Cheragh Khan Zahedi ( fa, چراغ خان زاهدی; also spelled Cherag), also known as Pirzadeh (), was an Iranian officer in

Safavid Iran Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

, who served as the head of the royal bodyguard ('' qurchi-bashi'') from 1631 until his death in 1632.

Biography

Cheragh Khan was the son of a certain Shaikh Sharif and a descendant of Zahed Gilani, the prominent Iranian grandmaster ('' murshid''), and the teacher of Safi-ad-din Ardabili, who was the eponymous ancestor of the Safavid dynasty. Cheragh Khan was a supporter of the family of the ''qurchi-bashi'' Isa Khan Safavi, which was a cousin family to the ruling Safavid dynasty. However, in 1632/1633, he accused the sons of Isa Khan Safavi planning to stage a coup against Safi and then usurp the throne. Safi then had them executed, including Isa Khan Safavi himself. Cheragh Khan was then given the ''qurchi-bashi'' post as a reward. However, Cheragh Khan was one year later accused of hiding his empathy for the family of Isa Khan Safavi, and was executed in July 1632. He was succeeded by Amir Khan Zulqadr.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheragh Khan Zahedi Safavid generals Safavid military officers 17th-century Iranian military personnel Year of birth unknown 1632 deaths People executed by Safavid Iran Qurchi-bashi 17th-century people of Safavid Iran