Women in the Safavid Empire

Women in the Safavid Empire (1501-1736) refers to the position and status of women across Safavid society and culture within Safavid Iran. According to the European traveler R. W. Ferrier, the Safavid period had 6 types of women:[1]

1. “The married wives of those in the upper reaches of society,”
2. “The large rural region living in a more communal manner in tribal associations up and down the countryside and in permanent agricultural settlements in villages and small towns,”
3. “Those engaged in arts and crafts and industrial activities in a more organized manner within towns and cities,”
4. “Those who had contracted temporary marriages,”
5. “The slaves of both sexes”
6. “The prostitutes”