Latest / The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History
The Silk Road of Faith: Safavid Pilgrim Caravans to Najaf and Karbala
In this episode of The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness, Lucas and Luna explore the vast network of pilgrim caravans that connected Safavid Persia to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Ottoman Iraq. Drawing on the account of the French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who accompanied a 1660s caravan, they discuss the logistics, dangers, and politics of the journey — from the departure point in Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan Square to the ritual at the Imam Ali Shrine. Lucas explains how Shah Abbas I used pilgrimage as a tool of statecraft, promoting Twelver Shiism while extracting…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.