Ismail I was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The rule of Ismail I is one of the most vital in the history of Iran. Before his accession in 1501, Iran, since its Islamic conquest eight-and-a-half centuries earlier, had not existed as a unified country under native Iranian rule. Although many Iranian dynasties rose to power amidst this whole period, it was only under the Buyids that a vast part of Iran properly returned to Iranian rule (945–1055).
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu, also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman monarchy that ruled over the territory comprising present-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, northwestern Iran, eastern Turkey, and northeastern Iraq from about 1374 to 1468.
Uzun Hasan or Uzun Hassan was a ruler of the Turkoman Aq Qoyunlu state and is generally considered to be its strongest ruler. Hasan ruled between 1452 and 1478, and would preside over the confederation's territorial apex when it included parts or all of present-day Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Transcaucasia and Syria.
The Blue Mosque is a historic mosque in Tabriz, Iran. The construction for Blue Mosque, also known as Masjed-e Moẓaffariya, started during the rule of the Qarā Qoyunlu dynasty (1351–1469) and was completed in 1465 during the reign of the Āq Qoyunlu The famous Blue Mosque is widely recognized as the last remaining example of Turkmen architectural and decorative styles in the city. The features of Blue Mosque prompted the scholars to explore the innovative features of Tabriz's ceramic tile craftsmanship—highlighting its distinctive "blue-and-white" patterns, lusterware, and gilded cobalt tiles, which for a considerable time were recognized as the sole known example of their kind.
Khalilullah I, also known as Sultan-Khalil (سلطان-خلیل), was the Shirvanshah from 1418 to 1465. He was the son and successor of Ibrahim I. He was succeeded by his son Farrukh Yasar.
Farrukh Yasar was the last independent Shirvanshah of Shirvan (1465–1500). In 1500, the first Safavid ruler, Ismail I, decisively defeated and killed Farrukh Yasar during his conquest of the area. Descendants of Farrukh Yasar continued to rule Shirvan under Safavid suzerainty, until 1538, when Ismail's son and successor Tahmasp I appointed its first Safavid governor, and made it a fully functioning Safavid province.
The Aq Qoyunlu or the White Sheep Turkomans was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Turkoman tribal confederation. Founded in the Diyarbakir region by Qara Yuluk Uthman Beg, they ruled parts of present-day eastern Turkey from 1378 to 1503, and in their last decades also ruled Armenia, Azerbaijan, much of Iran, Iraq, and Oman where the ruler of Hormuz recognised Aq Qoyunlu suzerainty. The Aq Qoyunlu empire reached its zenith under Uzun Hasan.
Shaykh Haydar or Sheikh Haydar was the successor of his father as leader of the Safavid order from 1460 to 1488. Haydar maintained the policies and political ambitions initiated by his father. Under Sheikh Haydar, the order became crystallized as a political movement with an increasingly extremist heterodox Twelver Shi'i coloring and Haydar was viewed as a divine figure by his followers. Shaykh Haydar was responsible for instructing his followers to adopt the scarlet headgear of 12 gores commemorating The Twelve Imams, which led to them being designated by the Turkish term Qizilbash "Red Head".
Jalal al-Din al-Dawani, also known as Allama Davani, was a theologian, philosopher, jurist, and poet, who is considered to have been one of the leading scholars in late 15th-century Iran.
Sara Khatun was an influential woman of the Aq Qoyunlu state, as the political adviser of her son, Uzun Hasan. She was a successful and well-respected diplomatic mediator.
Theodora Megale Komnene, also known as Despina Khatun, was the daughter of John IV of Trebizond and Bagrationi who married the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan in 1458. She became the mother of Halima Alamshah Hatun who became the mother of first Safavid king, Shah Ismail I.
Yaqub b. Uzun Hasan, commonly known as Sultan Ya'qub was the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu from 1478 until his death on 24 December 1490. A son of Uzun Hasan, he became the ruler of the dynasty after the death of his brother Sultan Khalil. The borders of Aq Qoyunlu dynasty remained stable during his reign. In his book Alam-Aray-i Amini, Fazlallah Khunji Isfahani praised him as a decent successor of Uzun Hasan. Ya'qub received praise from other historians for supporting poets and scientists.
Mawsillu was one of the most active Turkic tribes that operated during the Aq Qoyunlu and Safavid empires. During the Safavid Empire, it was one of the Turkmen tribes that formed the Qizilbash tribes. The Mosul tribe, more commonly referred to as Turkmen in the Safavid Empire, originated from the region of Mosul.
Qazi Isa Savaji was a Persian bureaucrat from the Savaji family, who was among the leading figures during the reign of the Aq Qoyunlu rulers Uzun Hasan and Ya'qub Beg.
Jalal ad-Din Ali ibn Qara Yoluq Osman, or Ali Beg was the sixth bey of the Turkoman tribal federation of the Aq Qoyunlu from 1435 to 1438.
Alvand Mirza Beg was an Aq Qoyunlu prince, who was a contender for the throne between 1497 and 1504/5.
Sultan Murad was the last sultan of the Aq Qoyunlu from 1497 to 1508. After losing his kingdom to the Safavid Shah Ismail I, he fled to Diyar Bakr, where he was eventually killed by Shah Ismail's Qizilbash soldiers at the end of 1514.
Ahmad Göde or Gövde Ahmad, born Sultanzade Ahmed and commonly known as Ahmad Beg or Sultan Ahmad, was a ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu.
Emirate of Çemişgezek was a hereditary and autonomous Kurdish emirate existing from the 13th century to 1663, centered around Çemişgezek including Mazgirt, Pertek and Sağman. The emirate was populated by both Muslims and non-Muslims, and moreover had a significant Kurdish Alevi population which flourished and expanded due to the secured self-governance under Ottoman rule, despite Ottoman antagonism towards the minority. Beside Kurds, the emirate had a Bozulus population. According to Sharafnama, the 12–13th-century rulers of the emirate were of Turkic origin.
Alamshah Halima Begum (1460–1522) was a Turkoman Aq Qoyunlu princess. She was the daughter of Uzun Hasan and Teodora Despina Khatun, and the mother of Ismail I.
