The province of Astarabad (also called Gorgan and Jorjan; ) was a northeastern province of Safavid Iran, located on the southeastern side of the Caspian Sea. It bordered the Atrek River in the north, the Alborz in the south, the Mazandaran province to the west, and Jajarm to the east. The province was under Safavid control from 1510.
By the end of the Safavid era, Astarabad was composed of the following administrative jurisdictions: Gira'i, Goklan, Hajjilar, Jalayer, K.ra-chupi, and Yamut. Each district name was derived from the Turkoman tribe that been enstrusted with it. Some of the Turkoman tribes (such as the Qepchaq) lived to the north of Astarabad, but were still nominal subjects of the Safavids.
In the 1550s and 1560s, theologians and seyyeds from Astarabad and the Mazandaran province established a dominant presence in the Safavid government. These officials managed shrines and held the office of the sadr while also advancing Safavid theological goals. They wrote many works on Islamic law, hagiography and the interpretation of holy texts. Distinguished Astarabadi seyyeds during this period included Mir Mu'min Astarabadi (tutor to Haydar Mirza), Molana Mo'en Astarabadi (vizier of Ibrahim Mirza) and Mir Mohammad Ashraf (plenipotentiary of Shah Tahmasp I during his visits to the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad).
From 1589 to 1598, the Sa'en-khanis of the Yakka Turkoman tribe assumed control over the province as caretaker governors, due to its lack of efficient Safavid rule. Their hold over the province was ended when Shah Abbas I () marched to Astarabad and pacified the tribes. In order to develop the province and levy taxes, the Safavids continued to attract Turkoman tribes to the province. The authority of the Safavid governor of Astarabad sometimes extended over the province, such as in Damghan and Bastam.
List of governors This is a list of the known figures who governed the Astarabad province.
Date Name ?-1514 Khalaf Beg Talesh 1514-? Pir Gheyb Talesh ?-1522 Zeyn al-Din Soltan Shamlu 1522–1528 Zeynal Khan Shamlu 1527 Shahverdi Beg Ziyad-oghlu Qajar 1528 Occupation by the Khanate of Bukhara 1531 Badr Khan Ustajlu ?-1532 Mohammad Khan Dhu'l-Qadr ibn Kur Shahrokh ibn Ala al-Dowleh 1532 Badr Khan Ustajlu 1532–1537 Sadr al-Din Khan Ustajlu 1537 Occupation by the Khanate of Bukhara 1537–1543 Sadr al-Din Khan Ustajlu ibn Saru Pireh 1548–1550 Shah Ali Soltan Ustajlu 1550 Shahqoli Soltan Ustajlu 1550-? Shahverdi Beg [Soltan] Kachal Chavoshlu Ustajlu 1550–1555-? Soltan Amir Gheyb Beg Ustajlu 1558-? Ebrahim Khan Dhu'l-Qadr 1563-? Khalil Soltan ibn Shahverdi Soltan Ziyad-oghlu Qajar 1565? Panah Mohammad Khan Dhu'l-Qadr 1569-? Sayyed Beg ibn Sayyed Masum Beg before 1574 Soleyman Khalifeh-ye Shamlu before 1574 Mohammad Khan Asayesh-oghli before 1574 Mohammad Khalifeh Dhu'l-Qadr ?-1574 Sayyed Beg ibn Masum Beg Safavi Sheykhavand 1574–1576 Shahqoli Soltan Tati-oghlu Dhu'l-Qadr 1576-? Mohammad Soltan Dhu'l-Qadr 1577-? Mirza Ali Soltan Qajar 1581–1588 Mortazaqoli Khan Pornak Torkman 1589 Badr Khan Afshar 1589–1598 (Absence of Safavid control) 1589–1597 Elyar Khan Imur 1587–1588 Mohammad Yar Khan Imur 1588 Qalij Beg Imur 1589 Farhad Khan Qaramanlu ?-1604 Hoseyn Khan Ziyad-oghlu Qajar 1604 Yusof Khan 1605–1620 Fereydun Khan Cherkes 1620–1629 Behbud Khan Cherkes 1629–1639 Khosrow Khan Cherkes 1639–1640 Qazaq Khan Cherkes 1640–1642 Hoseyn Khan ibn Zaman Beg Mazandarani 1642–1648 Mehrab Khan 1650 Allahverdi Beg 1650–1654 Mohammadqoli Khan ibn Siyavosh Khan 1654–1656 Hajji Manuchehr Khan 1656–1664-? Jamshid Khan 1666 Jafarqoli Khan 1672 Mohammad Khan ?-1692 Pesand Khan 1694–1695 Oghurlu Beg 1695–1697 Ali Khan 1705 Mirza Ahmad ?-1708 Kalb Ali Beg 1708–1709-? Aslan Khan Daghestani 1711-1717 Rostam Mohammad Khan Sa'dlu ?-1717-? Fath-Ali Khan Qajar
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