The Significance of the Turkish Language during the Safavid Period from the Western Travelers’ Eyes

Abstract

As historians known, Safavid state (1501-1736) was founded by the Turkmen tribes in Western Persia and Eastern Anatoly.[1] The ruling dynasty and the founders as well as the majority of inhabitants in the western part of the country were Turk. For this reason Turkish was the language of communication during the entire Safavid reign. When Shah Tahmasb transferred the capital from Tabriz to Qazvin (1548) and Shah Abbas, thence to Isfahan (1598), Turkish did not lose its importance in the court and among the notables and courtiers; although the majority of population in the last two capitals was Persians. They spoke Turkish in their homes and in public, and gloried in speaking it well. Turkish preserved its place until the end of the dynasty, and was the most important language of communication in multi-national Persia during that period.

The only partial study on this subject is belonged to Turkhan Ganjdei written more than fifty years ago. He referred to some of the journals of the Western travelers. In this study, the subject is researched in more detail.

The Safavid period was the period during which the meaningful diplomatic relationships with European states were established. These relationships culminated in an allegiance between them. The hostility with the Ottoman Empire was the most important factor underlying this alliance. Several envoys were exchanged between Safavid state and European countries. In addition, many merchants traveled to Persia for commercial reasons. Several missionaries came to the Persia to spread Christianity among the people.[2]  Many of these travelers left written accounts and books about their journeys to Persia. There is some information about the situation of the Turkish Language in the Safavid courts and in the society in the capital and other parts of the country.

Jean Chardin was a western traveler who resided in Isfahan, Safavid capital, for eleven years. He observed many things about Iranian culture and gathered his impressions in his well-known books. His works are considered the most detailed ones written about Safavid Iran. He has an important account about the usage of the Turkish language in the Safavid realm. He says: “Iranians usually speak in one of [the following:] Persian, Turkish or Arabic. They believe Persian is the language of Iranic ethnics. The courtiers, important people and the people who have links with them speak these three languages equally. Most women know these languages as well. If they do not know at least two out of these three languages they cannot communicate well….. The courtiers, army, nobles and their wives speak in Turkish at home, because the king and his family are from Azerbaijan where the native language is Turkish. These languages are different from each other, but they have borrowed words from one another. Turkish and Persian borrow religious word from Arabic. Persian lends literary words to Turkish and adopts the terms related to war and army. The inhabitants of western, Southwestern and central Iran speak in Turkish and the inhabitants of the other parts speak in Persian. It is remarkable that the language of the courtiers is Turkish…. Because of influence of Persian language the Turkish language differs somewhat from Ottoman Turkish.”[3]

Pietro Della Vale was another western traveler (1617-1619) to the Safavid realm. A letter written to his friend, Mario Schipano, dated December 18, 1617, includes very valuable information about the usage of the Turkish language among the courtiers in the Safavid court in Isfahan: “In the Safavid realm, Turkish is being spoken more than Persian, especially in the court and between the courtiers…. But this does not mean the subjects of the Safavid state prefer Turkish to Persian and value Turkish more than Persian. The reason they do this is that the majority of Safavid subjects are comprised of Turks.[4]

 In addition, the entire army is made up of Qizilbashes. Qizilbashes are ethnically Turks. Even the Shah’s servants and ghulams speak Turkish and they do not know Persian. For this reason, not only the commanders, but also the shah speaks Turkish because he is constantly in communication with the army and commands in this language conveniently. That is why women in court especially communicate in Turkish.”[5]

In another letter written to his friend, dated May 1918, Pietro Della Vale describes his meeting with Safavid Shah Abbas. At first, the shah asks his entourage about Pietro’s communication skills. When the shah learns that Pietro knows Turkish, he says “he is very welcomed” in Turkish. Pietro also mentions his speaking in Turkish with the courtiers throughout the day.[6]

Adam Olearius was a western traveler who stayed in the Safavid realm from 1636 until 1638. In his travel journal, he says: “The Safavid subjects, especially those who live in Shirvan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Baghdad and Iran teach Turkish to their children. Turkish is so common in the Safavid capital, Isfahan, that you can hardly hear (Persian spoken) anyone speaking Persian. The Safavid subjects know both Turkish and Persian literatures. They read Imadaddin Nasimi, Navai and Fuzuli’s writing in Turkish, and Firdausi, Hafez and Saadi’s writings in Persian.[7]

 Probably, Olearius had been so influenced by the atmosphere of the Safavid Isfahan that he even wrote a poem in Turkish:

Choban qızı, gözüm nuru                gel dur bunda kölge altında

Bunda taza, kölge ve cheshme       Safiye axar, bunda gülzar

Açıb Afgan, bulbul bashlan                        Biz yatalım, bile uyalım

Şimdi zaman ki san cavan              Qaçan qıcasan aşıq bulmasan[8]

P. Sanson, who was the Pope’s envoy to the Safavid State and resided in the court for 3 years from 1683 until 1686, speaks of the shah’s spiritual power and his being purified of sins. In addition, he states that Safavid subjects always repeat this phrase: “Qurban olayum, dinim, imanum padishah, bashın ugruna feda olayum.”[9]

Raphael Du Mans, who traveled to the Safavid capital several times between 1660 and his death there in 1696,[10] in his book, The Situation of the Safavid State in 1660, writes about the importance of Turkish and Persian. He says: “Persian is being spoken outside of the court, but Turkish is being spoken inside and outside of the court.” He compares the Greek and Latin languages with Turkish and continues: “The Turkish language has no disadvantage compared to the Greek and Latin languages. Turkish does not have irregular verbs like the Latin languages. The verbs are derived from definite rules.”[11]

 Raphael wrote a brief book on Turkish grammar in 1684 that includes important information about the state of the Turkish language at that time.[12]

The German traveler Engelbert Kaempfer came to the Safavid realm in 1684 while accompanying Switzerland envoy (ambassador). He has interesting account about the Turkish language: “The common communication language in the court in Safavid court in Isfahan is Turkish. This language is the mother tongue of the ruling dynasty rather than the language of the inhabitants of the capital. Turkish had earned the courtiers and notables’ (great respect) esteem so much that if one of them did not know this language s/he was looked with contempt. Persons who want to be in grace of the shah speak Turkish. Turkish is easier than the other eastern languages, since its lexicology and grammar is easy.”[13]

Sir Thomas Herbert, who traveled from Caucasia to Gilan and thence to Isfahan, wrote: “On my way, none of the armies and subjects of Safavid, who I talked to, knew Persian. They spoke Turkish.”[14]

French traveler, Jean de Thevenot (1664-1667), who traveled to Isfahan through Basra and Baghdad, has an interesting account about prevalence of the Turkish language in the Safavid Court. He says: “Inhabitants of villages between Basra and Baghdad speak Turkish everywhere, just their Turkish is the Turkish language spoken in Iran. Their Turkish is different than Turkish spoken in Istanbul. At the Safavid court they speak nothing but Turkish, just their dialect is different than what is spoken in Constantinople. The reasons why they speak Turkish not Persian are (which) the army and the courtiers are Turks and speak Turkish as well as speaking Turkish give eminence and authority to courtiers and distinguish them from rest of the people.”[15]

Father Gabriel de Chinon was a French missionary to Persia in 17^th Century. In the preface of his book is mentioned about his speaking of Turkish, Persian and Armenian. This indicates the importance of Turkish in the Safavid court.[16]

On his route from Venice to Safavid Isfahan, Jemeli Karri (1651-1725) observed many things about the country and its peoples, and mentioned about them in his travel journal. He has a brief account about the language spoken in the Safavid court. He says: “The Safavid courtiers speak Turkish.”[17]

Garcia de Silva Y Figueroa was a Spanish envoy, who was sent to the court of Shah Abbas I, the most powerful king of the Safavid dynasty, in 1614. In his travel journal he emphasize that Turkish is the language of communication in the court.[18]

These records indicate the importance of the Turkish language during the Safavid period even while that its capital was Isfahan with a majority population of Persians. We see an increase in the number of the Turkish books written in this period. Despite the Persian bureaucratic system during the Safavid reign , some diplomatic letter were written in Turkish and were sent to the some European countries from the court.

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[1] Hans R. Roemer, “The Safavid Period”, The Cambridge History of Iran, 6, The Timurid and Safavid Periods, Edit: Peter Jackson and Lawrence Lockhart, Cambridge University Press, 2006, 189.

[2] Rudi Matthee, “The Safavid under Western Eyes, Seventeen-Century European Travelers to Iran, Journal of Early Modern History, 13 (2009), p. 138.

[3] Jean Chardin, Journal du Voyage du Chavalier Jean Chardin en Persea aux Indes Orieantals, (Persian Trans: Eqbal Yaghmai, V. 3, Tehran, 1372-1375 (1993-1996)), 947-949.

[4] There is a contradiction in this part of his account. If majority of inhabitants of a country are made up of Turks they will naturally prefer their mother tongue (Turkish) to Persian. Widely speaking of Turkish in the country indicates this self-evident truth.

[5] Pietro De la Valle, Safarname-ye Pietro Della Valle, (Persian Trans: Shoaeddin Shafa, Tehran 1370 (1991)), 87-88.

[6] Ibid, 229

[7] Adam Olearius, The Voyages and Travels of the Ambassadors, Translated by John Davies, 1662, Edited by Lance Jenott 2000,  http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/olearius/travels.html#language

[8]http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-Turk&month=0110&week=d&msg=2r6bOY0fbU/f8IeLj3Y6ew&user=&pw=

[9] Turxan Ganjei, “Safeviler Devleti ve Türk Dili”, (Turkish Trans: Zulfiye Aliyeva, Azerbaycan Kültür Derneği Dergisi, No: 37, 2003) 13.

[10] Francis Richard, “Du Mans Raphael” http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/du-mans

[11] Ganjei, “Safevi Devleti ve Türk Dili”, 13.

[12] Richard, “Du Mans Raphael, http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/du-mans

[13] Engelbert Kaempfer, Dar darbar-e Shahanshah-e Iran, Persian Trans: K. Jahandari, Tehran 1360 (1981), 167.

[14] Thomas Herbert, Travel in Persia, 1627-1629, (RutledgeCurzon, London and Ney York 2005), 134.

[15] Jean de Thevenot, The Travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into Levant, (V. 2, London, 1687), 90.

[16] Gabriel de Chinon, Relations nouvells du Levant ou traite de la Religion, du gouvernment et des coutumes, des Perses, des Armeniens, et des Gaures, (Lyon, 1679), Preface.

[17] Jemeli Karri, Voyage du Tour du Monde, (Persian Trans: A. Nakhjavani/A. Karang, Tabriz, 1348 (1969)), 75.

[18] Garcia de Silva Y Figueroa, L’Ambassade de D. Garcia de Silva Y Figueroa en Perse, (Persian Trans: Abbas Samii, Tehran 1363 (1984)), 200.

Bibliography

1.       Chardin, Jean, Journal du Voyage du Chavalier Jean Chardin en Persea aux Indes Orieantals, (Persian Trans: Eqbal Yaghmai, V. 3, Tehran, 1372-1375 (1993-1996))

2.       Figueroa, Garcia de Silva Y, L’Ambassade de D. Garcia de Silva Y Figueroa en Perse, (Persian Trans: Abbas Samii, Tehran 1363 (1984)).

3.       Chinon, Gabriel de, Relations nouvells du Levant ou traite de la Religion, du gouvernment et des coutumes, des Perses, des Armeniens, et des Gaures, (Lyon, 1679).

4.       Ganjei, Turxan, "Safevi Devleti ve Turk Dili", (Turkish Trans: Zulfiye Aliyeva, Azerbaycan Kültür Derneği Dergisi, No: 37, 2003).

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6.       Kaempfer, Engelbert, Dar darbar-e Shahanshah-e Iran, Persian Trans: K. Jahandari, Tehran 1360 (1981).

7.       Karri, Jemeli, Voyage du Tour du Monde, (Persian Trans: A. Nakhjavani/A. Karang, Tabriz, 1348 (1969)).

8.      La Valle, Pietro de, Safarname-ye Pietro Della Valle, (Persian Trans: Shoaeddin Shafa, Tehran 1370 (1991)).

9.       Matthee, Rudi, “The Safavid under Western Eyes, Seventeenth-Century European Travelers to Iran”, Journal of Early Modern History, 13, (2009), 137-171.

10.   Olearius, Adam, The Voyages and Travels of the Ambassadors, Translated by John Davies, 1662, Edited by Lance Jenott 2000, http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/olearius/travels.html#language

11.    Richard, Francis“Du Mans Raphael” http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/du-mans

12.    Roemer, Hans R.,  “The safavid Period”, The Cambridge History of Iran, V. 6, TheTimurid and Safavid Period, Edit: Peter Jackson and Lawrence Lockhart, Cambridge University Press 2006.

13.    Thevenot, Jean de, The Travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into Levant, (V. 2, London, 1687).