Shah Ismail I, the founder of Safavid Dynasty of Iran pictured at battle against Abul-khayr Khan in a scene from the Tarikh-i alam-aray-i

Shāh Ismā'il Abu'l-Mozaffar bin Sheikh Haydar bin Sheikh Junayd Safawī (Persian: شاه اسماعیل - Azerbaijani: Şah İsmayıl Səfəvi) (July 17, 1487 - May 23, 1524), was a Turkic Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty, which survived until 1736. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz Shah Ismail founded the Safavid Shia state in Azerbaijan in 1502, and had incorporated all of Iran by 1509. ^[1] He was a Shia Muslim from Ardabil in Northwestern Iran and reigned as Shāh Ismā'il I of Irān from 1502 to 1524. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Ardabil ( Persian and Azeri: اردبیل also known as Ardebil; Old Persian: Artavil This article is about the region in Iran for other uses see Azerbaijan (disambiguation. He is revered as a spiritual guide in Alevism, as well as playing a key role in the rise of the Twelver branch of Shia Islam over the formerly dominant Ismaili. Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam For the Egyptian city see Ismaïlia. The Ismāʿīlī ( Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Arabic: الإسماعيليون

Shah Ismail was also a prolific poet who, under the pen name Khatā'ī, contributed greatly to the literary development of the Azerbaijani language. ^[2]

Life and Political History

Shah Ismail I, the founder of Safavid Dynasty of Iran. Medieval European rendering

The language used by Shah Ismail is not identical with that of his "race" or "nationality" and he was bilingual at birth. ^[3] Ismāil was of mixed Turkic, Iranic, and Pontic Greek descent, ^[4] although others speculate that he was non-Turkic. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. The term Pontic Greeks, Pontian Greeks, Pontians or Greeks of Pontus (Πόντιοι Ποντιακός Ελληνισμός or gr Έλληνες ^[3] He was a descendant of the Sufi saint Safi Al-Din (1252-1334) of Ardabil, a man of obscure but possible Persian ^[5] origin. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Sheikh Safi-ad-din Is'haq Ardabili (of Ardabil) (1252-1334 ( Eponym of the Safavid dynasty, was the spiritual heir and son in law of the great layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox As such, Ismā'il was the last in line of hereditary Grand Masters of the Safaviyeh Sufi order, prior to his ascent to a ruling dynasty. As a boy only a year old, he had lost his father Haydar Safavi Sultan, Sufi Grand Master and belligerent leader of a swelling Shi'a Islam community in Azerbaijan region of Iran who was killed in battle. This article is about the region in Iran for other uses see Azerbaijan (disambiguation. Greater Iran (in Irān-e Bozorg, or fa ایران‌زمین Irān-zamīn; the Encyclopedia Iranica uses the term Ismā'il's mother was an Aq Qoyunlu noble, Martha, the daughter of Uzun Hasan by his Pontic Greek wife Theodora, better known as Despina Hatun. The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu, Uzun Hassan ( 1423 - January 6, 1478) ( Ottoman Turkish: اوزون حسن, Uzun Həsən where uzun means tall) ^[6] Theodora was the daughter of Emperor John IV of Trebizond whom Uzun Hassan married in a deal to protect Trebizond from Ottomans. John IV Megas Komnenos ( Greek: Ιωάννης Δ΄ Μέγας Κομνηνός Iōannēs IV Megas Komnēnos) (c Uzun Hassan ( 1423 - January 6, 1478) ( Ottoman Turkish: اوزون حسن, Uzun Həsən where uzun means tall) ^[7]

As legend has it, infant Ismā'il went into hiding for several years. With his followers, he finally returned to Tabriz, vowing to make Shi'a Islam the official religion of Iran. Tabriz ( تبریز, تبریز) is the largest city in northwestern Iran. Ismā'il found significant support among the people of Azerbaijan as well as some parts of the Ottoman Empire, mainly in eastern Anatolia. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Ismail's advent to power was due to Turkoman tribes of Anatolia and Azerbaijan, who formed the most important part of the Qizilbash movement. Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( Nastaliq: قزلباش - Qizilbāš; Ottoman Turkish for "Red Heads" is a name given to a wide ^[8] Centuries of Sunni rule followed by non-Muslim Mongol hegemony lent fertile ground for new teachings. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic In 1501, Ismā'il I proclaimed himself Shah, choosing Tabriz, in Iran's northernmost province of Azerbaijan, as his capital. Tabriz ( تبریز, تبریز) is the largest city in northwestern Iran. In that year he also defeated the Aq Qoyunlu (White Sheep Turks). The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu,

When the Safavids came to power in 1501, Shah Ismail was 14 or 15 years old, and by 1510 Ismail had conquered the whole of Iran. ^[9]

In 1510 Ismā'il I moved against the Sunni Uzbeg tribe. The Uzbeks (Self designation sg O‘zbek, pl O‘zbeklar) are a Turkic people of Central Asia. In battle near the city of Merv, some 17,000 Kizilbashs ambushed and defeated a superior Uzbek force numbering 28,000. Merv ( Russian: Мерв from Persian: مرو Marv, sometimes transliterated Marw or Mary; cf Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( Nastaliq: قزلباش - Qizilbāš; Ottoman Turkish for "Red Heads" is a name given to a wide The Uzbek ruler, Muhammad Shaybani, was caught and killed trying to escape the battle, and the shah had his skull made into a jeweled drinking goblet. Abu 'I-Fath Muhammad, known in later centuries as Shaybani Khan (c

In 1514, Selim I, the Sunni Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, attacked Ismā'il's kingdom to stop the spread of Shiism into Ottoman dominions. Selim I ( Ottoman: سليم الأول, Turkish: ISelim; also known as "the Grim" or "the Brave" Yavuz in The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Selim and Ismā'il had been exchanging a series of belligerent letters prior to the attack.

Selim I decisively defeated Ismā'il at the battle of Chaldiran in 1514, in modern-day Iranian province of West Azerbaijan, only a few miles from the town of Maku. The Battle of Chaldiran (also Chaldoran or Çaldıran) occurred on 23 August 1514 and ended with a decisive victory for the Ottoman Empire over This article is about the Iranian province for similar uses see Azerbaijan (disambiguation. Ismā'il's army was more mobile and their soldiers were better prepared but the Ottomans prevailed due in large part to their efficient modern army, and possession of artillery, black powder and muskets. Ismā'il was wounded and almost captured in battle. Selim I entered the Iranian capital in triumph on September 7, but did not linger, a mutiny among his troops forcing him to withdraw. This saved Ismā'il, and allowed him to recover. Sultan Selim I also took Ismā'il's favorite wife hostage, demanding huge concessions for her release. Ismā'il refused to cede to the Ottoman demands, and is said to have died of a broken heart in 1524 at the early age of thirty-six, never having seen his beloved spouse again.

Ismā'il's reign was marked by enormous conquests, shaping the map of Iran up to the present day. Baghdad and the holy Shi'a shrines of Najaf نجف and Karbalā' كربلاء were seized from the Ottoman Turks, lost and reconquered again. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Najaf ( BGN: An Najaf) is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Karbala ( BGN: Al-Karbalā’; also spelled Karbala al-Muqaddasah) is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad at The Ottoman Turks were the subdivision of the Ottoman Muslim Millet that dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire.

He was succeeded by his son Tahmasp I.

The Poet Khatā'ī

Part of a series on Twelver Shi'a Islam Alevism

Figures

Ali-Muhammad • Shah Ismail Yunus Emre • Pir Sultan Abdal Hajji Bektash Wali

Twelve Imams

Birinci Ali · Ikinci Ali Ucuncu Ali · Dorduncu Ali Besinci Ali · Altinci Ali Yedinci Ali · Sekizinci Ali Dokuzuncu Ali · Onuncu Ali Onbirinci Ali · Onikinci Ali

Beliefs

Haqq-Ali-Muhammad Four Doors • Insan-i Kamil The Qur'an • The Buyruk Wahdat-ul-Wujood Zahir • Batin

Practices

Fasting • Semah • Music Charity • Intercession • Taqiyya Dushkunluk Meydani

Leadership Structure

Dedes • Murshid • Pir Rehber • Darga • Jem Cem Evi • Babas

Festivals

Nowruz • Ashura Hindrellez

Groups

Bektashi • Qizilbash

Events

Sivas Massacre

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Shāh Ismā'il was also a prolific Sufi poet and wrote under the pen name Khatā'ī. See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions In Alevism, Ali-Muhammad refers to the individuals Ali and Muhammad who exist as a single entity or light of Aql. Yunus Emre (1238?–1320? was a Turkish poet and Sufi mystic. Pir Sultan Abdal (ca 1480 - 1550 a legendary Turkish Alevi (Sufi poet whose direct and clear language as well as the richness of his imagination and the beauty of his verses led him Hajji Bektash Wali ( Ḥājī Baktāš Wālī; Turkish: Hacı Bektaş Veli) was a Persian ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH See also Hasan ibn Ali Hassan ibn Ali is Shi’ahs’ second Imam, and is also known as Al-Mujtaba and Sibtil Akbar (the elder and Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn (Arabic علي بن حسين) (approximately 6 January 659 - 20 October 712 is a great-grandson of Muhammad as well as the fourth Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Baqir (محمد ابن علي الباقر) (676-743 AD or 1 Rajab 57 AH – 7 Dhu al-Hijjah 114 AH was the Fifth Imām Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (702-765 in accurate transliteration Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq Arabic: جعفر الصادق in full Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayn Mūsá ibn Ja‘far ibn Muḥammad al-Kāżim (الإمام موسى الكاظم‎ ( October 28, 746 AD - September 1, 799 / Ali ibn Musa al-Rida ( علي بن موسى الرضا) (Commonly known as Ali ar-Ridha Ali Reza (Eleventh of Dhu al-Qi'dah, 148 AH – Seventeenth of Muhammad al-Taqi or Muhammad al-Jawad ( Arabic: الإمام محمد الجواد) ( Rajab 10 195 AH - Dhu al-Qi'dah 29 Imam Ali al-Hadi (الإمام علي الهادي also known as Imam Ali al-Naqi ( September 8, 828 &ndash July 1, 868) was Hasan al- Askari (الإمام الحسن بن علي العسكري (Eighth of Rabi' al-thani 232 AH – Eighth of Rabi' al-awwal 260 AH According to Twelver Shi'as Imam Hujjat al-Mahdī ( ar المهدى) (or Hujjat ibn Hasan ibn Ali is the twelfth Imam and the Haqq-Ali-Muhammad refers to a Trinity in Alevism that involves truth ( haqq) Ali ibn Abu Talib ( Ali) and Muhammad. Four Doors refers to a concept in Alevism, and to a lesser extent in other branches of Islam such as Ismailism, that there are four paths to Allah Insan-i Kamil, loosely translated as the "Perfect Man" or "Perfect Human Being" is derived from the Arabic Al-Insān al-Kāmil (الاسان الكام The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The Buyruks are a collection of spiritual books providing the basis of the Alevi value system Major ideas in Sufi metaphysics have surrounded the concept of Wahdat or "Unity" According to some Muslim groups the Zahir is the external or apparent meaning of the Quran. Batin is defined as the interior or hidden meaning of the Quran. Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. Zakaat ( زكاة zækæːh zakaat or zakāh, has the implied Ziyarat is a pilgrimage to sites associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his companions, or other venerated figures in Islamic history Persecution of Shia MuslimsWithin Shi'ite Islamic tradition the concept of Taqiyya (تقية - 'fear guard against' refers to a dispensation allowing believers to conceal The resolution of Alevi community disputes or problems in a Dushkunluk Meydani (Düşkünlük Meydanı or 'People's Court' presided over by the Alevi Dede. A dede is a socio-religious leader in the Alevi community The institution of dede is the most important of all the institutions integral to the social and religious organization In Alevism, a Murshid is a rank of Dede. In Alevism, a Pir is a rank of Dede. See also Pir In Alevism, a Rehber is a rank of Dede. A Rehber assists the Mursid (Dede provides information to the newcomers and prepares them for commitment to the Alevisim In terms of their internal organization every Alevi community follows a particular darga, sometimes an ojak The central Alevi worship service is called a Jem (Turkish Cem or ayini Jem, meaning congregational or assembly meeting A Cemevi (pronounced and sometimes written as Djemevi) means literally a house of gathering in Turkish, (Cem=public-gathering/ev=house and is a place of An Alevi religious leader related to a Dede. Nowrūz ( /noruz/ ↔, (English New Day various local pronunciations and spellings) is the traditional Iranian New year Holiday celebrated The Day of Ashura ( ar عاشوراء, Ashura Ashoura and other spellings is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax Bektashism (Bektaşilik is an Islamic Sufi order ( Tariqat) considered to be a distinct branch of Shi'a Islam Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( Nastaliq: قزلباش - Qizilbāš; Ottoman Turkish for "Red Heads" is a name given to a wide The Sivas massacre ( Turkish: Sivas Madımak Olayı or Sivas Katliamı) refers to the events of July 2 1993 which resulted in the deaths of 37 Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف He wrote in the Azerbaijani language, as most of his followers at the time spoke Turkmen Turkish ^[3], and in the Persian language. His Azeri dīvān, or collected poems, numbers about 400 ghazals, together with some 100 qasīdas and rubā'īs, and it remains popular to this day. Diwan ( Persian دیوان also transliterated as Deewan or Divan, is a Persian word used also into Arabic (الدیوان and Turkish In Poetry, the ghazal ( Arabic / Persian / Urdu: غزل; Hindi: ग़ज़ल Turkish gazel) is a Qasida (also spelled qasidah) in Arabic: قصيدة, plural qasā'id, قــصــائـد; in Persian: قصیده His surviving poetical output in Persian is much less sizeable: all that remains of his Persian verse are four bayts, or couplets, and one mukammas, a kind of poem written in cinquains. A couplet is a pair of lines of verse. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter Cinquain refers in general to any Stanza or short poem of five lines

Most of the poems are concerned with love — particularly of the mystical Sufi kind — though there are also poems propagating Shia doctrine and Safavi politics. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity Safavi is a Persian surname best known as the surname of the royal family of the Safavid Dynasty. His other serious works include the Nasīhatnāme, a book of advice, and the unfinished Dahnāme, a book which extols the virtues of love.

As Ismā'il believed in his own divinity and in his descent from `Alī, in his poems he tended to strongly emphasize these claims:

Yedi iqlimə oldi hökmũ fərman

Əzəldən yoluna can-başî fədadir

Ki, hər kim on iki imami bildi

ona qīrmīzī tac geymək rəvadur

Şah-i mərdan "Əliyyi" ibn-i talib

Xətaini yuridən pişvedur

On all seven climes has His judgment become a decree

Since forever all lives are forfeit for His sake

For whoever knows twelve imams

It is only fitting that he shall wear the Red Crown

For, the King of Men, Ali ibn Abu Talib

Is the leader of Khatā'ī in his walk. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH

Along with the poet Nesîmî, Khatā'ī is considered to be among the first proponents of using a simpler Azeri language in verse that would thereby appeal to a broader audience. His work is most popular in Azerbaijan, as well as among the Bektashis of Turkey. Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South Bektashism (Bektaşilik is an Islamic Sufi order ( Tariqat) considered to be a distinct branch of Shi'a Islam Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches There is a large body of Alevi and Bektashi poetry that has been attributed to him. Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions The major impact of his religious propaganda, in the long run, was the conversion of many in Iran and Azerbaijan to Shiism. [1]

The following anecdote demonstrates the status of vernacular Turkish and Persian in the Ottoman Empire and in the incipient Safavid state. The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz Khatā'ī sent a poem in Turkish to the Ottoman Sultan Selim I before going to war in 1514. Selim I ( Ottoman: سليم الأول, Turkish: ISelim; also known as "the Grim" or "the Brave" Yavuz in In a reply the Ottoman Sultan answered in Persian to indicate his contempt. Here is the excerpt from poet's letter to Sultan Selim I:

Mən pirimi hak bilirəm,

Yoluna qurban oluram,

Dün doğdum bugün ölürəm,

Ölən gəlsin iştə meydan.

I know the Truth as my supreme guide,

I would sacrifice myself in his way,

I was born yesterday, I will die today,

Come, whoever would die, here is the arena.

Alevism

Main article: Alevism

In Alevism, Shah Ismail is seen as a religious figure, and a moral spiritual leader. The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz Tahmasp I ( 3 March, 1514-1576 was an influential Shah of Persia of the Safavid Dynasty Alevis (Aleviler Elewî are a religious sub-ethnic and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the millions His teachings are in the Buyruk. Buyruk may refer to Buyruks the sacred writings of the Alevi Buyruk (Shabak the sacred book of the Shabak

Literature

• R. M. Savory, "Esmā'il Safawī", Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, (LINK)
• Mirză Răsul İsmailzadä, Şah İsmail Säfävi (Xätai) küllüyyatı : qäzällär, qäsidälär, näsihätnamä, dähnamä, qoşmalar / Xätai ; mätnin elmi-tänqidi täktibatçısı; Alhoda Publishers, Iran, 2004 (in Azeri), ISBN 964-8121-09-5, OCLC 62561234
• M. Encyclopædia Iranica is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language Encyclopedia about the history culture and The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose Momen, "An Introduction to Shi'i Islam", Yale Univ. Press, 1985, pp. 397, ISBN 0-300-03499-7

See also

• Sheikh Safiaddin Ardabili's Mausoleum Virtual Tour (Ismail I tomb)
• List of Turkic Languages poets

References