The Sun and the Lion

Ibrahim stayed in the palace in Herat until the winter. The governor of the river successfully captured all the berks of Ferghana, dead or alive. He immediately tried them in the courtyard and then executed them all on the spot. The executioner The heads of the living and the dead were cut off and the bodies were sutured and hung on the city wall for public display.

While waiting, he learned about the current construction progress from the construction director responsible for supervising the construction of the new capital through official documents. The highest-priority Grand Palace and the residences for the viziers of Divan and other court dignitaries had already been completed. , the large mosque complex used to demonstrate strength and piety and the military barracks on the outskirts of the city are basically completed. Other planned public facilities and the cathedral for Christian subjects are also nearing completion. As long as he wants, the citizens of Isfahan will soon You can become Mr. Jing.

In order to save time, he immediately wrote to Tabriz, requesting that the palace stationed there prepare to move to Isfahan, and that the grand vizier, grand emir, and eunuch chief should make overall arrangements.

He himself had to take the guards and standing troops to escort all the huge sums of money to Isfahan. He was not comfortable letting others take charge of this task.

Until January 1507, Ibrahim came to Isfahan, surrounded by guards, and slowly visited the city that he ordered to build and renovate. Each exquisite building gradually came into his sight.

The main new city areas are all located on the vast open space in the south of the old city. An extremely spacious main road runs through the new city, connecting from south to north from the suburbs on the south bank of the Zaindarud River to the square of the old city through a bridge. The roads are all paved with stone slabs, with drainage ditches on both sides and trees planted for green decoration.

The suburbs on the south bank of the river are dotted with many gardens, fountains and pavilions, shaded by trees, and dedicated walking trails connect them for visitors to enjoy. Looking around, there are mansions belonging to high-ranking officials and nobles, and there are orchards and vineyards beyond.

There are several stone arch bridges connecting the urban areas on the north and south sides of the river. The one connecting the main road is as wide as the road and adopts a double-layer structure. The lower space of the bridge is also used. It is not only decorated with murals, but also allows vendors and other citizens to do whatever they want. use.

The center of the new city is a large square connected to the main road on the west side. This square, which Ibrahim calls a "world model", is specially used for holding large-scale celebrations such as military parades, sports activities or meeting public opinion representatives. About 600 meters long and 200 meters wide. It is surrounded by walls decorated with ceramic tile murals, and there are exits on all sides. On the east side near the main road, there is a magnificent arch to facilitate the passage of large groups of people, pack animals, and vehicles. The reliefs on it are all fully armed riders.

The wall enclosing the World Model Plaza is actually composed of two-story row houses. The rooms on the lower floor are used as warehouses, and the upper floor is used as a viewing platform and guest rooms. During large-scale events, VIPs can stop in the aisle on the second floor. To watch, only a few can join the King of Kings on the upper level of the palace balcony, below which is the main entrance to the Grand Palace.

The Grand Palace, where the palace is located, is close to the square. Ibrahim can directly overlook everything downstairs from the balcony, including sports events, military parades, or other large-scale performances. From this perspective, the World Model Square can be regarded as the forecourt of the Grand Palace.

The Grand Palace itself occupies a vast area. Its main building is very tall, with a total of 6 floors. Together with its other annexed buildings, the hundreds of rooms with different functions are enough to meet the needs of Ibrahim's personal and palace operations.

On the other side of the main road is another group of buildings. The Grand Bazaar is designated as the industrial and commercial center of the new city. Most of the buildings are shops, warehouses, workshops and other facilities for merchants. The Capital Mint is The Japanese bank was also located here. In addition, there are restaurants, hotels, public bathhouses, hospitals and other public facilities. The complex of higher education institutions funded by the palace is also not far from here.

In addition to buildings, the city also has people. Since the renovation and expansion of the new capital was ordered, plans to move the population here to fill the city are also being carried out at the same time. Nearly 10,000 citizens from Hindustan have been settled properly at this time, forming a separate Community.

Surrounding the cathedral construction site are Christian communities, many of which are involved with the Safavid court. Armenian royal merchants who serve the King of Kings took the initiative to move to Isfahan, and a considerable number of Western European consultants chose to settle here. , some Circassians who were kidnapped to Iran during the jihad, and Caucasian Christians who lost their homes in the border conflict with the Ottomans were resettled here.

The rest are Muslim immigrants who have moved in, including people from other provinces and rural areas who were moved here by officials due to economic reasons, and more of them are Shiite religious immigrants from foreign countries. After all, after Ibrahim's notoriety spread, people looking for Book Garden www． zhaoshuyuan.com The rejection of Shias by surrounding Sunnis has reached a small climax. However, most of these religious immigrants from Lebanon and Asia Minor settled in Arab Iraq, and only a small part moved to the hinterland of Iran.

Ibrahim, who had packed his bags and moved into the Grand Palace, went out many times to various districts to get familiar with this unfamiliar city while waiting for the palace to move. He also met with leaders of various communities and guilds many times, and inspected local government-run workshops and the royal family. assets.

He then planned to return north to Tabriz in person to preside over the relocation of the capital. While on the road, he also reviewed the development of the war in Yemen last year. The reinforced Safavid army did not rush deep into the interior. Instead, they used their naval superiority to seize almost all coastal ports and cut off almost all foreign trade routes of the Tahir Dynasty. If there was no access to the Jeddah port in Hijaz, trade would be impossible. Taxes have all but been removed from the Yemeni Sultan's bills, and the finances are close to collapse.

The interim governor of Yemen, who was about to be regularized soon, took advantage of his cash capabilities and relied on reinforcements and local tribes to gather a force of both infantry and cavalry and marched inland. At this time, the Sudan of Yemen was unable to resist, and the Zaid faction in the north took the risk to launch a counterattack. Sanaa has been successfully recaptured, and the Hadramaut region in the east no longer recognizes the authority of the Tahir dynasty.

The Sultan of Yemen had no choice but to make his final struggle in a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Safavid army seemed to have a chance of victory. However, the force composed of naval infantry and irregular cavalry lacked the ability to attack strongholds, and several successive strong attacks failed to open up the situation. The siege had to continue.

Until the end of the fighting season, the defenders could no longer endure the despair, and the Sudan had no choice but to surrender to the Safavid army. Due to the temporary inability to establish control in the hinterland of Yemen, the various vassals under the Sudan were retained, and their direct territories were temporarily handed over to his own management.

Ibrahim immediately arranged the aftermath of his rule in Yemen in his instructions.