ABSTRACT
In the period between 1258 and 1900 the two main forms of Shi'ism, the Imamite and the Isma'ilite, underwent a complete transformation. The transformation of the Imamite sect took place in 1502 when Shah Isma'il, the founder of the Safa vid dynasty, took steps to have Imamite Shi'ism made the official religion of his realm. With the impetus derived from his political successes the Imamite faith became not merely the state religion but in effect the only tolerated religion. There are reports of an initial scarcity of religious teachers, since Shi'ism was by no means the dominant religion of the Persians at this time; in Tabriz, two-thirds of the population are reported to have been Sunnites. The fall of Alamut to the Mongols in 1256 was followed by massacres, but many Isma'ilites survived and the son of the last imam was preserved safely in hiding.
