The Safavid dynasty represented the pinnacle of Iran's power & influence in its early modern history The evidence of this
- the creation of a nation state military expansion & success economic dynamism & the exquisite art & architecture of the period is well-known What is less understood is the extent to which the Safavid success depended on an elite originating from outside Iran the slaves of Caucasian descent & the Armenian merchants of Isfahan This book describes how these elites following their conversion to Islam helped to transform Isfahan's urban artistic & social landscape