The Province of Karabakh ( fa, ولایت قره باغ, translit=Velāyat-e Qarebāq) was a province of the

Safavid Empire 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 consi ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

, centered on the geographic region of

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 and A ...

. These provinces were headed by the shah's governors-general, who were called '' beglarbegs'', or at other times ''hakems''. The main urban center of the Province of Karabakh was the city of Ganja. The first Safavid governor of Karabakh (''hakem'') was

Piri Beg Qajar Piri Beg Qajar was an early 16th-century Iranian military officer and official from the Turkoman Qajar tribe, who served under Safavid Shah ("King") Ismail I (1501-1524). He fought at the decisive Battle of Sarur in 1501 against the Ak Koyunl ...

, and was appointed as such in 1501. Shahverdi-Sultan, from the Ziyadoglu clan of the

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م� ...

tribe, was appointed by Shah

Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He was the eldest son of Ismail I and his principal consort, Tajlu Khanum. Ascending the throne after t ...

(r. 1524-1576) in 1554. The nobility of the tribe was granted pastures and land plots in Karabakh. The authority of the governors of Qarabagh covered a vast territory – from the Georgian border near “Sinig Korpu” Bridge (currently “ Red Bridge”) to

Khudafarin Bridges Khudafarin Bridges or Khoda Afarin Bridges ( az, Xudafərin körpüləri, fa, پل خداآفرین), are two arch bridges located at the border of Azerbaijan and Iran connecting the northern and southern banks of the Aras River. Located on t ...

on the

Aras River , az, Araz, fa, ارس, tr, Aras The Aras (also known as the Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz) is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan excl ...

. The Province of Karabakh was one of the largest provinces in the Safavid Empire. Its borders were Kur River to the north, Borchali to the south, also in the northern-east Goycha lake and Bargushad included to the territory of Province of Karabakh.Sümer F. Safevi devletinin kuruluşu ve gelişmesinde Anadolu türklerinin rolu. Ankara, 1976, s. 37

Safavid nobility

Viziers

Mirza Ata-Allah Isfahani Mirza Ata-Allah Isfahani ( fa, میرزا عطا الله اصفهانی) was a high-ranking Persian statesman in the early Safavid era, who served as the vizier of Azerbaijan, Qarabagh, and Shirvan. Biography A member of the Khuzani family of I ...

. He served as the vizier of Azerbaijan, Karabakh, and Shirvan.

Governors

. He was the first governor to be appointed. * Shahverdi Sultan. He served as governor of Karabakh and Ganja during the reign of king Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576). *Yusof Khalife ibn Shahverdi Khan Ziyadoghlu. 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 Khan Igirmi Durt killed his cousin Yusof Khalife,

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 Selj ...

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. * Mohammad-Qoli Khan Qajar. He served as governor (beglarbeg) of Ganja and Karabakh in 1616–1627. *

Daud Khan Undiladze Daud-Khan or Dāvūd b. Allāhverdī (Persian: داوود خان, ka, დაუდ-ხანი) was a Safavid Iranian military commander and politician of Georgian origin who served as governor (''beglarbeg'') of Ganja and Karabakh from 1627 to 1 ...

. He served as governor (beglarbeg) of Ganja and Karabakh from 1627 to 1633. *Mohammad-Qoli Khan Qajar. He served again as governor (beglarbeg) of Ganja and Karabakh in 1633. * Abbas Qoli-Khan. He served as beglarbeg of Ganja under the shah Suleiman I of Persia before 1688. *

Constantine II of Kakheti Constantine II ( ka, კონსტანტინე II) (died December 28, 1732) also known as Mahmād Qulī Khān (მაჰმად ყული-ხანი) in Iran, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia of the Bagrationi Dynasty from 1 ...

. In 1722, he was confirmed by the shah as King of Kakheti along with the governorship of Erivan, Ganja, and Karabakh.

District governors

* Salim Khan Shams al-Dinlu. Until 1629, he served as the governor of the Shams al-Dinlu tribal district located in the Karabakh province. *Ismail (son of Salim Khan Shams al-Dinlu). After 1629, he served as the governor of the Shams al-Dinlu tribal district.

Grand of the governor of Karabakh

Saru Taqi Mirza Mohammad Taqi (c. 1579 – 11 October, 1645) ( fa, میرزا محمد تقی), better known as Saru Taqi (, meaning "Taqi the blond") was an eunuch in Safavid Iran, who served as the Grand Vizier of the Safavid king (''shah'') Safi (r ...

. He was appointed as the Grand of the governor of Karabakh in his youth.

Stewards

* Khosrow Soltan Armani. He served as a steward of the Javanshir tribe in Karabakh (hakem-e il-e Javanshir). * Nowruz Beg. In 1626–1627, Abbas I made Nowruz Beg steward of the Javanshir clan in Karabakh.

References

Sources

* {{Safavid Provinces Safavid Iran History of the Republic of Artsakh Provinces of the Safavid dynasty Karabakh