܀ European maps of the Islamic world acted as windows into the many different cultures, rituals, religions, and customs of the vast regions and ethnicities of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires. Along with traditional maps, historical atlases included prints of city views, studies of architectural monuments, and anthropological portraits of people encountered abroad. Details of local fashion, famous sites, or curious and noteworthy traditions, both religious and secular, were of equal interest. These maps and views allowed European “armchair travelers” to learn and experience the Islamic world without ever actually leaving the comfort of their home libraries. One could read medieval Persian poetry of Hafez, browse fashion styles of the royal women of Istanbul, or observe Islamic religious rituals through printed atlases, such as the ones compiled here. ܀

Views of Safavid Persia

Description de la Célèbre Mosquée de Com, des Tombeaux des Deux Derniers Rois de Perse qu'elle Renferme & du Grand Caravan-Serai de la Ville de Cachan le plus Magnifique de tout l'Orient

Henri Chatelain, Nicolas Gueudeville

1719

Amsterdam

David Rumsey Map Collection

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Chatelain's atlas included detailed snapshots of Persian life and cities. The images on the spread below include views of the mosque and shrines in the holy city of Qom, where Shah Abbas II and Shah Safi II were both buried. The image below the three representations of the mosque shows the caranversai of Kashan. Caravanserais provided places to rest during the long and arduous journeys across the desert landscapes of the Iranian plateau. They date back to the Achaemenid Empire of ancient Persia (550 - 330 BCE), and have been compared to inns along monumental highways. Chatelain describes the one pictured here in Kashan as the most magnificent in all of the Orient.

View of Ardabil

Ardebil

Adam Olearius

1663

Schlesswig

David Rumsey Map Collection

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The original ancestral line of the Safavids was a religious order of Sufi mystics that lived in Ardabil, a city now in Azerbaijan (Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam that originated during the Umayyad caliphate in the eighth century). Because Ardabil was located close to the northwest Safavid border, it was prone to attacks from the Ottoman armies and the capital was moved to Tabriz. However, Ardabil remained an important tie between the Safavids and their roots. For this reason, a monumental shrine was built in memory of Safi al-Din Ardabili, a Sufi saint and patriarch of the Safavid line. The exquisite Ardabil carpet, now housed in London's Victoria and Albert Museum, was commissioned for this shrine.

Views of Qom and Kashan

Kom and Kaschan

Adam Olearius

1663

Schlesswig

David Rumsey Map Collection

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A European visitor traveling to the Safavid court would have made a stop in the garden city of Kashan, located just north of the capital. Kashan was renowned for its silk and textile industry, as well as its pure and fragrant rose water. Like Isfahan, Kashan is a verdant city with an abundance of fountains, flowers, and trees. The ancient Persian name for garden was paradaisos, which is where the term paradise originates from. Kashan is a veritable Persian paradise garden. When Olearius traveled to Kashan in 1656, he made the first European observation of the massive tarantula spiders that scurried around the tree-lined city. His drawings of the Persian tarantulas are shown in the detail to the right.

View of Isfahan

Isfahan

Adam Olearius

1663

Schlesswig

David Rumsey Map Collection

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Isfahan was the capital of the Safavid Empire from 1598 until the fall of the dynasty in 1736. The city was known for its diverse population, including not only Persian, Armenian, and Indian communities, but also Dutch, French, and Italian inhabitants. This diversity inspired the proverbial saying, "Isfahan nesfe jahan ast" (Isfahan is half the world). Shah Abbas I (r. 1588-1629) designed his capital as a garden city. Cypress trees and flowering fruit trees lined the long avenues radiating out of the city center. In the detail shown here a group of European ambassadors are preparing to make their triumphal entry into Isfahan. As was custom at the time, foreigners changed into Safavid style robes, headdresses, and shoes. This was a sign of respect for the Shah and his Persian court. Some even grew out their facial hair during the long journey, trimming it to the style of the long Persian mustache when arriving to Iran.

German Transliteration of the Persian Zodiac

from Das vierdte Buch: Der newen Persianischen Reise Beschreibung

Adam Olearius

1663

Schlesswig

David Rumsey Map Collection

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Adam Olearius, the German ambassador to Persia, was a crucial figure in the study of the Persian language in Europe. After his embassy’s ship wrecked on the shores of the Caspian, he spent several months learning Persian from locals in the Northern Safavid province of Mazandaran. His travelogue included some of the earliest examples of Persian in moveable type. In the spread below, Olearius describes the Persian model of celestial mapping, together with the twelve signs of the Islamic zodiac written in both Persian and German. On other pages of the book, Olearius transcribes ghazals, or lyrical poems, of the medieval Persian poet Hafez, as well as spellings of the most important Safavid cities in Persian script.

Wall Painting of a European-Persian Garden Banquet

Seventeenth Century

Isfahan, Iran

Photograph Courtesy of Mohammad Sarraf.

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Of course there were also Islamic studies of Europeans and their exotic customs. While there are some extant examples of Ottoman books depicting European costumes, these anthropological studies survive mostly as separate works of art rather than bound and printed books. In the mural shown here, just one of the hundreds of wall frescoes that decorated the Safavid capital Isfahan, Persians are depicted alongside figures from a variety of diverse nations, including India, China, and Europe, creating a Safavid version of a figural wall map. The figures in brimmed hats with lace collars represent European visitors to the Safavid court.