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The transformation of the Safavid order from a Sufi movement to an imperial dynasty began in the early 16th century under the leadership of Shah Ismail I. Ismail, a descendant of Sheikh Safi al-Din, leveraged the Safaviyya's influence to establish a political and military base. In 1501, Shah Ismail declared himself the Shah of Iran and established Twelver Shi'ism as the state religion, marking the beginning of the Safavid Empire.