THE SAFAVID LEGACY AND THE INSTITUTIONAL AND SECTARIAN TRANSFORMATION IN THE FORMATION OF MODERN IRAN

Hasan Tan

Article Details

THE SAFAVID LEGACY AND THE INSTITUTIONAL AND SECTARIAN TRANSFORMATION IN THE FORMATION OF MODERN IRAN

Authors:

Hasan Tan

Publisher:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Main Topics:

Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 44, pp.78-99

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358109

pISSN:

2147-2610

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This article analyzes the institutionalization process of Imami Twelver Shiism, which was officially adopted as the state religion by the Safavid dynasty 15011736, exploring its historical antecedents and its multilayered socio-political ramifications extending into the Qajar period. In the pre-Safavid era, the religious pluralism that prevailed across the Iranian plateau provided the conditions necessary for Shiism to evolve from a marginal sectarian movement into a central ideological apparatus of governance. Under Shah Ismail 15011524, the Safavid regime utilized a Sufi-based network of loyalty to position Shiism as the primary axis of political legitimacy. Beginning with the reign of Shah Tahmasb 15241576, this model was transformed into a doctrinally grounded and institutionally reinforced structure, consolidated by the epistemic authority of the Shii ulama. This transformation was legitimized through the systematic deployment of symbolic instruments of powersuch as coinage, the Friday sermon khutba, architectural patronage, and titular distinctionsalongside a strategic collaboration between the royal court and the clerical class. The study contends that this politico-religious configuration was not confined to the Safavid era, but was reappropriated and reconfigured by the Qajar dynasty as a constitutive element of its political imagination. During the Qajar period, the reciprocal relationship between the monarchy and the ulama further entrenched the influence of religious authority over the political sphere, transforming the Safavid legacy from a symbolic memory into a functional ideological resource. This transformation is examined through three interrelated processes: the reconstruction of collective memory, the ritualized production of sectarian identity, and the ascent of the ulama as pivotal actors within the domain of political representation. By employing a comparative historical analysis, the article aims to trace the continuities between the Safavid and Qajar periods and to illuminate the dynamics that shaped the formation of political rationality in modern Iran.

 This article analyzes the institutionalization process of Imami Twelver Shiism, which was officially adopted as the state religion by the Safavid dynasty 15011736, exploring its historical antecedents and its multilayered socio-political ramifications extending into the Qajar period. In the pre-Safavid era, the religious pluralism that prevailed across the Iranian plateau provided the conditions necessary for Shiism to evolve from a marginal sectarian movement into a central ideological apparatus of governance. Under Shah Ismail 15011524, the Safavid regime utilized a Sufi-based network of loyalty to position Shiism as the primary axis of political legitimacy. Beginning with the reign of Shah Tahmasb 15241576, this model was transformed into a doctrinally grounded and institutionally reinforced structure, consolidated by the epistemic authority of the Shii ulama. This transformation was legitimized through the systematic deployment of symbolic instruments of powersuch as coinage, the Friday sermon khutba, architectural patronage, and titular distinctionsalongside a strategic collaboration between the royal court and the clerical class. The study contends that this politico-religious configuration was not confined to the Safavid era, but was reappropriated and reconfigured by the Qajar dynasty as a constitutive element of its political imagination. During the Qajar period, the reciprocal relationship between the monarchy and the ulama further entrenched the influence of religious authority over the political sphere, transforming the Safavid legacy from a symbolic memory into a functional ideological resource. This transformation is examined through three interrelated processes: the reconstruction of collective memory, the ritualized production of sectarian identity, and the ascent of the ulama as pivotal actors within the domain of political representation. By employing a comparative historical analysis, the article aims to trace the continuities between the Safavid and Qajar periods and to illuminate the dynamics that shaped the formation of political rationality in modern Iran.

 This article analyzes the institutionalization process of Imami Twelver Shiism, which was officially adopted as the state religion by the Safavid dynasty 15011736, exploring its historical antecedents and its multilayered socio-political ramifications extending into the Qajar period. In the pre-Safavid era, the religious pluralism that prevailed across the Iranian plateau provided the conditions necessary for Shiism to evolve from a marginal sectarian movement into a central ideological apparatus of governance. Under Shah Ismail 15011524, the Safavid regime utilized a Sufi-based network of loyalty to position Shiism as the primary axis of political legitimacy. Beginning with the reign of Shah Tahmasb 15241576, this model was transformed into a doctrinally grounded and institutionally reinforced structure, consolidated by the epistemic authority of the Shii ulama. This transformation was legitimized through the systematic deployment of symbolic instruments of powersuch as coinage, the Friday sermon khutba, architectural patronage, and titular distinctionsalongside a strategic collaboration between the royal court and the clerical class. The study contends that this politico-religious configuration was not confined to the Safavid era, but was reappropriated and reconfigured by the Qajar dynasty as a constitutive element of its political imagination. During the Qajar period, the reciprocal relationship between the monarchy and the ulama further entrenched the influence of religious authority over the political sphere, transforming the Safavid legacy from a symbolic memory into a functional ideological resource. This transformation is examined through three interrelated processes: the reconstruction of collective memory, the ritualized production of sectarian identity, and the ascent of the ulama as pivotal actors within the domain of political representation. By employing a comparative historical analysis, the article aims to trace the continuities between the Safavid and Qajar periods and to illuminate the dynamics that shaped the formation of political rationality in modern Iran.

 Bu makale, Safevîler 1501-1736 tarafından resmî mezhep statüsüne kavuşan Şiî-İmâmî kurumsallaşma sürecini, bu sürecin tarihsel arka planını ve Kaçarlar dönemine uzanan siyasal-toplumsal izdüşümlerini çok katmanlı bir tarihsel perspektifle analiz etmektedir. Safevî öncesi dönemde İran coğrafyasında hüküm süren dinî çoğulculuk, Şiîliğin marjinal konumdan merkezi bir ideolojik aygıta evrilmesini mümkün kılan koşulları oluşturmuştur. Safevî yönetimi, özellikle Şah İsmail 1501-1524 döneminde tasavvufî kökenli bir sadakat örgüsü aracılığıyla Şiîliği siyasal meşruiyetin temel eksenine yerleştirmiş; Şah Tahmasb 1524-1576 döneminden itibaren bu yapı, itikadî esaslara dayanan ve ulemânın bilgi otoritesiyle pekiştirilen kurumsal bir düzleme taşınmıştır. Bu dönüşüm, saray ile ulemâ arasındaki iş birliği ve simgesel temsil araçlarının sikke, hutbe, mimari, unvan sistemli kullanımı üzerinden meşrulaştırılmıştır. Çalışma, söz konusu tarihsel yapılanmanın yalnızca Safevîlerle sınırlı kalmadığını; Kaçar hanedanı tarafından da yeniden anlamlandırılarak siyasal tahayyülün kurucu bileşeni hâline getirildiğini ileri sürmektedir. Kaçar döneminde saray ile ulemâ arasında şekillenen karşılıklı ilişkiler, dinî otoritenin siyasal alan üzerindeki belirleyiciliğini pekiştirmiş; Safevî mirası bu süreçte tarihsel bir hatıradan ziyade işlevsel bir ideolojik kaynağa dönüşmüştür. Bu dönüşüm, kolektif hafızanın yeniden kurgulanması, mezhep kimliğinin ritüeller yoluyla inşa edilmesi ve ulemânın siyasal temsil alanında etkili bir aktör konumuna yerleşmesi üzerinden ele alınmıştır. Makale, karşılaştırmalı tarihsel analiz yöntemiyle, SafevîKaçar sürekliliği üzerinden modern İrandaki siyasal aklın oluşumuna yön veren dinamikleri çözümlemeyi hedeflemektedir.

Article Details

THE SAFAVID LEGACY AND THE INSTITUTIONAL AND SECTARIAN TRANSFORMATION IN THE FORMATION OF MODERN IRAN

Authors:

Hasan Tan

Publisher:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Main Topics:

Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 44, pp.78-99

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358109

pISSN:

2147-2610

Safavid Legacy

Institutional Shi‘ism

Qajar Dynasty

Political Role of the UlamaSafevi Mirası

Şiî Kurumsallaşma

Kaçar Hanedanı

Ulemanın Siyasal Rolü

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Hasan Tan

Publisher: Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Main Topics: Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal: Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 44, pp.78-99

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 8/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001358109

pISSN: 2147-2610

Issues

Authors:

Hasan Tan

Publisher:

Ayla KAŞOĞLU

Main Topics:

Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal:

Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 44, pp.78-99

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358109

pISSN:

2147-2610