The ''Safine-ye Solaymani'' (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: سفینه سلیمانی; lit. "Ship of Solayman") is a

travel account of an embassy sent to the

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

ese

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

in 1685 by Suleiman I (1666–1694), King (''

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

'') of

Safavid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

. The text was written by Mohammad Rabi ibn Mohammad Ebrahim, the secretary of the embassy. The text provides excellent information on Iran's historical and cultural presence in the eastern

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

region. It also gives many details about Siam's late seventeenth century Iranian community. It is the only extant Persian source for the rich history of Safavid contacts with this particular region of the world.

Translations

* (An English translation of the ''Safine-ye Solaymani'' based on a manuscript housed at the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

. Contains notes and an introduction by the translator)

Bibliography

* * * Persian literature Safavid literature 17th century in the Ayutthaya Kingdom Iran–Thailand relations Travel books Historiography of Thailand 17th-century Persian books {{Thailand-stub