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Selling alcoholic drinks with Shah Ismail’s picture in Azerbaijan is disrespect to Iran, and especially to the state of Ardabil, said ayatollah Seyyed Hasan Ameli, the IRI religious leader’s representative in Ardabil, during the Friday Prayer today, according to the Iranian information agency IRNA. 

In a recent publication, the Iranian outlet Qafqaz.ir reported that one of the companies producing alcoholic drinks in Azerbaijan makes a series of drinks with Shah Ismail’s picture, which the author of the article considers to be an insult not to Shah Ismail’s personality alone, but also to Islam.

Shah Ismayil (1487-1524) is celebrated for two important events during the history of Safavid Iran. First, the dynasties of Iranian origin saw a rebirth in Iran with Shah Ismayil coming to throne – they had been deprived of authority for about 9 centuries after the Arab raids. The second important event is that during his rule Shia Islam was declared a state religion in Iran.