House of Black Monk () was the ruling dynasty of

Shaki Khanate The Shaki Khanate ( fa, خانات شکّی, also spelled as Sheki Khanate, Shekin Khanate, Shakki Khanate) was one of the most powerful of the Khanates of the Caucasus, Caucasian Khanates established in Afsharid dynasty, Afsharid Iran, on the n ...

. It was first reported by Karim agha Shakikhanov, a scion of dynasty, in his ''Brief History of Shaki Khans'' () written in Azerbaijani, included in

Bernhard Dorn Johannes Albrecht Bernhard Dorn (29 April 1805 in Scheierfeld, Saxe-Coburg, Germany – 19 May 1881 in St. Petersburg, Russia), or Boris Andreevich Dorn, was a German orientalist. He specialized in the history and the languages of Iran, Russia ...

's "''Excerpts from Muhammedan writers''" in 1858. However he mistakenly attributed the book to some certain Haji Abdullatif Afandi, while Azerbaijani poet

Salman Mumtaz Salman Mumtaz (pseudonymous of Salman Mammedamin oghlu Asgarov; May 20, 1884 – September 6, 1941) was a renowned Azerbaijani literary scholar and poet. He was born in Shaki in 1884. In his efforts to collect, publish and promote the classical ...

concluded that in fact it was Karim Shakikhanov's work. It was republished in 1958, this time under the name of Karim agha. According to Azerbaijani historian Adalat Tahirzada, book might be commissioned by

Ivan Paskevich Count Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich-Erevansky, Serene Prince of Warsaw (russian: Ива́н Фёдорович Паске́вич-Эриванский, светлейший князь Варшавский, tr. ; – ) was an Imperial Russian mi ...

- Russian general in Caucasus.

History

According to the legend progenitor of this house was a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

(probably

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Udi Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...

) monk living in

Nukha Shaki ( az, Şəki) is a city in northwestern Azerbaijan, surrounded by the district of the same name. It is located on the southern part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, from Baku. As of 2020, it has a population of 68,400. The center o ...

. He married his son to a daughter of another priest serving in

Kish Kish may refer to: Geography * Gishi, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, a village also called Kish * Kiş, Shaki, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality also spelled Kish * Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf * Kish, Iran, ...

. The monk's son, Jandar later converted to Islam, receiving the name "Alijan" (). According to another scion of the dynasty, Mustafa agha Shakikhanov, Jandar's grandson Zaki Khan captured Arbatan plains and the city of

. His son was reportedly

Hasan Sultan Hasan Sultan was khan of Shaki. His reign period is not much known. According to a Persian source he was of House of Black Monk. He was attacked by Levan of Kakheti in 1521. Levan was soon punished by Ismail I who sent his troops under command ...

, who was attacked by

Levan of Kakheti Levan ( ka, ლევანი), also known as Leon ( ka, ლეონი) (1503–1574), was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi dynasty, who reigned as king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1518/1520 to 1574. He presided over the most prospero ...

in 1521 and killed in 1524 in a battle with him. A much better known member of the family was his son,

Darvish Mohammad Khan Darvish Mohammad Khan was the Khan of Sheki (1524-1551). He ascended the throne after his father's assassination in May of the year 1524. In 1538, he helped Shahrukh of Shirvan against the Safavids but without success so he retreated back to S ...

. After Safavid incorporation of Shaki, Darvish's son Bagi beg was sent to

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after t ...

's court as hostage, khanate was converted to district and given to Toygun beg Qajar (1551-1555). The family wouldn't rise to prominence until Hajji Chalabi - who was born to a certain landlord Gurban beg during the reign of

Sultan Husayn Soltan Hoseyn ( fa, شاه سلطان حسین, Soltān-Hoseyn; 1668 – 9 September 1727) was the Safavid shah of Iran from 1694 to 1722. He was the son and successor of Shah Solayman (). Born and raised in the royal harem, Soltan Hoseyn ascen ...

in 1703, he was of noble birth.

Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary The ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedic Dictionary'' (Russian: Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона, abbr. ЭСБЕ, tr. ; 35 volumes, small; 86 volumes, large) is a comprehensive multi-volume ...

cites a legend of "Black Monk" calling him the grandson of an Armenian priest who converted to Islam. Biographer Haji Seyid Abdulhamid mentions him as a 7th generation descendant of

. Petrushevsky also thought of him being either

origin. Hajji Chalabi established himself as lord of Shaki in 1747 after murder of

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...

. Family ruled the khanate until 1806 when

Salim Khan Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 24 November 1935) is an Indian actor, film producer and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he wrote the screenplays, stories and scripts for numerous Bollywood films. Khan is one half of the prolific screenwriting d ...

was deposed by Russians. Salim Khan's son Huseyn Khan attempted to regain the khanate during Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 and ruled briefly - 80 days. Their current descendants use Shakikhanov and Shakinski surnames. Famous people hailing from the family was Soviet film actress

Barat Shakinskaya Barat Habib gizi Shakinskaya ( az, Barat Həbib qızı Şəkinskaya; 28 June 1914 – 14 January 1999) was an Azerbaijani and Soviet stage and film actress. Biography Barat Shakinskaya was born into a bey family in Shusha, Russian Empire (now ...

, historian Karim agha Shakikhanov, police general Emin Shakinski, head of Baku City Police Mamed Shakinski.

References

{{authority control Asian royal families Muslim rulers Early Modern history of Azerbaijan Shaki, Azerbaijan