Otar Beg, also known as Otar Khan, later known as Zu al-Faqār Khan (born circa. 1583, – died 1662/63), 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 consid ...

military commander, royal ''

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 lesser ...

'', and official from the Georgian

Baratashvili Baratashvili ( ka, ბარათაშვილი) is a Georgian noble family, appearing at the end of the 15th century as a continuation of the Kachibadze (ქაჩიბაძე), which were possibly related to the Liparitids-Orbeli. The s ...

- Orbelishvili (Orbeliani) clan.

Biography

Not much is known about the early life of Otar Beg. His original family name was Baratashvili-Orbelishvili, which is also referred to as Orbeliani and Qaplanshvili. His father's name was Aslamaz and he had two younger brothers,

Vakhushti Vakhushti ( ka, ვახუშტი, tr) (1696–1757) was a Georgian royal prince (''batonishvili''), geographer, historian and cartographer. His principal historical and geographic works, '' Description of the Kingdom of Georgia'' and the ''G ...

and Gorjasbi (Mansur), who also held prominent positions like him. According to

Alexander Orbeliani Count Alexander Orbeliani (Jambakur-Orbeliani) ( ka, ალექსანდრე ორბელიანი ��ამბაკურ-ორბელიანი}) (May 24, 1802 – December 28, 1869) was a Georgian Romanticist poet, playwrigh ...

(1802–1869), Otar had one more brother named Kaykhosrow. He furthermore had a known younger cousin named Qaplan Baratashili-Orbelishvili (Orbeliani) (?–1671), who had fled to mainland Iran in the early 17th century after the death of his father Erizbar Baratashvili-Orbelishvili, the latter being therefore Otar's uncle. Otar was mentioned for the first time in the Iranian sources in 1626, when he held the function of ''darugha'' (prefect) 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 ...

, having succeeded

Mirman Mirimanidze Mirman Mirimanidze, better known as Safiqoli Khan (died 1631), was a Safavid official and ''gholam'' 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 ...

(Safiqoli Khan) on this post. When king Abbas I died in 1629, he had already been appointed as governor of Semnan and possessed the rank of '' soltan''. Later, in 1649, during the reign of king Abbas II (r. 1562–1666), he was given the governorship of

Qandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

in the easternmost territories, as well as the honorary name of ''Zu al-Faqār Khan''. When Qandahar was surrounded by the Mughal forces in 1653, the city nearly fell due to the protracted siege, and Otar was blamed for his soft attitude. According to the contemporary Safavid historian and author Valiqoli Shamlu, who served Otar personally in Qandahar, Otar answered that he would fight alone till the end and, after his death, behave as generals liked to do. He is quoted: "I have served the Safavid kings for seventy years. My bones are made from Shah's (kings) different kinds of graces".

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Otar Beg 1580s births 1660s deaths Shia Muslims from Georgia (country) Iranian people of Georgian descent Safavid prefects of New Julfa Safavid governors of Semnan Safavid governors of Qandahar Nobility of Georgia (country) Safavid generals 17th-century people of Safavid Iran Safavid ghilman