[1] Located 27 km[1] northwest[2] of the city of Unnao, Safipur serves as a tehsil headquarters[1][2] and is well-connected by roads to nearby towns.
[2] Founded in the 1300s and originally called Saipur, the town's present name of Safipur is in honour of the 16th-century Muslim saint Makhdum Shah Safi, whose dargah is located here.
Important commodities manufactured in Safipur today include steel boxes and almirahs, furniture, and incense sticks.
[2] The mausoleum of Makhdum Shah Safi, as well as the surrounding dargah complex, was built by a follower of his named Chaudhri Khaslat Husain, who was the taluqdar of Sandila.
[2] Two high-ranking officials under the Nawabs of Awadh, Diwan Umed Rai and Maulvi Fazl Azim, were natives of Safipur.
[2] At the turn of the 20th century, Safipur was described as "a flourishing, well-built town" with a daily standing market and bazaars held twice weekly in four muhallas.