Shah Abbas and the Armenian Deportation

The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History · May 8, 2026 · 8m

In 1603, Shah Abbas I of Safavid Persia made a decision that reshaped his empire and the Armenian people forever. Facing the advancing Ottoman army, he ordered the mass deportation of tens of thousands of Armenians from the borderlands of the Caucasus deep into the heart of Iran. This episode follows the forced migration that created the Armenian suburb of New Julfa in Isfahan, exploring Abbas's reasons—both strategic and economic—the suffering of the deportees, and how the Armenians became the backbone of Persia's silk trade. We examine the controversial figure of Shah Abbas as a ruthless…