The Process of Change in the Imprints (Images and Religious Mottos) on the Coins Minted in the Safavid Period

With the formation of the Safavid government (1502-1722) in the geographical sphere of Iran, which led to the termination of local governments and the creation of political unity in the country, the Iranian society came under the influence of the political and religious orientation of the Safavids. The Safavids continued the old governmental and cultural traditions of Iran, but they also promoted the ideological tenets of the Twelve-Imam Shiism as the official religion, and in this way, they gave a distinct identity to Iran and its people, and parts of this distinct identity remained forever. This change of policy influenced the imprints on the coins minted in this period in a way that they had new shapes and Images. Of course, it was not something new in Iran. Before the Safavids, policies and ideologies could influence the shapes and imprints of the coins, and they reflected the political and religious attitudes of the rulers and the kings. Compared to those coins minted during the Ilkhanids, the coins of the Safavids excluded the marks and traces of religions other than Shiism since the Safavid kings had announced their firm support for the official religion. The present study uses a combined method consisting of field studies and library approaches in a historical-analytical manner to study the process of changes of coins during the Safavid period in terms of images and religious mottos imprinted on them as a reflection of the attitudes of the Safavid kings. It also compares and contrasts the Safavid coins and the Ilkhani as well as Taimouri ones. Findings show that the Safavids used the coins as an instrument for the promotion of Shiite teachings.