Safavid Persia under Abbas II (1650s)

Name: Safavid Persia under Abbas II (1650s)
Start: 1651
End: 1660

Type Event Region West Asia Time 1651–1660

In the 1650s, Persia under Shah Abbas II enjoyed relative stability and prosperity, with Isfahan flourishing as a leading Middle Eastern city.

Timeline

1651–1655Isfahan · Iranian PlateauDuring Abbas II's reign politics were stable, and he vigorously built Isfahan's mosques, palaces, and bazaars, attracting merchants and craftsmen from everywhere and making the city an Oriental metropolis that European travelers called 'half the world.'
1655–1660Safavid Persia (whole territory) · PersiaAbbas II took a tolerant attitude toward Christians, Armenian merchants, and European envoys, expanding silk and carpet exports through channels such as the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company, while maintaining contacts with Russia over Caspian trade routes.

The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods — Peter Jackson, Laurence Lockhart (eds.) (1986)
Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire — Andrew J. Newman (2006)