Qarachaqay Khan ( fa, قرچغای خان; died 1625) was a military commander in
Safavid Iran of
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 ...
origin. He was known for his great collection of porcelain items and loyal service to
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 ...
. Qarachaqay Khan was killed while commanding an expedition against the
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 ...
rebels.
Career
Born as a Christian Armenian in
Erivan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
, Qarachaqay was enslaved in childhood and brought to the Safavid court to be raised as a ''
gholam
Ghulam ( ar, غلام, ) is an Arabic word meaning ''servant'', ''assistant'', ''boy'', or ''youth''. It is used to describe young servants in paradise. It is also used to refer to slave-soldiers in the Abbasid, Ottoman, Safavid and to a lesse ...
''. He began his career in a royal tailoring workshop and was soon distinguished in the Safavid army as an artillery officer. In 1605, Qarachaqay Beg, being in charge of a musketeer regiment, under the command of
Allahverdi Khan
Allahverdi Khan ( fa, اللّه وردی خان, ka, ალავერდი-ხანი) (c. 1560 – June 3, 1613) was an Iranian general and statesman of Georgian origin who, initially a '' gholām'' ("military slave"), rose to high offic ...
—also originally a ''gholam'' of
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 ...
origin—contributed to Abbas I's victory over the
Ottoman forces
at Sufiyan near
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
.
During his career in the Safavid army and administration, Qarachaqay amassed a valuable collection of Chinese porcelain which he presented to Shah Abbas around 1610. Shortly afterwards, Qarachaqay was bestowed with the title of ''muqarab al-hazrat'' ("intimate of the illustrious"), reserved for the Shah's close companions. In 1616, he received the title of
khan and was appointed commander-in-chief (''
sepahsalar-e Iran'') of the Safavid army. A year after the defeat of the Ottoman troops led by
Khalil Pasha, he became governor of Tabriz and all 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 t ...
, but was soon recalled by the shah to continue his service as governor of
Mashhad in northeastern
Khorasan in 1618. When Abbas I decided to marry his granddaughter to
Semayun Khan of Kartli (Simon II) in 1624, Qarachaqay Khan ordered
Yusuf Khan, likewise of Christian Armenian origin and a childhood friend, to host the banquet in the first term of the wedding party. In the same year, Qarachaqay Khan, accompanied by the Safavid Georgian officer
Murav-Beg (Giorgi Saakadze), captained a punitive expedition against the rebels in Georgia. Murav-Beg conspired with the insurgents, who unexpectedly attacked and destroyed the Iranian camp at
Martqopi
Martkopi ( ka, მარტყოფი) is a village in Gardabani Municipality of Georgia. It is located on the left side of Ialno range, in the gorges of the rivers Alikhevi and Tevali, and is at an altitude of 770 meters. It is 55 kilometre ...
, killing Qarachaqay Khan and one of his sons, Imam Verdi Khan. Both were buried within a family shrine complex in Mashhad.
Of Qarachaqay Khan's other sons,
Abu al-Fath Manuchihr Khan (died 1636) rose to the governorship of Mashhad and Ali Quli Khan became prefect of
Qom and head of the shah's library. Manuchihr Khan's son, Qarachaqay Khan (died c. 1668), was also governor of Mashhad. All of them were known as sponsors of learning and culture.
See also
*
''Shahnameh'' of Qarachaqay Khan
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Qarachaqay
1625 deaths
Converts to Shia Islam from Christianity
Ethnic Armenian Shia Muslims
Persian Armenians
Military personnel from Yerevan
Armenian former Christians
Safavid governors of Mashhad
Safavid governors of Azerbaijan
Qollar-aghasi
Commanders-in-chief of Safavid Iran
17th-century people of Safavid Iran
Safavid ghilman
Patrons of the arts