The Safavid fraternity: shiism or sufism? Historiographical review of the Western European researchers' works

Abstract

This article offers a detailed analysis of the religious and ideological foundations of the Safavid dynasty. It is based upon the modern predominantly Western European historiography. The methodological basis is the comparative analysis. Along with the works of British, French, German, Turkish, Russian and other scholars the author also uses medieval texts written in original (Oriental) languages. These are court chroniclers from the 16th-17thcent. by Fazl al-lah Ruzbikhan Khundji (Tarih-e alamara-ye Amini) and Iskender bek Turkman Munshi (Tarih-e alamara-ye Abbasi) and others. The Safavid dynasty was at the same time a dynasty of sheikhs and shahs. Therefore, the concepts of Sunnite teachings, Shi'ism and Sufism constitute an integral part of its culture and history. The article supplies a reader with the information necessary for establishing the religious views of each of the representatives of the Sufi House ofSafaviye, starting from the founder of the Sufi Order and ending with his heirs, the rulers of the Safavid state. The author elaborates the topic regarding the original denomination of Islam the Safavids embraced - Sunni or Shi'a. Subsequently she deals with the exact period of the Safavid transition from one Islamic denomination to another. Special attention is also paid to some aspects of the development of Sufi traditions and ideology at various stages of the history of the Safavid dynasty.