A New Found Versified History of Shah Abbas the Great

The Fotuhat-i Gitisitan was composed in verse three years before the fall of the Safavid monarchy.  A rich historical epic, its focus is on the battles of the most famous kings of the dynasty and provided valuable information in regards to the social, cultural and political history of the Safavid dynasty.   The poet is the grandson of the famous grand vizier, Khalifah Sultan, who traces his lineage to a branch of the Mar'ashi family of Mazandaran. The family had immigrated to Isfahan during the reign of Shah Tahmasb and held different imperial positions during the Safavid period, especially in the clerical establishment.   Despite the rationalism that marks the poet’s writing, fatalism colors his world-view where fate is understood to be the main cause for victory or defeat. His language and the selected topics of his composition reveal  the poet's nostalgia for the glorious age of  Shah Abbas I.   The main intellectual challenge of the poet is to show the importance of his epic and the unique perspective of the poet. This article is a synopsis and analysis of the content of the Fotuhat-i Gitisitan and to outline what it has to offer to the historians of the Safavi world.