Anthropological Study of Safavid Gifts to the Ottoman Court: Case Study of Clothing and Objects

Safavid rulers used gifts as a political strategy, and these messages conveyed messages of their artistic and cultural power. Textiles are among the gifts that have been used extensively in the Safavid court and have been used as a tool to demonstrate the power of the government and courtiers.This research tries to use the reports of tourists and scholars who were familiar with the luxurious textiles of that period, in addition to using historical writings related to the Safavid and Ottoman periods. Research sources include gifts that were sent from the Safavid court to the Ottoman court and cover the characteristics of Safavid textiles. The statistical population includes 5 textiles that are available as gifts from the Safavid government in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul.The results show that the designs of Safavid fabrics often had a double meaning and were generously donated to the Ottoman court, while carrying various anthropological and political motives and messages.