Siyavosh Beg, also known by his

nisba The Arabic word nisba (; also transcribed as ''nisbah'' or ''nisbat'') may refer to: * Nisba, a suffix used to form adjectives in Arabic grammar, or the adjective resulting from this formation **comparatively, in Afro-Asiatic: see Afroasiatic_lang ...

of Bāshīāchūghī (died or 1655), was a

Safavid 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 ...

military commander, official, and ''

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 ...

'' 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. Siyavosh Beg rose through the ranks to become a military officer (''yuzbashi'') early on in his career. In 1632, he was appointed as the new governor (''hakem'') of

Derbent Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It is ...

and as commander of the élite ''gholam'' corps (''

qollar-aghasi The Qollar-aghasi, also spelled Qullar-aqasi, was the commander of the Safavid Empire's élite ''gholam'' (also spelled ''ghulam'') corps. The word means ''lord of slaves'' in Azeri (''qullar'' means 'slaves' and ''ağası'' means 'lord of'). The ...

''), succeeding Khosrow Mirza (later Rostam Khan of Kartli) to this post. He remained commander of the corps for a lengthy period. From 1645 to 1649, he served as the governor (''hakem'' and ''beglarbeg'') of Kuhgiluyeh. When in 1645 the re-appointed

grand vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Khalifeh Sultan urged for repressive laws against

Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...

's large

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 ...

community, the latter turned to Siyavosh Beg, himself a former

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 ...

. Like his then incumbent king Abbas II (1642-1666), Siyavosh Beg was an avid drinker. Siyavosh Beg's ''nisba'' is derived from "Bash-Achuk", a Persian appellation of the

Kingdom of Imereti The Kingdom of Imereti ( ka, იმერეთის სამეფო, tr) was a Georgian monarchy established in 1455 by a member of the house of Bagrationi when the Kingdom of Georgia was dissolved into rival kingdoms. Before that time, Im ...

, in western Georgia, where he hailed from.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * 1650s deaths Iranian people of Georgian descent Safavid governors of Derbent Safavid governors of Kuhgiluyeh Safavid generals Converts to Shia Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Shia Muslims from Georgia (country) Qollar-aghasi Former Georgian Orthodox Christians 17th-century people from Safavid Iran Safavid ghilman {{Georgia-bio-stub