Latest / The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History
The Fall of Isfahan: How the Safavid Empire Collapsed in 1722
In 1722, the Safavid Empire—once the glittering rival of the Ottomans—crumbled under the siege of Isfahan by Afghan forces led by Mahmud Hotaki. This episode details the final decades of Safavid rule, from the religious extremism of Shah Soltan Hossein and his advisor Muhammad Baqir Majlisi to the disastrous Battle of Gulnabad and the six-month famine that forced the capital to surrender. We explore the role of the Ghilzai Afghans, the betrayal of the Qizilbash, and the end of a dynasty that had ruled Iran since 1501. A story of hubris, mismanagement, and the fall of a great power…
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