Chapter 15 section 2

Guided Reading 15-2

Unlike many of their Islamic neighbors who were (1) ________________ Muslims, the Safavids became ardent (2) ________________. Shah Ismail used his forces to seize much of (3) ________________ and (4) ________________ in 1501. He funded the Safavid dynasty. After the death of Shah (5) ________________ in 1629, the Safavid dynasty gradually lost its vigor. In the early eighteenth century, during the reign of Shah Hussein, (6) ________________ peoples invaded and seized the capital of Isfahan. Persia then sank into a long period of (7) ________________ and (8) ________________ anarchy.

The Safavid political system, like that in most empires, was organized in the shape of a (9) ________________. The (10) ________________ was at the top, the (11) ________________ and landed classes were in the middle, and the (12) ________________ people were below. Shiites who believed Shah Ismail to be a direct successor of the prophet (13) ________________ supported the Safavid rulers. Visitors reported that the shahs were more (14) ________________ to their subjects than were rulers elsewhere.

Most goods in the empire traveled by (15) ________________ or (16) ________________ caravans. In times of strong (17) ________________, the roads were kept fairly clear of thieves and bandits. Hemmed in by the sea power of the (18) ________________ to the south and the land power of the (19) ________________ to the west, the Safavids found trade with (20) ________________ difficult.

Knowledge of (21) ________________, medicine, and (22) ________________ under the Safavids was equal to that of other societies in the region. Persia witnessed an extraordinary (23) ________________ of the arts during the reign of Shah Abbas from 1588 to 1629. Much of the original city of (24) ________________ still stands and is a gem of modern-day Iran.