Chiragh Khan Zahidi

Chiragh Khan Zahidi (Persian: عیسی خان صفوی‎‎, also spelled Chirag), also known as Pirzada (پیرزاده), was a Iranian officer in Safavid Iran, who served as the head of the royal bodyguard (qurchi-bashi) from 1631 until his death 1632.

Biography

Chiragh Khan was the son of a certain Shaikh Sharif and a descendant of Zahed Gilani, the prominent Iranian grandmaster (murshid), and the teacher of Safi-ad-din Ardabili, who was the eponymous ancestor of the Safavid dynasty.^[1] Chiragh Khan was a supporter of the family of the qurchi-bashi Isa Khan Safavi, which was a cousin family to the ruling Safavid dynasty. However, in 1632/3, he accused the sons of Isa Khan Safavi planning to stage a coup against Safi and then usurp the throne. Safi then had them executed, including Isa Khan Safavi himself.^[1] Chiragh Khan Zahidi was then given the qurchi-bashi post as a reward.^[1][2]

However, Chiragh Khan was one year later accused of hiding his empathy for family of Isa Khan Safavi, and was executed in July 1632.^[1] He was succeeded by Amir Khan Zulqadr.

References

Sources

• Matthee, Rudi (2011). Persia in Crisis: Safavid Decline and the Fall of Isfahan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–371. ISBN 0857731815. 
• Babaie, Sussan (2004). Slaves of the Shah: New Elites of Safavid Iran. I.B.Tauris. pp. 1–218. ISBN 9781860647215. 
• Savory, Roger M. (1991). "ČERĀḠ KHAN ZĀHEDĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. V, Fasc. 3. p. 263.