Patronage of the Arts and Political-Economic Motives in Tīmūrīd period, A Case Study of Sulṭān Ḥusayn Bāyqarā’s Era(A.H. 873-911/ A.D. 1468-1505)

Sulṭān Ḥusayn Bāyqarā’s era is the golden age of Arts in Tīmūrīd period. Following the decrease of his political and military power, patronage of the arts was almost completely taken away from the Sulṭān and the Royal Family’s monopoly. It was then put into the hands of government officials and religious ʿUlamāʾ. Their political and economic influence increased daily as they received various financial privileges from the Sulṭān, especially vast Suyūrghāls (lands) and tax exemptions. With the Sulṭān taking up centralism and reforming the privileges of land owners, the arts turned into a crucial pretext for maintaining the political and financial status of government officials. The present study applies the descriptive-analytical method to answer this fundamental question: “What purposes did the rulers and courtiers (art patrons) of this era serve in their patronage of the arts?” The study illustrates that fear of removal from office and impressment served as the main motive behind the patronage of arts, and especially patronage of architecture. By endowing their property for running artistic projects and by patronizing artists, they gained huge financial benefits, kept their wealth from being seized, and took a leap towards pleasing the Sulṭān.