Shah Ismail Safavi and the Safavid Shahnameh

Shah Ismail established a dynasty in Iran on the premises of nationality and religion. To establish national unity in Iran, he announced Shia as the official religion. His goal was to strengthen Iranian national bonds. The presence of Uzbeks in the East and Ottomans in the West made it necessary that Iranian people reinforce their feeling of patriotism and love for they homeland. Shah Ismail believed that having faith in fighting the enemies is not just derived from religious incentives. Many literary works influenced by Shahnameh of Ferdowsi came into being in Safavid period especially during the reign of Shah Ismail I. This strengthens the fact that Ferdowsi was under the focus of Iranian kings and officials. He was the biggest source of inspiration for the poets and artists of the period in question. As evidenced in Iranian history, Shah Ismail was fond of those works whose foundation was laid upon Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. This study tires to find the reason behind his interest in Shahnameh. Since Shah Ismail was a follower of Shia religion and due to his liking for Ferdowsi as a Shia poet, the assumption of this research is that Safavid kings in general and Shah Ismail in particular liked Ferdowsi because of their belief in Shiism. Previous studies show that besides religious motives, political conditions and centralization were the major reasons behind Shah Ismail's care for the national unity of Iranians, revival of Iranian identity and Shanameh.