[1] Because of the attention of Shah Abbas during the Safavid Dynasty in Iran to intellectual tradition in Islam, Isfahan became a famous academic city and the intellectual center of Iran[citation needed] at the time, along with the cities of Rey and Shiraz.
[5] According to Seyyed Hosein Nasr, this school of thought plays an important role both in terms of the relation between philosophy and prophecy, and in the training of Mulla Sadra.
The group of founders then announced Shia as formal religion in Persia, in an attempt to unify the entire country, with Isfahan as their capital.
Corbin describes Mir Damad as having an analytic mind and aware of religious foundation of knowledge.
Historically, there was great strife between Mulla Sadra and Mir Damad, as a result of the differences of their philosophical theories on subjects such as time.
He also wrote several works on Indian philosophy, a series of treatises on the fine arts, and one on his mystical experiences.
[10] Shaykh-i Baha’i was one of the three masters of Mulla Sadra, worked in the Isfahan school, and served as chief jurist on the Safavid Court.