A Newly Discovered Document in the History of Botany in Iran: A Royal Decree by Shah ‛Abbās II on the Transfer of Lotus Flowers from Gīlān to Isfahan
Document Type : pajoohesh
Author
10.22081/jap.2025.77769
Abstract
This article introduces and analyzes a recently discovered royal decree issued by Shah ‛Abbās II of the Ṣafavid dynasty (r. 1052–1077 AH / 1642–1666 CE), dated Muḥarram 1067 AH (October 1656 CE), now housed in the archives of the National Library and Archives of Iran. The decree instructs the governor of Gīlān to locate and promptly send the seeds and roots of the lotus flower to the capital, Isfahan. Although the lotus (nīlūfar) had medicinal uses, both internal evidence (such as the king’s oral command and request for different-colored flowers) and external parallels (a similar order to transfer the “Golden Tree” from Behbahān, and the presence of lotus flowers in the royal Sa‛ādatābād Garden in Isfahan) suggest that the primary intent was ornamental: to cultivate the lotus in royal gardens and buildings for aesthetic purposes. As such, this decree is an important historical source for understanding the development of botany, garden design, and floral culture in the Safavid period, as well as Shah ‛Abbās II’s personal interest in plants and horticulture.
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