Women In Safavid Empires

The Mughal and Safavid Empires featured an important variety of political power. However, they were different in that while the women’s freedom decreased after Shah Abbas’ death, the women of Mughal Empire had their freedom unrestricted until the end of the Mughal Empire. One of the differences between the Mughal Empire and Safavid Empire was the importance of women role in their society. After Shah Abbas death, the Safavid Empire strongly supported a patriarchal system in their society and restricted freedom and rights to women. When Shah Safi I took control, women were forced to cover themselves completely during public. Afterwards, however, during Shah Safi II monarchy, burning women was usual and even had especial ovens for burning people. Overall, women role in the Safavid Empire had absolute limitations and women’s status in Shah Abbas II monarchy was considered one of the hardest periods for women in their dynasty. Compared to other Muslim dynasties, women in the Mughal society had the utmost freedom. In its early years, laws were created by Akbar the Great (1506 – 1605) to protect women’s right. Akbar, for example, banned the practice of sati (forcing a widow to jump onto her husband’s funeral pyre) and encouraged widows to get married. Special market days were also authorized where women could go out and were allowed to shop and

Both empires, for example, held strong rulers, such as, Akbar the Great and Shah Abbas the Great, that not only conquered vast territories but also distinctively improved their military. In contrast, women roles in the Mughal Empire were considered important and laws were created by Akbar in order to protect women rights. In the Safavid Empire, however, women were forced to cover themselves during public and were often tortured and burned under the rule of Shah Saffi