Shah Isma'il I

Template:جعبه اطلاعات حاکم Shah Isma'il I, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, ruled Iran from 907 to 930 AH. After coming to power, he declared Shi'ism as the official religion of the country. In 914 AH, after conquering Baghdad, Shah Isma'il visited the holy shrines. During this trip, he also undertook many measures for the development, restoration, and decoration of the shrines of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) in Iraq.

Introduction

Shah Isma'il I was born in 892 AH in Ardabil. In the summer of 907 AH, at the age of fifteen, he was crowned in Tabriz. The formation and continuation of Shah Isma'il's rule were realized with the help and military might of the Qizilbash soldiers, who, through the religious bond of the Safavid Sufi order in Ardabil, established a master-disciple relationship with the Safavid shaykhs and shahs.

Shah Isma'il I's method of governance prevented the disintegration and division of a chaotic Iran between the two powerful Ottoman and Uzbek empires. Shah Isma'il wrote poetry in Persian and Turkish, using the pen name Khaṭaʾi. He passed away at the age of thirty-eight in 930 AH, and his body was buried in the Shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din Ardabili.

Promotion of Shi'ism

Shah Isma'il I declared Shi'ism as the official religion of the country and presented himself as chosen by Imam al-Mahdi (a). To promote Shi'ism in a country where most people were Sunnis, Shah Isma'il sometimes resorted to violence, which was often carried out by the Qizilbash and Tabarraʾiyan. He also invited Iranian scholars and scholars from Jabal Amil, Kufa, and Bahrain to compile books on Ja'fari jurisprudence for the dissemination of Shi'ism.

Shah Isma'il was interested in constructing monuments and rebuilding religious structures; the restoration and expansion of the shrines of the Imams in the cities of Iraq and Mashhad, the construction of mausoleums for Imamzadehs in Iranian cities, and the project of supplying water from the Euphrates to Najaf are among his construction works.

Status of Hajj in the Era of Shah Isma'il

Due to the Ottoman Empire's control over Hijaz and the Iran-Ottoman wars, direct travel of the Shah to Mecca and Medina was not possible; he maintained contact with the two holy shrines through representatives or local rulers of Iraq, although his focus was on the holy shrines in Iraq.

Pilgrimage Journeys of Shah Isma'il

Shah Isma'il I paid great attention to the pilgrimage of the tombs of the Imams (a). After his victory over the Uzbeks in 913 AH, which was his greatest victory, he went to Mashhad to visit the shrine of Imam Reza (a).

After conquering Baghdad in 914 AH, Shah Isma'il I first went to Karbala to visit the tomb of Imam al-Husayn (a) and the martyrs of Karbala, openly expressing his love and devotion to the Infallible Imams (a). He spent one night in vigil at the Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a). He personally participated in cleaning the shrine and, after presenting valuable gifts and offerings to the residents, servants, and pilgrims, went to Najaf. Upon reaching near the city of Najaf, Shah Isma'il dismounted his horse and walked barefoot and bareheaded towards the Holy Shrine of Imam 'Ali (a). He passed through the crowd, chanting “Ya 'Ali,” and entered the shrine directly, allowing no one else to enter, and remained alone inside the shrine for eight hours.

After visiting Karbala and Najaf, Shah Isma'il went to Kazimayn. After visiting and giving many gifts and offerings to the servants and residents of the Kazimayn shrine, he went towards Samarra and after visiting the shrines of Imam al-Hadi (a) and Imam Hasan al-'Askari (a) and spending some time sightseeing and hunting in Baghdad and around the Tigris and Euphrates, he returned to Iran.

Some have considered Shah Isma'il I's pilgrimage journeys to the holy shrines in Iraq and Mashhad influential in spreading the culture of pilgrimage and ensuring the security of pilgrimage areas.

Shah Isma'il's Construction Activities in the Holy Shrines

With the arrival of Shah Isma'il I in Iraq, construction activities and efforts to rebuild and develop the Holy Shrines began. After visiting the Holy Shrines (914 AH), Shah Isma'il I furnished all of them with the most beautiful and exquisite Persian silk carpets and presented golden curtains and gold and silver chandeliers for the decoration and illumination of the holy shrines. This was the first time in history that gold was used to adorn the holy thresholds of the Imams, and it became very popular thereafter.

For the decoration and renovation of the Holy Shrines, Shah Isma'il gathered many carpenters, *khatam*-band engineers, and artists in Baghdad for this work and ordered the construction of six exquisite *khatam* and *munabbat* wooden coffins to be placed on the graves of the Imams buried in Iraq. Also, by his order, *naqqārakhāna*s (drum houses) were built around each shrine, and ceremonies were held in these *naqqārakhāna*s every morning and evening. Furthermore, for the comfort of pilgrims and the people of Najaf, and also due to the popular belief that whenever the water of the Euphrates reaches Najaf, the promised Mahdi will appear, Shah Isma'il brought the water of the Euphrates River to four *farsakh*s (leagues) from Najaf al-Ashraf.

The reconstruction and development of these religious sites during the reign of Shah Isma'il I brought comfort and prosperity to the residents and pilgrims of these holy cities, and resulted in a positive religious image and strengthened the legitimacy and governmental position of the nascent Safavid dynasty.

Reconstruction of the Kāẓimayn Shrine

Shah Isma'il's most extensive construction activities were dedicated to the Holy Shrine of Kāẓimayn; because the Kāẓimayn shrine had been ruined due to the flooding of the Tigris River, past neglect, and its location at the center of sectarian conflicts. On the other hand, Safavid kings, because they introduced themselves as descendants of Imam Musa al-Kazim (a), paid special attention to this shrine. On Jumada II 25, 914 AH, Shah Isma'il visited the Kāẓimayn shrine and ordered the complete demolition of the shrine's structure. He summoned a number of engineers and architects from the cities of Isfahan, Qazvin, and other Iranian cities to rebuild the pre-designed structure. This reconstruction took twenty-one years and was completed during the time of Shah Tahmasb I in 935 AH. The rebuilt structure was expanded and had two separate domes and two minarets, and included decorative stones, exquisite carpets, and gold chandeliers.

It included: the construction of two separate domes, the expansion of the shrine, tiling the inner wall of the *rawḍa* and its outer walls with Quranic verses inscribed on them, paving the porticos with marble, building a large mosque north of the shrine which became known as the Safavid Mosque, moving the caravanserai inside the courtyard to outside behind the courtyard, decorating the shrine with exquisite carpets and gold and silver chandeliers, building two minarets, and removing the old coffins and installing two *khatam*-work wooden coffins in their place.

References

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