He maintained, if he did not permanently advance, the power of Persia in the west; while in the east it is probable that he considerably extended the bounds of his dominion.
In the internal administration of his empire he united works of usefulness with the construction of memorial which had only a sentimental and aesthetic value.

He was a liberal patron of art, and is thought not to have confined his patronage to the encouragement of native talent.

On the subject of religion he did not suffer himself to be permanently led away by the enthusiasm of a young and bold freethinker.

He decided to maintain the religious system that had descended to him from his ancestors, and turned a deaf ear to persuasions that would have led him to revolutionize the religious opinion of the East without placing it upon a satisfactory footing.

The Orientals add to these commendable features of character, that he was a man of remarkable beauty, of great personal courage, and of a noble and princely liberality.