While Shiites have remained a minority throughout most of the Islamic world, they are still the ... when the early leaders of the Safavid dynasty declared Shia the sole legal faith within their ...

The Safavid Dynasty, a Golden Age in Iran, witnessed a cultural flowering under the charismatic Isma'il and and his son Tahmasp, the first two Shahs of the dynasty. This essay is a short history of ...

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Safavid Dynasty, the rulers of early modern ... became one of the most magnificent cities in the world. Under Safavid rule Persia became a cultural centre ...