Name of Imam Ali (as) in the paintings of Shahnameh Tahmasebi

The Shahnameh of Shah Tahmaseb was depicted in the early Safavid period with a short distance from the declaration of the Shia religion as the official religion of Iran. In this research, after reviewing all 258 images of this Shahnameh, 13 images were found that the name of Imam Ali (AS) was involved in them. The main purpose of this research, which was done descriptively and with the analysis of library data, was to find out the possible reasons for inserting the name of Imam Ali (AS) into the Shahnameh that explains the history of Iran prior to Islam. After studying these 13 images, it can be said that the painters of Tabriz Safavid school have tried to draw up the epic and historical texts of Shahnameh in the form of the ruling space of their time. Therefore, the army in Shahnameh texts is similar to the Safavid army and the images is drawn similar to flags and architecture of their time. There is some intentions in inserting the name of Imam Ali (AS) in this Shahnameh, such as displaying the dedication of the Safavid kings to the Ahl-ul-Beit (AS), declaring the legitimacy of the Iranian army towards the enemies, The alignment of the method of some champions with the Shia approaches. The artists of the Safavid era have been able to communicate a meaningful relationship between the Iranian national identity and the Shia religion.