Mirman Mirimanidze, better known as Safiqoli Khan (died 1631), 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 ...

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 ...

'' who served during the reigns of Abbas I (1588-1629) and Safi (1629-1642).

Biography

Safiqoli's original name was Mirman, and he was a member of the

Mirimanidze The Mirimanidze ("sons of Miriman") were a Georgian noble family of Armenian ethnicity whose members rose in prominence in the service of Safavid Iran. Hailing from Somkhiti, the clan produced numerous high-ranking figures in the Safavid state, an ...

clan. His father was named Malek Qorkhmaz, and he had a brother named Malek Atabek (Atabegi). One of his uncles, Tahmaspqoli, who was bestowed with the title ''Anīs ol-Dowleh'', was the first influential ''

'' from the family. Safiqoli rose steadily through the Safavid ranks to become a ''yuzbashi'' (officer) early on in his career. Later on, in 1618–1619, he became

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

(''

darugha ''Darugha'' ( ba, даруга, tt-Cyrl, даруга, translit=daruğa, from Mongol: ''daru-'', 'to press, to seal') was a territorial subdivision in the Mongol Empire. A ''darugha'' was ruled by a ''darughachi''. Later, the term was used for th ...

'') of

New Julfa New Julfa ( fa, نو جلفا – ''Now Jolfā'', – ''Jolfâ-ye Now''; hy, Նոր Ջուղա – ''Nor Jugha'') is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the Zayande River. Established and named after the old ...

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 ...

, and was made governor (''beglarbeg'') of

Hamadan Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') ( Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ha ...

shortly after, in 1619–1620. Following king Abbas I's recapture of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

in 1624 during the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1623–1639, which ended many decades of Ottoman rule, Safiqoli was appointed as its new ''beglarbeg''. In addition, he was made the local ''

qurchi-bashi The Qurchi-bashi ( fa, قورچی‌باشی‌), also spelled Qorchi-bashi (), was the head of the '' qurchis'', the royal bodyguard of the Safavid shah. There were also ''qurch-bashis'' who were stationed in some of the provinces and cities. T ...

'' of the shrine city of

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

. His two close relatives included Mihrab Khan (d. 1648/49) and Manuchehr (sometime ''beglarbeg'' of

Shirvan Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Safiqoli Year of birth unknown 1631 deaths Safiqoli Iranian people of Georgian descent Persian Armenians Safavid governors of Baghdad Safavid military officers Safavid governors of Hamadan Safavid prefects of New Julfa Nobility of Georgia (country) Shia Muslims from Georgia (country) Ethnic Armenian Shia Muslims 17th-century people of Safavid Iran Safavid ghilman