Environmental Crises at the End of Safavid History: The Ecological Collapse of the Iranian Monarchy in the Early Modern Period (1666–1722 A. C/1076–1134 A. H)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of History, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA

2 Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA

3 Faculty member, Department of History and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

4 Ph. D student in Islamic History, Al-ZahraUniversity, Tehran, Iran

10.22081/hiq.2024.77282

Abstract

In the history of world, the 17th century was the era of change and evolution. It was characterized by the emergence of social movements in response to the widespread droughts, famine, disease, war, and global population displacements due to the climate change. However, the historians had not yet included Safavids of Iran (1501–1722 CE/906–1134 AH) in that “widespread crisis.” Reviewing the primary sources from Safavid period and the evidence from the tree rings, this article written jointly by an environmental historian and a climatologist, argues that a widespread environmental crisis in the late seventeenth century contributed to the ecological collapse of the Safavid kingdom. The decline in the resources and population led to the collapse of territorial networks and the eventual fall of the Safavids to a small group of Afghan invaders in 1722 A. D (1134 A. H). Finally, the article examines Iran’s connection to the global environmental trends during this period, showing how the local conditions and the humans' role led to the emergence of a severe environmental crisis in Iran.

Keywords

Article Title [العربیة]

الأزمات البیئیة فی نهایة التاریخ الصفوی: انهیار بیئة ملوکیة إیران فی أوائل العصر الحدیث (1666-1722م/1076-1134ق)

Abstract [العربیة]

فی تاریخ العالم، کان القرن السابع عشر فترة تغییر وتحول. یُعرف هذا القرن بظهور حرکات اجتماعیة رداً على انتشار الجفاف، والمجاعة، والأمراض، والحروب، ونزوح السکان فی العالم بسبب تغیر المناخ. لکنّ المؤرخین لم یدرجوا بعد إیران فی العصر الصفوی (1501-1722م/906-1134م) فی دائرة «الأزمة الواسعة».

هذا المقال، الذی شارک فی کتابته مؤرخ بیئی وعالم مناخ، بعد مراجعة المصادر المبکرة للعصر الصفوی والأدلة من حلقات الأشجار، یرى أن الأزمة البیئیة واسعة النطاق فی نهایة القرن السابع عشر (القرن الحادی عشر الهجری) ساهمت فی انهیار بیئة الملوکیة الصفویة. وأدى انخفاض الموارد وتراجع عدد السکان إلى انهیار الشبکات الإقلیمیة وسقوط الصفویین على ید مجموعة صغیرة من الغزاة الأفغان عام 1722م (1134هـ). وأخیراً، یتناول هذا المقال ارتباط إیران بالاتجاهات البیئیة العالمیة فی هذه الفترة ویوضح کیف أدت الظروف المحلیة ودور الإنسان إلى ظهور أزمة بیئیة حادة فی إیران

Keywords [العربیة]

  • التغیرات المناخیة
  • تسلسل الأشجار
  • التاریخ البیئی
  • المجاعة
  • الدولة الصفویة

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