Paykar Khān Igīrmī Dūrt ( fa, پیکر خان ایگیرمی‌دورت, az, Peykər xan İyirmidörd) was a

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( az, Qızılbaş; ota, قزيل باش; fa, قزلباش, Qezelbāš; tr, Kızılbaş, lit=Red head ) were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman Shia militant groups that flourished in Iranian Azerbaijan, Anatolia, the ...

chieftain in the service of

Safavid Persia 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 ...

in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His career flourished in the southeastern

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

, where he ran the governments of Barda and

Kakheti Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...

on behalf of

Shah Abbas I Abbas I ( fa, ; 27 January 157119 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the 5th Safavid Shah (king) of Iran, and is generally considered one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty. He was the third so ...

until being overthrown in a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

uprising in 1625.

Governor

Paykar Beg, the future

khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

, was a leader of the Turkic tribe of Igirmi Durt, who vied with other Qizilbash factions over the influence in

Karabakh Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura (Caspia ...

. On the order of Shah

Ismail II Ismail II (; Born Ismail Mirza; 31 May 1537 – 24 November 1577) was the third Shah of Safavid Iran from 1576 to 1577. He was the second son of Tahmasp I with his principal consort, Sultanum Begum. By the orders of Tahmasp, Ismail spent twent ...

, Paykar killed his cousin Yusof Khalife ibn Shahverdi Khan Ziyadoghlu,

beglarbeg ''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit=bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuk ...

of Karabakh, and Yūsof’s mother and brothers, expecting appointment as beglarbeg. Ismail, however, gave the position to a member of the rival Qajar clan. Paykar rose to influence in 1608, when Shah Abbas I appointed him governor of Barda. Around 1620, he was, further, given the governorship of Kakheti, a neighboring Georgian kingdom, which the shah sought to bring under his full control. On this occasion, Abbas gave to Paykar in marriage Lela (Fatma Sultan Begum), a royal princess from another Georgian kingdom, that of Kartli, whom the shah dismissed from his harem after having her brother, King

Luarsab II of Kartli Luarsab II the Holy Martyr ( ka, ლუარსაბ II) (1592 – 21 June (Julian calendar, O.S.), 1 July (Gregorian calendar, N.S.), 1622), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a List of the Kings of Georgia, king of Kingdom of Kartli (1484-1762), ...

, executed. On his appointment in Kakheti, Paykar Khan settled in the fortress of Qarlanquch ( Khornabuji) where he built a town with fine homes and bathes. Following the shah's order, he brought some 15,000 households of Igirmi Durt Imuru, Zolqadar, Solayman Hajlu, and Kurds of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

for resettlement in Kakheti. The country lay depopulated and in ruins; tens of thousands of Georgians had been deported to the remote provinces of the Safavid empire and those who remained hid in the forests and mountains. Paykar Khan's

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

was

Fazli Isfahani Khuzani Fazli Isfahani Khuzani ( fa, فضلی اصفهانی خوزانی) was an Iranian nobleman from the Khuzani family, who is known for writing the ''Afzal al-Tawarikh'', a chronicle about the history of the Safavid dynasty from its establishment in ...

, who subsequently wrote the chronicle ''Afżal al-tawārikh'', an important source for the history of Shah Abbas's campaigns in the Caucasus and Georgian affairs.

Downfall

Paykar Khan's rule in Kakheti was brought to an end, in 1625, by the rebellion of the shah's Georgian officer

Giorgi Saakadze Giorgi Saakadze the Grand Mouravi ( ka, გიორგი სააკაძე) (c. 1570 – October 3, 1629) was a Georgian politician and military commander who played an important but contradictory role in the politics of the early 17th-cent ...

(Murav-Beg), who had killed the Safavid commander

Qarachaqay Khan Qarachaqay Khan ( fa, قرچغای خان; died 1625) was a military commander in Safavid Iran of Armenian origin. He was known for his great collection of porcelain items and loyal service to Shah Abbas I. Qarachaqay Khan was killed while comma ...

and destroyed his army camp at Martq'op'i. He was in alliance with

Zurab Zurab ( Georgian: ზურაბ) is a Georgian masculine given name. It derives from the Persian Sohrab, a name of the legendary warrior from Ferdowsi's ''Shahnameh''. It may refer to: *Zurab Adeishvili (born 1972), Georgian jurist and politicia ...

, Duke of Aragvi, whom Saakadze had promised the hand of Lela, Paykar Khan's wife. Paykar Khan was at this time on a mission to eliminate the pockets of Georgian refugees in the forests of Kakheti. On hearing the news that the Georgian troops were advancing towards Qarlanquch, he hastily returned to his headquarters and fled with his wife and tribe. They succeeded in crossing the Kura river safely, but lost many of fellow clansmen, much cattle, and booty to the pursuing Georgians, who carried their raid far into

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd� ...

and Karabakh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paykar Khan Igimri Durt Safavid generals People from Barda, Azerbaijan Safavid governors Safavid governors of Kakheti 17th-century deaths 16th-century people of Safavid Iran 17th-century people of Safavid Iran