born 1253, Ardabīl, Iran
died Sept. 12, 1334, Ardabīl
Iranian founder of the Ṣafavid Sufi order, which in time developed into the Safavid dynasty .
He was influenced by mystics of the Sufi order and by Sheikh Zāhid, a religious leader whose daughter he eventually married. On Sheikh Zāhid's death, Ṣafī al-Dīn assumed leadership and gradually attracted many more adherents, largely through his policy of hospitality to all who sought refuge. He is commemorated by a shrine in Ardabīl.