Ismail I (Persian: اسماعیل‎, translit. Esmāʿīl‎, pronounced [esmɒːʔiːl]; July 17 1487 – May 23 1524), also known as Shah Ismail I (Persian: شاه اسماعیل‎‎, Azerbaijani: بیرینجی شاه اسماعیل; Şah İsmayıl Xətai), was the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1501 to 23 May 1524 as shah (king).

The rule of Ismail is one of the most vital in the history of Iran—before his accession in 1501, Iran, since its occupation by the Arabs eight-and-a-half centuries ago, had not existed as a unified country under native Iranian rule, but had been controlled by a series of Arab caliphs, Turkic sultans, and Mongol khans. Although many Iranian dynasties rose to power amidst this whole period, it was only under the Buyids that a vast part of Iran proper came under Iranian rule (945-1055).

The dynasty founded by Ismail I would rule for over two centuries, being one of the greatest Iranian empires and at its height being amongst the most powerful empires of its time, ruling all of Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, most of Georgia, the North Caucasus, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, as well as parts of modern-day Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It also reasserted the Iranian identity in large parts of Greater Iran. The legacy of the Safavid Empire was also the revival of Iran as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy, its architectural innovations and its patronage for fine arts.

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Wikipedia