The Letters of Khan Ahmad Khan Gilani contain a variety of information about the political conditions, beliefs, culture, and social life of the people during the Safavid period, much of which is rarely found in other sources. Using qualitative content analysis, this study seeks to identify manifestations of the culture of Safavid society in the content of these letters and, based on the information obtained, to portray and explain the cultural landscape of the period in various domains as far as possible. Given the development of religious attitudes during the Safavid period, the letters contain numerous references to religious beliefs and issues. Together with folk beliefs and linguistic elements, these references provide a picture of the culture of the society of that period. Considering the diverse political, social, economic, and cultural information contained in the letters, it can be concluded that the cultural domain encompasses a greater variety of content than other domains of society, with language and religious beliefs having the highest frequency among the cultural themes.
Introduction
Historical sources attest to the fact that the Safavid period, particularly the forty-two-year reign of Shah Abbas I (996–1038 AH), occupies a pivotal position in the history of post-Islamic Iran. The textual and artistic works of this period not only reflect the Shah's efforts to consolidate political power and promote economic prosperity but also demonstrate his significant contributions to religious, artistic, and literary culture.
Literary texts, regardless of their genre, reflect the social culture of the period in which they were produced. The linguistic elements employed in them reveal the linguistic culture and the religious and social beliefs of their authors and provide insights into the prevailing beliefs, practices, rituals, and traditions of the people of that period. Correspondence is no exception. Depending on the period in which they were written, letters can encapsulate the cultural and social aspects of their respective eras. One such example is The Letters of Khan Ahmad Khan Gilani, which date from the Safavid period.
Khan Ahmad Khan Gilani, the last ruler of the Karkiya dynasty, governed Gilan during the reigns of Shah Tahmasb and Shah Abbas I. Following the death of his father, he assumed power and was appointed by the Safavid monarch as the ruler of Bieh-pish and Bieh-pas. Although renowned for his patronage of literature and the arts, Khan Ahmad was also known for his ruthlessness. His rebellion against Shah Tahmasb led to his imprisonment in Qahqaha Fortress for nearly eight years. After his release in 983 AH, he resumed his rule over Gilan, only to see his power curtailed following the accession of Shah Abbas I. In his efforts to centralize power and eliminate the influence of local dynasties, Shah Abbas sought to dismantle Khan Ahmad's authority. Consequently, despite his resistance to the Shah, Khan Ahmad was forced to flee to the Ottoman Empire in 1000 AH, ultimately relinquishing Gilan to Shah Abbas I (Navaei, cited in Nowzad, 1994, pp. 8–12).
The Letters of Khan Ahmad Khan Gilani, comprising 108 documents, were edited by Fereydun Nowzad and published in 1994, with a critical introduction by Abdolhossein Navaei. These letters, most of which are official in nature, include nine addressed to Safavid rulers, including Shah Tahmasb, Shah Abbas, and Sultan Hamza Mirza. The collection also contains fifty-five decrees or responses addressed to provincial governors and officials, two letters to foreign rulers, nine letters from Safavid kings, and two letters from the governors of Gilan and Mazandaran addressed to Khan Ahmad. The remainder consists of petitions from the people and Khan Ahmad's responses to them. The letters constitute a rich repository of political, economic, social, and cultural information and offer a valuable perspective on the social structures and everyday life of the period.
Theoretical Foundations
Culture encompasses all aspects related to human beings, their beliefs, and their actions. This social domain comprises three fundamental systems: the system of cognitions and beliefs, the system of values, and the system of behaviors (Pourezat, 2015, pp. 30–33). According to this definition, religious beliefs, ritual practices, shared social convictions, values, norms, linguistic expressions, and cultural practices arising from the attitudes and dispositions of individuals within a particular society or community collectively shape the culture of that environment.
For a more comprehensive analysis of the cultural manifestations of the era of Khan Ahmad, it is necessary to clarify certain concepts pertinent to the topic, particularly the notions of "society" and "community." Sociologists define a community as a small group of people "who share commonalities in soil, blood, temperament, and culture" (Hazrati Some'e & Mobarak, 2015, p. 3). In contrast, society is characterized as a collective entity composed of social groups that interact with one another and share a common culture (Nikgohar, 1994, p. 140). Hence, society represents the overarching social framework governing the social existence of individuals within a cultural and historical context, in which social relationships, institutions, and groups are constituted. Conversely, the concept of community is more closely aligned with the lived realities of social life, reflecting ongoing interactions within more confined historical and cultural spheres, such as a neighborhood or a specific geographical area.
Consequently, society as a whole may be conceptualized as a social system encompassing four distinct domains: political, economic, social, and cultural. The principal element of politics is power; economics is concerned with material capital; social life revolves around relationships and bonds; and culture is understood through the lens of beliefs and values (Chalabi, 2015, pp. 37–55). Given that examining the literary works of any given period provides valuable insights into the lives of its people, this study seeks to analyze the letters of Khan Ahmad Gilani from the perspective of cultural manifestations.
Research Method
There are various scientific methods for analyzing and identifying underlying elements in letters, one of which is content analysis. Since the present study focuses on analyzing the cultural components of the Safavid period, all the letters in the textual corpus were examined using qualitative content analysis. Among the approaches to content analysis, namely quantitative and qualitative content analysis, the qualitative approach emphasizes the latent themes of a text and seeks to interpret and infer their meanings through deeper analysis (Momeni Rad et al., 2013, pp. 195–196).
Accordingly, all concepts embedded in the text were subjected to analysis. To enhance the reliability of the findings, the results were reviewed by qualified experts. In addition, sources that shed light on the cultural aspects of the period were consulted, and the findings were compared with discussions in those works. Examination of the letters indicates that the cultural domain encompasses religious and social beliefs, language, and social traditions.
Research Background
Some studies have explored social, political, and historical issues through the lens of correspondence. For example, Motavalli (2012) highlights religious themes in the letters, emphasizing the use of Qur'anic verses and hadiths to defend the Shi'i faith and affirm the legitimacy of the Imams, particularly the Imamate of Ali. Zabanfahm Nasiri (2017) first explains the context of the decrees issued by Shah Abbas and other Safavid rulers prohibiting alcohol, narcotics, and shaving. She then recounts society's reactions to these decrees through letters from that period. Aydogmusoglu (2017; translated by Ahmad Borjloo and Nasrollah Pourmohammadi Amlashi) analyzes the historical and political issues of the period, focusing on the letters of Khan Ahmad Gilani.
Another group of studies introduces historical figures and examines their lives through their correspondence. For example, Bahramnejad (2008) provides an overview of Tafreshi's correspondence manuscripts and offers insights into his life, knowledge, and relationships with individuals and statesmen of the Safavid era based on his letters. Similarly, Bozorg Bideli and Irani (2011) shed light on the life of Taqi al-Din Kashani on the basis of his letters. Another source related to the methodology of the present study is Mobasheri (2010) where the author examines reflections of social manifestations in Rumi's works in five sections: beliefs, folk culture, miscellanea, language, and proverbs, supported by textual examples.
There remains a gap in literary research concerning the cultural manifestations of everyday life in the Safavid period, particularly through the lens of the surviving letters from this era. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the cultural manifestations of Safavid society by examining the letters of Khan Ahmad Gilani through an interdisciplinary approach that treats the letters as a form of literary text.
Findings
Based on the content of the letters, cultural themes can be classified into four groups: religious issues, linguistic elements, cultural traditions, and folk beliefs. Religious issues include the use of Qur'anic verses and hadiths, jurisprudential and theological issues, pilgrimage, endowment, and Sufi beliefs. Linguistic elements include the use of poets' verses and poetic letters, Persian, Arabic, and Gilaki proverbs, Turkish and Gilaki vocabulary, and colloquial expressions. Freeing slaves, religious mourning, and extracting rosewater and teaching the related practices are among the cultural practices observed in some of the letters. Finally, superstitious beliefs, such as the influence of the stars on human life, as well as other folk beliefs, are observed in the letters.
Conclusion
An examination of the letters of Khan Ahmad Gilani shows that the first issue that draws attention regarding the culture of the Safavid period is the religious themes presented in these correspondences. On the basis of these themes, it can be argued that society at the time had a distinctly religious orientation and that people held strong beliefs that they expressed even in their written communications. The frequent use of Qur'anic verses and hadiths in the texts reflects the authors' commitment to the words of God and the Infallibles (PBUT). This not only articulates Shi'i perspectives but also engages in theological discussions with Sunni and Zaydi sects and addresses jurisprudential and Sufi issues, all of which testify to the prevailing religious atmosphere of the period, significantly influenced by the expansion of Shi'ism.
Following the discussion of religious practices, another cultural domain evident in the letters consists of linguistic elements, reflected in the use of Turkic and Gilaki vocabulary, poetry, and colloquial expressions. The Azerbaijani heritage of the Safavid rulers and Khan Ahmad's connection to the Gilan region account for the abundance of Turkic and Gilaki vocabulary, which serves as a marker of particular communities, in the correspondence. Notably, the extensive use of poetry alongside proverbs and idiomatic expressions reveals both Khan Ahmad Gilani's appreciation of poetry and the sentiments and beliefs of the people of the period. These poems are thematically related to religious discourse and are attributed to various poets from both earlier periods and the Safavid era, with some letters even composed in verse.
Moreover, the use of epic meters in the letters, particularly the allusions to Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, highlights the significance of national identity in the culture and literature of the period. Other linguistic and cultural elements include proverbs derived from people's beliefs and life experiences. In addition, social traditions and superstitions reflect popular perceptions of the period and play a significant role in portraying its cultural landscape.