Sema/Samāh during Safavid Period (In Chronicles, Travel Books, and Miniatures)

Historical records of the establishment of the Safavid state in Ardabil up to its early stage in Tabriz present the dominance of a Sufi Order culture in that State. Within such records, we repeatedly encounter Sufi phrases such as murshid, Murshid-i kâmil , Halifetü’l-hulefa, Tariqa/tariqah, Irshad, Tawba, Talqīn, and Hidayat. Considering this State's establishment with the Qizilbash and Turkoman belief, also regarding Semah as a significant ritual among these orders, one wonders where this ritual's position was in the Safavid state. The Qizilbāsh-Turkman foundation of this State, one except samāh to be a natural part of this State. However, it is not the case. While samāh was seen in every stage of the Qizilbash State from its establishment by Shah Ismail, it lost its previous position after the first half of Tahmasp's rule. Therefore, based on chronicles of the period, travel books (sēyāhat-nāme), and miniatures, This paper will address the existence and status of samāh in Safavi Order, along with assessing the cause and effects of this ritual.