxes
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Mobiles
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Outdoor Clocks
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Plaques
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Sundials
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Water Gardens & Ponds
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Weathervanes
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Wind Sculptures & Spinners
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Yard Signs
$1 - $25
$25 - $50
$50 - $100
$100 - $250
$250 - $500
Outdoor Power Tools
Outdoor Storage & Carts
Patio Furniture
Pest Control
Plants & Planting
Snow Removal
Sprayers & Spreaders
Watering Equipment
Weather Instruments

While of course nourished by Persian culture, the Safavid art was strongly influenced by Turken culture (having due regard to the origins of the dynasty), as well as Chinese, Ottoman and Western cultures.

Historical context

The Safavid dynasty had its roots in a brotherhood called Safaviyeh which appeared in Azerbaijan around 1301, with Sheikh Safi Al-Din who gave it his name. The Safavids have greatly contributed to the spread of the Twelvers branch of Shia Islam, those who consider the twelfth imam hidden like his leader.

It was however not until 1447 that the Safavid dynasty began to show its political ambitions, with the seizing of power by Sheikh Djunayd. A system of battles and alliances with the Turkmen tribes began, leading to the extinction of the dynasty of the Kara Koyunlu who reigned up to that time over the region of Tabriz, across from those of the Ak Koyunlu installed in Anatolia. Haydari, the successor of Djunayd, was quickly killed, and Shah Ismail, then 12 years of age, took his place as leader of the movement in 1499. A vigorous propaganda was soon put in place, allowing an army to be recruited. In 1500, his 7000 soldiers defied the Turmken troops, 30,000 men strong, and in 1501, Shah Ismail entered Tabriz at the north-west of Iran, proclaimed the rite of imamism (Twelvers) to be the religion of state and had the first coins struck in his name.

The territorial expansion accelerated towards Bagdad and the Ottoman empire, but the arrival of Selim I at the head of the Ottoman empire, which forbade the Shiah religion, and the battle of Chaldiran (August 22, 1514), marked a stopping point. The Safavid army, unfamiliar with firearms, suffered a painful defeat. Selim I entered Tabriz -- from which he withdrew several months later because of internal quarrels -- and annexed a large part of the Safavid territory. Shah Ismail, whose divine ascendance had been definitely set aside, withdrew from political life, while relations with the Qizilbash Turkmen deteriorated. The settlement of the Portuguese at the Strait of Hormuz sparked a flourishing commerce with Europe.

After the death of Shah Ismail, his 10-year-old son Shah Tahmasp came into power. Not very smart with military plans, he ceded the city of Baghdad to Suleiman the Magnificent, transferred his capital to Qazvin in 1548 and finally signed in 1555 the treaty of Amaziya, which assured an enduring peace. His reign, the longest in all the history of Persia, was marked by the signing around his twentieth year of an "edict of repentance", which introduced an authoritarian religion, forbidding music, dance, alcoholic drinks and hashish.

Read more at Wikipedia.org