The Ṣafavid state began not from a band of ghāzī warriors but from a local Sufi ṭarīqah of Ardabīl in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. The ṭarīqah was named after its founder, Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn (1252/53–1334), a local holy man. As for many ṭarīqahs and other voluntary associations, Sunni and Shīʿite alike, affection for the family of ʿAlī was a channel for popular support. During the 15th century Shaykh Ṣafī’s successors transformed their local ṭarīqah into an interregional movement by translating ʿAlid loyalism into full-fledged Imāmī Shīʿism. By asserting that they were the Sufi “perfect men” of their time as ...(100 of 41057 words)