Research On History Of Medicine (2251886X)14(1)pp. 59-74
Food hygiene is a crucial aspect of public health, directly impacting societal well-being. From the mid-Qajar period onward, mirroring the broader “medicalization” of public health, traditional folk and religious understandings of food safety were gradually replaced by modern medical teachings. This research employs a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing primary source documents to examine the components and challenges of food hygiene during the Naseri era alongside government interventions designed to improve it. Key focus areas included water, bread, meat, kitchens, cooks, eating practices, food storage, and fruits/dried fruits. The study analyzes health concerns in each area and the government’s corresponding actions, such as issuing advisory and directive decrees, establishing health institutions, and conducting public health awareness campaigns through print media like newspapers and magazines. The findings highlight the gradual infiltration of new scientific knowledge into traditional Qajar society, supplanting long-established folk practices while simultaneously presenting the inherent challenges accompanying this transition. © Journal of Research on History of Medicine.
Iranian Studies (00210862)57(2)pp. 197-209
Relations between Iran and the Ottoman Empire during the Safavid era were never free of tension, even when there was peace between the two states. In peacetime, both powers secretly and closely monitored the other's movements, either in anticipation of or in preparation for attacks. Due to the destruction of Safavid archives, there is little documentary information in Iranian archives about Iranian-Ottoman relations in the period, forcing us to rely mainly on chronicles and travelogues. However, the Ottoman MÜhimme Defterleri (Registers of Important Affairs), which contain a copy of all royal decrees and orders, are a very valuable source for the study of these tense and unstable relations from the Ottoman perspective. According to these registers, upon the coming to power of Shah Ismā'īl II, the Ottoman government publicly upheld and respected the terms of the Amasya Peace Treaty, while secretly looking for a pretext to resume war against Iran. The question is, however, why the Ottomans did not attack Iran immediately after Ismā'īl II's accession to the throne. Was it due, as some sources claim, to the bravery Shah Ismā'īl had previously shown in action against the Ottomans? By examining and analyzing the MÜhimme Registers of this period, the authors of the present paper demonstrate that the Ottomans had plans to invade Iran and occupy parts of its territory at the beginning of Ismā'īl II's accession, but their military campaign was thwarted by the lack of opportunities during the short period of the Safavid king's rule. Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Association for Iranian Studies.
Iranian Studies (00210862)57(2)pp. 295-302
The aim of the Isfahan Anthology Project is to create an inventory of, collect, and digitize all extant anthologies produced in seventeenth-century Isfahan. Thousands of majmu'a were authored and assembled in Isfahan. Presently, we are working together with our graduate students at the University of Isfahan and the University of Michigan in a collaboration that intends to train a new generation of Safavid historians who will continue this digital project into the future. We have begun the vast project of collecting and generating tables of contents for anthologies housed in the capital's most prominent public libraries - Tehran University Library, Majlis Library, Malik Library, and the National (Milli) Library of Iran - to begin our analysis of their anthology collections. Adapting our work to include reconnaissance, we have taken careful account of the content and organization of these anthologies so that we can create a digital and searchable database of Isfahan's anthologies that allows fellow scholars and graduate students across the world to freely have access to these rich Persianate-world sources. Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Association for Iranian Studies.
Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies (17489423)6(2)pp. 177-198
This article explores a new window into Safavid political history - Safavid dream narratives. In that era, dreams were told to justify the kings' deeds and to legitimise their hegemony. These dreams, the symbols in the dreams, and the way they were interwoven into the political affairs of the time reflect the widely held beliefs of the people in dreams and dream interpretation. Moreover, dream narratives divulge how political and religious goals could be pursued and achieved through dream-telling and dream interpretation. This article examines why, and in which periods, dreams were appropriated by Safavid kings as legitimising instruments. The author will analyse influential dream narratives from a wide range of Safavid texts and determine the different categories of dreams that were related.
