Shah Soleyman's Opium and the Fall of the Safavids

The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History · Jul 17, 2026 · 8m

Shah Soleyman, the Safavid ruler who preferred wine and opium to statecraft, presided over the empire's slow unraveling in the late 17th century. Lucas and Luna explore the shah's secluded court, the rising power of the harem and eunuchs, the growing influence of Shiite clerics like Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, and the economic stagnation that followed the end of the silk monopoly. They also examine Soleyman's infamous 'time capsule' decree, where he buried a list of doomed ministers, and how his neglect set the stage for the Afghan revolt that would topple Isfahan in 1722. This episode dives into…