Persian through Safavid Texts

Service Description

This 10-week advanced course develops high-level Persian reading skills through close engagement with original Safavid-era (16th–18th century) texts. Students work directly with original historical, literary, religious, and administrative sources to master the complex syntax, Arabic-Turkish-Persian hybridity, rhetorical devices, and the genre-specific vocabulary characteristic of early modern Persian. The course emphasizes contextual reading, stylistic analysis, and historical semantics while training students to navigate manuscript-style prose and verse. It is especially beneficial for advanced Persian learners, graduate students, and researchers in Iranian studies, Islamic history, Shiʿi studies, Ottoman–Safavid relations, and Persianate literature who seek direct access to Safavid primary sources without reliance on translations. ​Week 1 Tarikh-e Jahan-ara by Ahmad Ghaffari Qazvini Week 2 Tuhfa-ye Sami by Sam Mirza Safavi Week 3 Jame-e Abbasi by Baha' al-Din al-Amili (Sheikh Baha'i) Week 4 Ahsan al-Tavarikh by Hasan Beg Rumlu Week 5 Haft Iqlim by Amin Ahmad Razi Week 6 Karnameh dar Bab-e Tabbakhi (Manual of Cookery) by Haji Mohammad Ali Bavarči Week 7 Tuhfat al-Mu'minin (The Gift of the Faithful) by Mohammad Mo'men Tonekaboni Week 8 Gohar-e Morad by Abd al-Razzaq Lahiji Week 9 Monsha'at-e Vahid Qazvini by Mirza Muhammad Taher Vahid Qazvini Week 10 Abbas-nama by Mirza Muhammad Taher Vahid Qazvini * The course starts during the first week of October and concludes in the second week of December, spanning 10 weeks (10 sessions). The exact days and times will be scheduled based on the availability of both the instructor and the learners. * Once learners enroll, Silk Road Academy will coordinate the class schedule, process payments, and manage administrative details. * Silk Road Academy can issue invoices so learners can request reimbursement from their affiliated universities or institutions. * Class days and times may be adjusted in accordance with the request of enrollees. * Registered participants will receive full access to recorded session videos and all course materials.