Saenredam Vsan-re-.damV Pieter Jansz(oon) (b. June 9, 1597, Assendelft, Neth.—buried May 31, 1665, Haarlem) Dutch painter. Son of an engraver, he became a friend of the architect Jacob van Campen (1595— 1657), which may have influenced him to specialize in architectural paint¬ ing. A pioneer of the “church portrait,” he was the first Dutch artist to abandon the Mannerist tradition of fanciful invention in architectural painting in favour of a new realism in rendering specific buildings. His paintings of church interiors show a scrupulous precision and convey a majestic spaciousness and serenity.
Safaqis See Sfax
Safavid \sa-‘fa-v3d\ dynasty (1502-1736) Persian dynasty. It was founded by Isma'il I, who, by converting his people from Sunnite to Shl'ite Islam and adopting the trappings of Persian monarchy, planted the seeds of a unique national and religious identity. He captured Tabriz from the Ak Koyunlu and became shah of Azerbaijan (1501) and Persia (1502). 'Abbas I (r. 1588-1629) brought the dynasty to its peak; his capital, Esfahan, was the centre of Safavid architectural achievement. The dynasty declined in the century following his reign, pressed by the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal dynasty, and fell when a weak shah, Tahmasp II, was deposed by his general, Nadir Shah.
Safdie Vsaf-de\, Moshe (b. July 14, 1938, Haifa, Palestine) Israeli- Canadian architect. Educated at McGill University School of Architec¬ ture, Montreal, he began his career in the offices of Louis Kahn. His Habitat ’67 was a bold experiment in prefabricated housing using modular units; the design was for a prefabricated concrete housing complex of individual apartment units stacked irregularly along a zigzagged framework that was evocative of an Italian hill town or a pueblo. This aroused intense inter¬ national interest but failed to catch on as a low-cost housing construction method. Later works include Yeshivat Porat Joseph Rabbinical College in Jerusalem (1971-79) and Coldspring New Town near Baltimore (1971). He served as director of urban design at Harvard University, 1978-84.
safety Activities that seek to minimize or to eliminate hazardous con¬ ditions that can cause bodily injury. Occupational safety is concerned with risks in areas where people work: offices, manufacturing plants, farms, construction sites, and commercial and retail facilities. Public safety is concerned with hazards in the home, in travel and recreation, and in other situations that do not fall within the scope of occupational safety.
safflower Flowering annual plant ( Carthamus tinctorius ) of the com¬ posite family. Native to parts of Asia and Africa, it is now widely grown as an oil crop in the U.S., Canada,
Australia, Israel, and Turkey. Oil obtained from the seeds, an ingredi¬ ent of soft margarines, salad oil, and cooking oil, is valued for its high proportion of polyunsaturated fats.
Since the oil does not yellow with age, it is also a useful base for var¬ nish and paint. The plant, which grows 1-4 ft (0.3-1.2 m) high, has flowers in red, orange, yellow, or white, which were formerly a source of textile dyes.
saffron Golden-coloured, pungent seasoning and dye obtained from the dried stigmas of flowers of the saf¬ fron crocus ( Crocus sativus), a bul¬ bous perennial of the iris family.
Because 1 lb (0.45 kg) of saffron rep¬ resents 75,000 blossoms, it is the world’s most expensive spice. The colour and flavour are essential ingredients for certain Mediterra¬ nean and Asian dishes, as well as for special English, Scandinavian, and Balkan baked goods. Since ancient times, saffron has been the official colour for the robes of Buddhist priests and for royal garments in sev¬ eral cultures. Greeks and Romans
scattered saffron as a perfume in halls, courts, theatres, and baths.
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)
J.C. ALLEN AND SON
Saffron (Crocus sativus)
EMILMUENCH-OSTMAN AGENCY
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Safi al-Din ► Saguenay River I 1663
Safi al-Din Vsa-'fe-al-'denN (b. 1253, Ardabll, Iran—d. Sept. 12, 1334, Ardabll) Iranian founder of the Safavid Sufi order, which in time devel¬ oped into the Safavid dynasty. He was influenced by mystics of the Sufi order and by Sheikh Zahid, a religious leader whose daughter he even¬ tually married. On Sheikh Zahid’s death, Safi al-Din assumed leadership and gradually attracted many more adherents, largely through his policy of hospitality to all who sought refuge. He is commemorated by a shrine in Ardabll.
Safire Vsa-.fuA, William (b. Dec. 17, 1929, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. journalist. Educated at Syracuse University, he worked as a newspaper reporter and at radio and television stations before entering the public- relations field, eventually founding his own firm. He was a speechwriter for Spiro Agnew and then for Richard Nixon. In 1973 he began his con¬ servative and vigorously written “Essay” column for The New York Times , which earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1978. He also writes on linguistic issues in The New York Times Magazine. Among his books are the nov¬ els Full Disclosure (1977) and Sleeper Spy (1995) and works of lexico¬ graphical interest.
saga Genre of prose narrative typically dealing with prominent figures and events of the heroic age in Norway and Iceland, especially as recorded in Icelandic manuscripts of the late 12th and 13th century. Once thought to be orally transmitted history that had finally been written down, sagas are now usually regarded as reconstructions of the past, imaginative in varying degrees and created according to aesthetic principles. Important ideals in sagas are heroism and loyalty; revenge often plays a part. Action is preferred to reflection, and description of the inner motives and point of view of protagonists is minimized. Subdivisions of the genre include kings’ sagas, recounting the lives of Scandinavian rulers; legendary sagas, treating themes from myth and legend; and Icelanders' sagas. See also Grettis saga, Njals saga.
Sagan Vsa-gonV Carl (Edward) (b. Nov. 9, 1934, Brooklyn, N.Y., N.Y., U.S.—d. Dec. 20, 1996, Seattle, Wash.) U.S. astronomer and sci¬ ence writer. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. At the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (1962-68), he focused on plan¬ etary astronomy and on SETI efforts to find extraterrestrial life. He gained prominence as a popular science writer and commentator noted for his clear writing and enthusiasm; his Dragons of Eden (1977) won a Pulitzer Prize. He coproduced and narrated the television series Cosmos (1980); its companion book became the best-selling English-language science book of all time. In the 1980s he studied the environmental effects of nuclear war and helped popularize the term nuclear winter.
Sagan \sa-'ga n \, Francoise orig. Francoise Quoirez (b. June 21, 1935, Carjac, France—d. Sept. 24, 2004, Honfleur) French novelist and dramatist. While attending the Sorbonne, she published her best-known novel, the poignant Bonjour Tristesse (1954), when she was 19 years old. It became an international best-seller and was followed by A Certain Smile (1956). Her later novels often feature aimless people in tangled relation¬ ships. Her plays, including Opposite Extremes (1987), resemble her nov¬ els in their subject matter.
sage Aromatic perennial herb {Salvia officinalis ) of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean. Its leaves are used fresh or dried as a flavouring in many foods. The stems,
2 ft (60 cm) tall, have rough or wrinkled, downy, gray-green or whitish green oval leaves. The flow¬ ers may be purple, pink, white, or red. Since the Middle Ages, sage tea has been brewed as a spring tonic and a stimulant believed to strengthen the memory and promote wisdom. See also salvia.
Sage, Russell (b. Aug. 4, 1816,
Shenandoah, N.Y., U.S.—d. July 22,
1906, Lawrence Beach, N.Y.) U.S. financier. He worked as an errand boy, studying arithmetic and book¬ keeping in his spare time, and in 1839 he started a wholesale grocery business, which earned him enough money to start a Hudson River ship¬ ping trade. He served in Congress (1853-57). Sage invested successfully in the La Crosse Railroad in Wisconsin, and he eventually acquired an