The Fall of Herat: A City Lost and Won

The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History · Aug 16, 2026 · 8m

In 1598, Shah Abbas I faced a crisis that would define his reign: the Uzbeks had seized Herat, and the Safavid Empire's eastern frontier was crumbling. This episode follows the shah's desperate gamble to reclaim the city—a campaign that would test his leadership, the loyalty of his Qizilbash commanders, and the endurance of his soldiers across the brutal Khorasan landscape. From the death of a beloved brother to the strategic genius of Allahverdi Khan, we explore how a fragile coalition of Turkic tribesmen, Georgian ghulams, and Persian bureaucrats turned defeat into triumph. Along the way…