The Georgian of Shushtar at the Safavid Era (10421144 AH) (16201722 AD)

Abstract

The history of Georgian's ruling of Shushtar dates back to the reign of Shah Safi. During the reign of Shah Safi, one of his outstanding servants, Vakhashtu Khan was chosen to serve as the governor of Shushtar. This person's entering into Shushtar, who had promoted from being a special servant to the Biglarbeigi position, is considered as a turning point in the development of Shushtar. Vakhushti khan and his brothers were promoted in the Safavid court because of their loyalty to this dynasty. Therefore, Vakhashtu Khan was appointed as the governor of Shushtar, and his brother, Zulfiqar Khan, was appointed as the ruler of Kandahar. They could protect Shushtar and Kandahar very well using their tact so that the Georgians ruling of Shushtar lasted for 102 years. Finally, the ruling period of this clan was declined and disappeared by Nader Shah. This research aims at investigating the sociopolitical situation of Shushtar at the time of Vakhashtu Khan and his successors.