Mausoleums in Safavid Family History

An Unpublished Royal Edict from the Ardabil Shrine (912/1507) [DYNTRAN WORKING PAPER 28, September 2017] by Naofumi ABE The presence of family mausoleums is a common phenomenon in Muslim-majority regions of Western and Central Asia, Northern Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent. Modern research on Muslim mausoleums has been mainly linked to scholarly interest in Sufism …

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Formation of a Religious Landscape: Shi’i Higher Learning in Safavid Iran

In Formation of a Religious Landscape: Shi’i Higher Learning in Safavid Iran, Maryam Moazzen offers the first systematic examination of Shi’i educational institution and practices by exploring the ways in which religious knowledge was produced, authenticated, and transmitted in the second half of Safavid rule (1588-1722).

Families of civil administrators in Safavid Iran

Long-term career strategies of the Khwājas of Barnābād (Khorasan, ca. 15th-18th c.)* [DYNTRAN Working Paper, no. 30, November 2017] by Maria SZUPPE Under the Safavid dynasty in Iran (1501-1722 or 1736 CE) provincial administration was frequently entrusted into the hands of local, influential families that were firmly and securely established in their regions of origin.

Saudi Arabia’s Rivalry With Iran Is Further Destabilizing the Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s increasingly erratic behavior has raised question marks around the world. After decades in which Riyadh kept a low profile and mainly intervened in world affairs by using its oil wealth, the Saudi military and intelligence machine is now pursuing a brutal war in Yemen, has put little Qatar under boycott, has attempted to destabilize Lebanon, is licking its wounds from defeat in Syria, and is cultivating potential clients in Iraq.

Opposition to Philosophy in Safavid Iran

In Opposition to Philosophy in Safavid Iran Ata Anzali and S.M. Hadi Gerami offer a critical edition of what is arguably the most erudite and extensive critique of philosophy from the Safavid period. The editors’ extensive introduction offers an in-depth analysis that places the work within the broader framework of Safavid intellectual and social history.

Foreign correspondent: Make Saudi Arabia great again! – 48 hills

I stood in front of a mosque in the city of Qatif, Saudi Arabia, interviewing people for a story. Suddenly, two city police cars pulled up. Several minutes later plain clothes officers from the secret police began questioning me. I had entered the country with a journalist visa, but committed the grave crime of practicing journalism without official permission.

Why Shiite pilgrimage to Karbala had special meaning this year

Over the years, the Shiite pilgrimage to the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq – bigger than the hajj – has been a frequent target of Sunni militants, including ISIS. But the faithful keep coming, and ISIS is in retreat.

Workshop: Sectarianism in the Middle East – Think Tank

Sectarian conflict and polarisation has become a key feature of Middle East politics in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings of 2011. This workshop looked at some of the key drivers of this, such as the troubled legacy of foreign intervention, state failure, regional rivalries between Saudi Arabia, Iran and others, ruling strategies of authoritarian regimes as well as the spread of identity and sect-based political movements.

Opinion | Can the Saudi Crown Prince Transform the Kingdom?

In 1979, Saudi Arabia’s own indigenous radical Islam unleashed its full potential when a group of so-called Unitarians seized the Mecca mosque and took hostages in protest against the government’s corruption, relations with the West, Westernization and other grievances. The House of Saud realized the volatility of the state religion.