Province of Karabakh Velāyat-e Qarabagh | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1501–1736 | |||||||||
 The administrative divisions ofSafavid Iran in theSouth Caucasus | |||||||||
| Status | Province ofSafavid Iran | ||||||||
| Capital | Ganja | ||||||||
| Government | Province | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia | ||||||||
Theprovince of Karabakh (also spelledQarabagh;Persian:ولایت قره باغ,romanized: Velāyat-e Qarabāgh) was a north-western province of theSafavid Iran, centered on the geographic region ofKarabakh.
The governorship of Karabakh was generally held by a member of theQajars, one of theQizilbash tribes. Its highlands were controlled by the five Armenianmelikdoms.
These provinces were headed by the shah's governors-general, who were calledbeglarbegs, or at other timeshakems. The main urban center of the province of Karabakh was the city of Ganja.[1] The first Safavid governor of Karabakh (hakem) wasPiri Beg Qajar, and was appointed as such in 1501.[1]Shahverdi-Sultan, from theZiyadoglu clan of theQajar tribe, was appointed by ShahTahmasp I (r. 1524-1576) in 1554.[1]
Under the Safavids, Karabakh was part of themamalek ("state lands"), a form of theiqta' that had been used by theBuyid dynasty (934–1062). It was a type ofprebendalism in which lands were given away as fiefs to tribal military forces, thus demonstrating the Safavids' reliance on them to protect the country. Due to its more exposed position as a frontier province, Qarabagh continued to remainmamalek land to maintain more security, in contrast to some other provinces which were transformed intokhassa ("crown lands").[2] TheQizilbash chieftains were rewarded withmamalek land in exchange for their military alertness and for paying limited defined sum every year.[3] The governorship of Karabakh was generally held by a member of the QizilbashQajar tribe.[4][5]
The plains of Karabakh were dominated by nomadicTurkic tribes, who moved to the hillsides in search of suitable pastures throughout the summer. The highlands of Karabakh were dominated byArmenianmeliks (princes), who had establishedfive melikdoms (Dizak, Gulistan, Jraberd,Khachen andVaranda) that ruled in Karabakh from the 16th-century to the 18th-century. These Armenian-ruled principalities, which upheld the notion of Armenian statehood, were used by the Safavids to fight theOttoman Empire.[6]
In the end of the Safavid era, the Karabakh Province consisted of the districts ofZagam,Barda,Akhtabad,Javanshir,Bargushat, Qara-Aghach (Q'araghaji in Signagi municipality),Lori-Pambak, Arasbar-Bayazidlu andSomay-Tergever.[7]
This is a list of the known figures who governed Karabakh or parts of it.[4]Beglerbegi andhakem were administrative titles designating the governor.[8]
| Date | Governor | Observations |
|---|---|---|
| 1501–1512? | Piri Beg Qajar | Hakem of Karabakh |
| 1526 | Hoseyn Beg Ustajlu | Hakem of Karabakh |
| 1528 | Ya'qub Soltan Qajar | Hakem of Karabakh |
| 1551–1556 | Shahverdi Soltan Qajar | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1554–1564 | Shahverdi Khan Soltan Ziyadoghlu | Hakem of Karabakh |
| 1564–1568–? | Ebrahim Beg Ziyadoghlu Qajar | Beglerbegi of Karabakh and Ganja |
| 1575 | Yusof Khalifeh Ziyadoghlu | |
| 1576 | Paykar Khan Igirmi Durt | Hakem of Ganja andamir al-omara of Karabakh |
| 1576–1588 | Emamqoli Beg Qajar | Hakem of Karabakh and Ganja |
| 1588–1590 | Mohammad Khan Ziyadoghlu Qajar | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1589–1605 | None | Ottoman occupation |
| 1605–1606 | Hoseyn Khan Ziyadoghlu Qajar | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1606–1616 | Mohammad Khan Ziyadoghlu Qajar | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1616–1627 | Mohammad-Qoli Khan Qajar | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1627–1633 | Daud Khan Undiladze | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1633–? | Mohammad-Qoli Khan Qajar (2nd term) | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1651–1664 | Mortezaqoli Khan Ziyadoghlu | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1664–? | Oghurlu Khan | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
| 1694 | Abbas Qoli-Khan | Beglerbegi of Karabakh andHakem ofKakhetia |
| 1695 | Kalb Ali Khan Ziyadoghlu | Beglerbegi of Karabakh andHakem ofKakhetia |
| ?–1723–? | Constantine II of Kakheti | Beglerbegi of Karabakh |
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