Biography

Ahmad Guliyev is a Leading Researcher at the Institute of History of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Former Marie Curie Fellow at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, he conducted research within the project "SAFVEN-West meets East in Venice: Cross-cultural interactions and reciprocal influences between the Safavids and Venetians." His research interests include material and cross-cultural dimensions of the diplomatic encounters between the Safavid Empire and Western Europe. His book titled Safavids in Venetian and European Sources (Edizioni Ca’ Foscari 2022), based on the documents from the Venetian State Archives, explores Europeans’ perception of Safavid diplomatic practices and the characteristics of the Safavid embassies to Venice.

Project Summary

The 16th and 17th centuries saw increasing flows of people, ideas and objects across political, cultural, religious and linguistic boundaries. The aim of the research project is to examine the intermediary role of the Safavids in the cultural transfer between the Italian courts and East in the 16th -17th centuries. Particularly, the project examines the role of the Safavids in circulation of the material objects between the Italian courts and East in the 16th -17th centuries. It will explore the meaning of art objects in Safavid-Italian diplomatic exchanges and the existence of economic and aesthetic values mutually intelligible across political boundaries. How were artworks used within a diplomatic context? How did these gift exchanges foster the circulation of visual art objects? Furthermore, it will examine the socio-economic profile of Safavid Muslim merchant communities and their commercial activities in the Italian port cities of Venice and Livorno. How were the merchants able to overcome barriers of language, religion, and culture and adjust themselves to a different cultural context?