Transcript WHH Safavids

Wednesday 10/23: The Ottoman Empire
Objective: Summarize the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire
and Safavid Empire.
Bell Work #22:
1.
2.
Why might the Ottomans and Safavids have come into conflict?
Why do you think these three states did not unite in one Muslim
empire?
Finish Suleiman Video!
Who were the Safavids?
 Ethnic mix of Turks, Persians, Kurds, Greeks and
Azeris
 Started as a religious group
 Converted from Sunni to Shi’a
 Safavids occupied the former Persian territory
 Today Iran
Safavid territory
 Striped areas are lands frequently lost to Ottomans and Uzbeks
Safavid Conversion to Shi’a
 Constantly at war with Ottomans
 Difficult to maintain a strong army
 Continually unstable as they lose and regain lands to
Ottomans and Uzbeks
 Not able to gain wealth as they lose it or spend it in
war
 Not able to expand
Why constant war?
 Islam reserves its harshest penalties for other Muslims
not “correctly” practicing Islam.
 The Sunni Ottomans and Shi’a Safavids can’t tolerate
each other.
Overall Safavid Influences
 Conversion to Shi’a separates Safavids from the other
Muslim peoples
 Safavids continue Persian influences while Arabic and
Turkish influences dominate in the rest of the Islamic
world
 Results in very different culture in today’s Iran (Persia)
from other Islamic countries, Iran is Persian/Shi’a
Homework:
 Work on Unit 4 Study Guide!