Armenian Diaspora in New Julfa: A Safavid Miracle

The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History · Sep 30, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While previous episodes have covered the ancient roots of Armenian Christianity and the tragedies of the twentieth century, this episode travels to seventeenth-century Isfahan to explore one of history’s most remarkable diasporas. In 1604, Shah Abbas I forcibly relocated tens of thousands of Armenians from the town of New Julfa to his capital. Far from being destroyed, these exiles transformed into a powerful commercial network that connected Europe with Asia. We examine how merchants like Mirza Sadrach and David Sahndal navigated the complex politics of the Safavid court, using their shared…