1 Shahi - Isma'il I Safavi

Isma'il I founded the Safavid dynasty in 1501 and immediately made Twelver Shi'a Islam the state religion of Iran — a decision with consequences that reverberate across the Middle East to this day. The coinage he introduced was central to that project. The shahi denomination itself was named after him, Shah Isma'il, and his silver issues were among the first Iranian coins to carry the names of the Twelve Imams as a deliberate confessional declaration, distinguishing Safavid authority from the Sunni Ottomans to the west and the Uzbeks to the east.

Album 2576 encompasses the full reign, and dies vary considerably across mints including Tabriz, the first Safavid capital.