The Safavids (Persian: صفویان) were a dynasty of rulers of Persia. They were Azerbaijani people, and were Shia Muslims. The Safavids ruled Persia from 1501/1502 to 1722. The Safavids made the greatest Turkic empire since the Muslim conquest of Persia. They established the Ithnāˤashari (Twelvers) school of Shia Islam as the official religion of their empire. This was one of the most important turning points in the history of Iran.

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