Status of Objects and Artifacts belonging to the Tomb of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili from the Safavid Period to the Pahlavi I based on Documents

The collection of works of Sheikh Safi’s tomb is one of the most important collections of art in Iran. The importance and sanctity of this tomb led to the collection of various gifts and votive over the years. After the rise of the Safavid dynasty, the value and importance of these works increased. However, with the fall of the Safavids, the attention of the kings of Iran to this tomb greatly reduced. Hence, some of its property and valuables looted during internal conflicts and foreign attacks. With the formation of the constitutional system and the creation of new administrative mechanisms, some measures were taken to take care of the affairs of the tomb and to register its treasures. The findings show that in the Qajar period, due to the lack of supervision of the central government over the custodians of the tomb and the continuation of the inappropriate process of inheritance trusteeship, the works and property of the tomb were in an unfavorable situation. During the Pahlavi I period, the tomb property identified, registered and examined, and then most of the tomb works transferred to the National Museum of Iran for further restoration and protection. The present study intends to use the historical sources of libraries and documents in order to study the status and historical course of exquisite objects in the tomb of Sheikh Safi from the Safavid to the Pahlavi I period. The research is based on library method, comparision, and resource analysis and the information was collected and organized and analyzed.