Shah Safi I is the grandson of Shah Abbas I, and he had succeeded to the throne only because Abbas had murdered his eldest son and blinded his younger sons. Like the sons, the grandson spent his youth in his grandfather’s harem, where he was regularly given large amounts of opium and alcohol.

Abbas took the throne from his father in 1587 with a military coup. Upon seizing power, he sent his father to die in prison and blinded his two surviving brothers to prevent them from mounting their own coup. His harem consisted of up to 500 women, three or four of whom were wives he had officially married. The rest were concubines – mainly from Georgia, Armenia and Circassia – slaves who had been taken in war, purchased, or received as gifts from local governors.

In the early years of Safi's reign, almost all the royal princes, including some of Safi’s cousins, were systematically blinded or murdered. Between 1630 and 1634, a large number of leading figures in the empire and servants of the court were murdered, including – to name just a few – the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, all the generals of the royal guard, and the Grand Vizier.

Opium most likely originated in Asia minor. It was cultivated in lower Mesopotamia around 3400 BC. In Persia, it is cheap, legal, and – unlike alcohol – carries no negative religious connotations. It also suppresses the appetite, and so makes a good substitute for food.

Following a failed diplomatic mission or defeat in battle, Persian officials seem to have frequently taken their lives to avoid the wrath of the shah and possible execution. Opium is less common as a murder weapon, but on November 24, 1577, Persian Shah Ismail II, after a night of wandering about town with his companion, may have been murdered by enemies who laced his opium with poison.

A eunuch is a castrated male. In ancient China and the Middle East, eunuchs were hired as both harem guards who acted as intermediaries with the male world of the court, and as high-ranking officials. In some jurisdictions, eunuchs required an annual license that could be renewed by producing the jar containing their genitals. Those who had lost their own jar were known to borrow or rent one to avoid losing their license.

Under Islamic law, their status as slaves makes eunuchs the adopted sons of their owner. The shah trusts them implicitly, and by the time Safi takes the throne, these slave eunuchs govern eight of the fourteen biggest provinces in Persia, and 20% of the high administrative posts.

All the eunuchs are slaves, but the white eunuchs from the Caucuses are employed outside the harem, while the black eunuchs – some from Africa, but most from India, Malabar, or the Gulf of Bengal – have exclusive charge of the women inside the harem.

The shah invites the ambassadors to dinner on December 3, and Olearius tells us this is the final time they visit court. After dinner, the shah explains his decision about the trade negotiations. He will send an ambassador back to Holstein with the Germans, at which time he will deliver the shah’s recommendations to Duke Frederick.

They leave Isfahan on the evening of December 21, 1637.