The importance of Safaivd period (1501-1736) in the history of Iran [Persia] has been increasingly recognized in recent years by scholars both in Iran and in the West. In 1501, the Safavids established the first native dynasty to rule over the whole of Iran since the overthrow of the Sasanid empire by the Arab invaders in the seventh century.
In many ways, the reign of Shah Abbas I (the Great) marks the highest point of Safavid achievement. The present book, therefore, is not only important as history—that is, for the information it contains— but is an outstanding work of historiography. Despite the vast scope of the work, the author, Eskandar Beg Monshi, never loses sight of its shape and proportion and, after a digression, returns unerringly to pick up loose ends. He is unusually accurate in matters of fact and meticulous in giving dates.