Iran / Persia: An archer resting under a tree, Safavid Period, c. 1550

The Safavid dynasty (Persian: سلسلهٔ صفويان; Azerbaijani: صفویلر) was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736) and at their height, they controlled all of the modern Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan and Republic of Armenia, most of Iraq, Safavid Iran was one of the Islamic 'gunpowder empires', along with its neighbours, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. <br/><br/><br/>As a result, Safavid Iran was one of the Islamic 'gunpowder empires', along with its neighbours, the Ottoman and Mughal empires. The Safavid dynasty had its origin in the Safaviyya Sufi order, which was established in the city of Ardabil in the Azerbaijan region. It was of mixed ancestry (Kurdish and Azerbaijani, which included intermarriages with Georgian and Pontic Greek dignitaries). From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over all of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region, thus becoming the From their base in Ardabil, the Safavids established control over all of Greater Iran and reasserted the Iranian identity of the region, thus becoming the first native dynasty since the Sassanid Empire to establish a unified Iranian state. Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Persia as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy. Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Persia as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy based upon "checks and balances", their architectural innovations and their patronage for fine arts. have also left their mark down to the present era by spreading Shi'a Islam in Iran, as well as major parts of the Caucasus, South Asia, Central Asia, and Anatolia.