Shaykh Junayd (died 4 March 1460;
) was the hereditary leader of the
Safavid order
The Safavid order () also called the Safaviyya () was a Kurds, Kurdish Sufism, Sufi order () founded by theNewman, Andrew J., ''Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire'', (I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2006), 152. ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' Mysticism, ...
, a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
order based in
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
in northwestern Iran. He was the son of Shaykh Ibrahim, grandson of Shaykh
Ali Safavi, father of
Shaykh Haydar
Shaykh Haydar or Sheikh Haydar ( ''Shaikh Ḥaidar''; 1459–9 July 1488) was the successor of his father ( Shaykh Junayd) as leader of the Safavid order from 1460 to 1488. Haydar maintained the policies and political ambitions initiated by his f ...
and grandfather of the founder of
Safavid
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
dynasty,
Shah Ismail I
Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...
. After the death of his father, he assumed the leadership of the Safavid order from 1447–1460. Junayd transformed the Safavid order into a military movement and sought to create his own principality by conquest.
History
Under Junayd, the Safaviyya was transformed from a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
order organized around a saint-ascetic into an active military movement with a policy of conquest and domination. He was the first Safavi spiritual leader to espouse specifically
Shia Islam
Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...
ic teachings, and in particular those of the
Twelver
Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...
''
ghulat
The () were a branch of history of Shia Islam, early Shi'a Islam. The term mainly refers to a wide variety of List of extinct Shia sects, extinct Shi'i sects active in 8th- and 9th-century Kufa in Lower Mesopotamia, and who, despite their somet ...
''. Junayd was viewed as a divine incarnation by his followers.
During his time in
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
, Junayd attracted so many disciples that in 1448,
Jahan Shah
Muzaffar al-Din Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf (; ; 1397 in Khoy or 1405 in Mardin – 30 October or 11 November 1467 near Bingöl) or Abu al-Muzaffar Jahan Shah was the leader of the Qara Qoyunlu Oghuz Turkic tribal confederacy in Azerbaijan (Iran), Azer ...
(the
Kara Koyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation th ...
prince) drove him into exile to Anatolia and Syria. While there, he engaged in missionary activities and accumulated
Turkmen followers. He then went to the court of
Uzun Hassan at
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
, where he married Uzun Hassan's sister, Khadija Khatun, somewhere between 1456 and 1459.
Junayd was prevented from returning to Ardabil, so he lived at
Shirvan
Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...
where he died in a local skirmish near the
Samur River
The Samur (; ; ; ) is a river in Russia's Dagestan Republic, also partially flowing through
Azerbaijan and forming part of the Azerbaijan–Russia border.
Overview
The Samur river originates in glaciers and mountain springs of the Greater Cauca ...
in what is modern
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, where he was buried. This led to the beginning of animosity between the mainly Sunni
Shirvanshah
The Shirvanshahs (Arabic/) were the rulers of Shirvan (in present-day Azerbaijan) from 861 to 1538. The first ruling line were the Yazidids, an originally Arab and later Persianized dynasty, who became known as the Kasranids (also referred t ...
and the increasingly heterodox Shi’i Safaviyya.
[Percy Molesworth Sykes]
''A History of Persia''
pg.240-241
Mausoleum of Shaykh Juneyd is located in the village of
Khazra in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. Junayd was succeeded by his son
Shaykh Haydar
Shaykh Haydar or Sheikh Haydar ( ''Shaikh Ḥaidar''; 1459–9 July 1488) was the successor of his father ( Shaykh Junayd) as leader of the Safavid order from 1460 to 1488. Haydar maintained the policies and political ambitions initiated by his f ...
, who married his cousin
Halima Alamshah Khatun, daughter of Uzun Hassan and
Theodora Despina Khatun. They had three sons and three daughters. One of them was
Shah Ismail I
Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...
, father of
Shah Tahmasp I.
Succession
See also
*
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...
*
Safavid dynasty family tree The oldest extant book on the genealogy of the Safavid family is '' Safvat as-safa'' and was written by Ibn Bazzaz in 1350, a disciple of Sheikh Sadr-al-Din Safavi, the son of Sheikh Safi ad-din Ardabili. According to Ibn Bazzaz, the Sheikh was ...
Notes
External links
JONAYDEncyclopædia Iranica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Safavi, Junayd
Safavid dynasty
Safaviyeh order
1460 deaths
Kurdish Sufis
Year of birth unknown
15th-century Kurdish people
Critics of Sunni Islam
Converts to Shia Islam from Sunni Islam