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Sultan Kalanjar (Persian: کالنجار سلطان), better known as Gharib Shah (غریب شاه), was an Iranian aristocrat who rebelled against Safavid rule in 1629/30, but was defeated and later executed.

Biography

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Map of northern Iran.

A native of Gilan, Gharib Shah was a descendant of the Kia'i dynasty, and his original name was Sultan Kalanjar, but when he in 1629/30 rebelled against Safavid rule in his home-province, he took the name of Adil Shah, while he was called Gharib Shah by his enemies.[1] Before Gharib Shah rebelled, he had received the blessing of a certain Pir Shams-i Gulgiluva'i.[2]

During his rebellion, he was joined by various descendants of dynasties of Mazandaran and Gilan.[2] After having declared himself as the ruler of Gilan, he occupied the provinces two major cities, Lahijan and Rasht.[1] When Gharib's rebellion spread to Mazandaran, the rebels sacked Shah Abbas' warehouses, selling off the royal silk.[1] Two hundred kharvari were lost or stolen.[1]

According to the Tarikh-i Gilan, by Abd al-Fattah Fumani, Gilan's inhabitants lost over 300,000 tumans, due to this rebellion.[1] Consequently, Gharib Shah was eventually defeated by a group of Safavid governors,[1] which included Saru Taqi,[3] the governor of Gilan and Mazandaran. Gharib Shah, along with 2,000 of his supporters, were then executed at Isfahan.[3] However, a supporter of Gharib Shah who claimed that he was his brother, rebelled in Mazandaran.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Matthee 1999, p. 122.
  2. ^ a b Babaie 2004, p. 153.
  3. ^ a b c Newman 2008, p. 75.

Sources

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