Investigating the Role of Castles and Fences in Safavid Wars with the Ottomans (940-1047AH.)

The superiority of the Ottoman army in using strong artillery and familiarity with castle-making techniques was one of their important advantages in the war with Safavids, because before Shah Abbas I, the Safavid Ghezelbash Corps lacked strong artillery and was familiar with castle-making techniques. This factor played an important role in the advance of the Ottoman army in Safavid territory, and the Safavid government inevitably took advantage of the scorched earth policy, which led to the destruction of Iran's border areas and the displacement of its inhabitants. From the time of Shah Abbas I, the situation changed a lot and his new army was equipped with strong artillery and achieved remarkable successes against the Ottoman army. In addition, Shah Abbas abandoned the policy of destroying castles and fences and started building castles and fences on the border with the Ottomans. In the present study, the role of castles and fences in the Ottoman and Safavid wars and the effect of this factor on the balance of power between the two rivals are evaluated. Findings show that the defensive fortifications of western Iran seldom resisted the Ottoman cannons and even to some extent to the detriment of Iran. Thus, until the reign of Shah Abbas I, the Safavid government preferred to destroy the castles in the western and northwestern regions so as not to become a base for the Ottomans.