The volume comprises 20 of the original 42 papers first presented at the Third International Round Table on Safavid Persia in Edinburgh in 1998, published here in revised and expanded versions thanks to the editorial efforts of Andrew Newman. The volume emphasizes particularly Safavid art and craftsmanship but also addresses other features such as historiography, numismatics, popular culture, and religious institutions.

Table of matters:

Section 1: Michele Bernardini, “Hātifī’s Tīmūrnāma and Qāsimī’s Shāhnāmeh-yi Ismā‘īl: Considerations towards a Double Critical Edition”, pp. 3-18; Sholeh Quinn, “The Timurid Historiographical Legacy: A Comparative Study of Persianate Historical Writing”, pp. 19-32; Karin Rührdanz, “Illustrated Persian Ajā’ib al-makhlūqāt manuscripts and their Function in early Modern Times”, pp. 33-48. Section 2: Iraj Afshar, “Maktūb and Majmū‘a: essential Sources for Safavid Research”, pp. 51-62; Charles Melville, “New Light on the Reign of Shah ‘Abbās: Volume III of the Afzāl al-Tawārīkh”, pp. 63-96; Anthony Welch, “Safavi Iran as Seen Through Venentian Eyes”, pp. 97-122. Section 3: Sheila Blair, “The Ardabil Carpets in Context”, pp. 125-144; Stephen Blake, “Shah ‘Abbās and the Transfer of the Safavid capital from Qazvin to Isfahan”, pp. 145-164; Robert Hillenbrand, “The Scarophagus of Shah Ismā‘īl at Ardabil”, pp. 165-190. Section 4: A. T. Adamova, “Muhammad Qāsim and the Safavid School of Painting”, pp. 193-212; Barbara Brend, “Another career for Mīrzā ‘Alī?”, pp. 213-236; Jonathan Bloom, “Epic Images Revisited: An Ilkhanid Legacy in Early Safavid Painting”, pp. 237-248. Section 5: E. Bahari, “The Sixteenth Century School of Bukhara Painting and the Arts of the Book”, pp. 251-264; Rudi Matthee, “The Safavid Mint of Huwayza: The Numismatic Evidence”, pp. 265-292. Section 6: Shahzad Bashir, “After the Messiah: The Nūrbakhshiyya in Late Timurid and Early Safavid Times”, pp. 295-314; Jean Calmard, “Popular Literature Under the Safavids,” pp. 315-340; Ihsan Ishraqi, “Noqtaviyya à l’époque des Safavides”, pp. 341-350; Rasul Ja‘fariyan, “The Immigrant Manuscripts: A Study of the Migration of Shī‘ī Works from Arab Regions to Iran in the Early Safavid Era”, pp. 351-370; Andrew Newman, “Bāqir al-Majlisī and Islamicate Medicine: Safavid Medical Theory and Practice Re-examined”, pp. 371-396; Mansur Sifatgol, “Safavid Administration of Awqāf: Structure, Changes and Functions, 1077-1135/1666-1722”, pp. 397-408.

A detailed review is forthcoming in St. Ir.

Colin Mitchell