As the Ottomans emerge from the aches of the ‘Great Catastrophe’ to build a world empire, two other Islamic rebirths were operating to the east of their headquarters in Asia Minor (Anatolia); the Persian Safavids and the Indian Moghuls.
The most serious challenge to the Ottomans came from their imminent neighbors the Safavids as they prevented the Turks expansion to the East, into Persia. And as it so often happens with bitter rivals but nevertheless from the same family (Islam), the Persian Safavids core ideology was developed in opposition to the Ottomans’ creed. The Safavids had become Shia Muslims as the Ottomans began identifying themselves as Sunnis. We’ve seen in our third week discussion how these two groups fiercely disagreed about the qualifications of the leader of the Umma. According to the Shia, only a direct descendant of Mohammed and his cousin/grandson Ali could claim that authority, while for the Sunnis it was not lineage but merit and devotion to the Islamic project. This disagreement over legitimacy is at the heart of the Sunni/Shia split in Islam; a bitter schism that still tears the Muslim World today. As you can see, the issue of territorial competition between two neighboring Islamic empires was further exasperated by the serious religious difference that cut to the heart of the more important struggle about the legitimacy of political representation and authority in the Umma.
Further east, The Muslim Moguls were going through their own distinct renaissance in India. The legendary Babur and his descendants were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible feat of ruling over a majority Hindu population and building an advanced civilization that reached its pinnacle during a time of multicultural and religious coexistence.
While your main objective in this week’s discussion will be to examine the rise of the Safavids and Moguls, your critical thinking will be manifest in evaluating how the “world” was dominated by the rise and competition between these distinctively different Islamic civilizations; the Turkish Ottomans, the Persian Safavids, and the Indian Moguls.
Based on your reading of the second part of chapter ten (p183-198) and your viewing of the third part of the documentary “Islam, Empire of Faith”, explore some or all of the following questions. In your initial post, you should include at least four out of the six answers to the questions below. Failure to do so would affect your grade points as explained in details in the rubric.
We’ve noted in week three the centrality of the “imam” in Shia Islamic creed. How does this concept evolve during the Safavids emergence in Persia?
Orginally a Sufi brotherhood, how did the Safavid become political and why were the Persians keen on adopting the Shia Islamic doctrine?
How did Ismail, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, propagate and impose Shia Islam in his Persian realm?
At their height, the Safavids were not only great military warriors but also great patrons of the arts. Elaborate on Persian Safavid art and how its architecture especially had developed in opposition to Ottoman style.
How is it possible that the Moguls were able as a Muslim foreign minority to rule over a Hindu Indian population for more than three centuries?
What are some achievements of the greatest Shahs of the Mogul Empire in India?
