Documentary about medieval Azerbaijani state - the Safavids premiered in Canada VIDEO

ELTV Media Group, operating in Canada, released last week a documentary in English called "Single Azerbaijan State - The SAFAVIDS".

The film provides detailed insight into the history of the establishment of the Safavid empire, its geographical areas, the reasons for its fall, and the founder of the empire, Shah Ismail Khatai. One of the focal points of the documentary is the fact that the Safavid empire played a great historical role in the formation of modern Azerbaijani national identity.

The film, made within the framework of the "My History" project, was made with the support of the State Committee for Work with Diaspora and the initiative and organization of the "Vatan" Azerbaijan Art and Culture Center.

Safavids were originally from Ardebil, a town in South Azerbaijan. The founder of the dynasty is considered to be Sheikh Safi[addin], a Shiite spiritual leader, who lived in the 14th century in Ardebil. In the beginning, when the Safavid State was established, Azerbaijan was its political, economic and cultural centre. The Azeri (Turk) language was the official and palace language of the country, and Tabriz – a city in Southern Azerbaijan, was its capital, the Azeri-Turks (at that time, also called sometimes the «Turkomans») comprised the major part of the political and military leadership of the State.

At the end of the 16th century, during the rule of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629), as a consequence of certain reasons, particularly, due to the frequent wars with the Ottoman Empire, the centre of the Safavid State moved from Azerbaijan to Iran. This led to the Safavid State losing its original Azeri character and its transformation into the Iranian Safavid State. But nevertheless, the Azeri-Turk language remained a palace language throughout the whole existence of the Safavid State (1501-1736). Thus, for example, German scientist Engelbert Kampfer, who travelled to Iran at the end of the 17th century wrote: "A Turkish dialect, which is a native language of the Safavid dynasty, is widely spread in the Iranian palace. This language differs from the usual speaking language of the country's population. The Turkish language is spread in the palace and in the houses of high officials and respectable persons and as a result, it came out, that everyone, who wishes to gain the shah’s respect speaks in this language".

"At the end of the 15th century, the Aghgoyunlu state weakened. There were frequent wars for power. As a result of the tyranny of separate feudal lords, the country was shattered. Endless wars prevented the development of farming, craftsmanship and trade. The absence of strength and unity made defence from the enemies harder. Under these circumstances, the authority of the Safavids increased. Most parts of the population protected the Safavids and believed that they were able to save the country ..." the creators of the documentary narrate the film in brief.

You can watch the movie below: