Ardabil Marks Safavid Role in Shaping Iranian Identity

Date: 27 July 2025 - 21:47

News ID: ۱۴۱۸۹۳

TEHRAN -- On a summer evening in the heart of northwestern Iran, beneath the watchful domes of the UNESCO-listed Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili shrine complex, a crowd gathered to pay tribute not just to a mystic, but to a spiritual architect of Persian identity.
August 4th, designated as the National Day of Sheikh Safi al-Din, was marked with ceremony and a sense of reverent celebration. Locals, tourists, and scholars filled the shrine courtyard, honoring a man whose legacy not only shaped Iranian Sufism, but seeded the roots of the Safavid dynasty — a pivotal chapter in the history of Shi’a Islam.
Ali Akbar Velayati, senior foreign policy advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, sent a message to the event, invoking the grandeur of the Safavids and the enduring relevance of their legacy. In his letter, read aloud to the crowd, Velayati emphasized two key pillars of the Safavid state: internal cohesion and historical continuity — concepts deeply embedded in Iranian national consciousness.
“Iranians have always embraced monotheistic faiths,” the message read, “from Zoroastrianism to Islam, and have consistently risen against tyranny — from Abu Muslim to Khwaja Nasir al-Din al-Tusi.” The letter went on to highlight Shah Ismail’s role in founding a Shi’a state, guided by the ethos of his ancestor, Sheikh Safi — a move that resonated with Iran’s historic pursuit of justice and identity.
But this was more than a political remembrance. The event carried the scent of poetry and ritual. A local poet, Asghar Shahi, offered verses that echoed with nostalgia, while a Turkish scholar, Mehmet Kandelik, connected Sheikh Safi’s influence beyond Iran’s borders.
“The Qizilbash and Alevi communities of Turkey,” he said, “continue to regard Sheikh Safi as a spiritual guide, and Ardabil as the birthplace of devotion.”
“Sheikh Safi did not just shape a lineage or a dynasty,” Kandelik added, “he carved out a school of freedom and mysticism that still echoes in the spiritual hearts of many.”
The program also featured dramatic performances and the unveiling of new scholarly works on Ardabili history and the Safavid legacy — an effort to further root the mystic’s memory in public awareness.