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Otar Beg

Safavid military commander, royal gholam, and official

Otar Beg
Governor of Semnan
In office Unknown–1638
Preceded by	Amir Khan Mohrdar Soklan Zu al-Faqār
Succeeded by	Manuchehr Beg
Governor of Qandahar
In office 1649–1662/63
Preceded by	Mihrab Khan
Succeeded by	Unknown
Prefect of New Julfa
In office 1626–Unknown
Preceded by	Mirman Mirimanidze
Succeeded by	Unknown
Personal details
Born	1583
Died	1662/63
Parent	Aslamaz (father)
Relatives	Otar / Zu al-Faqār (brother), Gorjasbi / Mansur (brother), Kaykhosrow (brother), Qaplan (cousin), Erizbar (uncle)
Occupation	Military leader, official
Clan	Baratashvili-Orbelishvili (Orbeliani)
Nickname	Zu al-Faqār Khan
Military service
Allegiance	Safavid Iran
Battles/wars	Mughal–Safavid War of 1649–1653

Otar Beg, also known as Otar Khan, later known as Zu al-Faqār Khan (born circa. 1583,^[1] – died 1662/63), was a Safavid military commander, royal gholam, and official from the Georgian Baratashvili-Orbelishvili (Orbeliani) clan.

Biography[edit]

Not much is known about the early life of Otar Beg. His original family name was Baratashvili-Orbelishvili, which is also referred to as Orbeliani and Qaplanshvili.^[2] His father's name was Aslamaz and he had two younger brothers, Vakhushti and Gorjasbi (Mansur), who also held prominent positions like him. According to Alexander Orbeliani (1802–1869), Otar had one more brother named Kaykhosrow.^[3] He furthermore had a known younger cousin named Qaplan Baratashili-Orbelishvili (Orbeliani) (?–1671), who had fled to mainland Iran in the early 17th century after the death of his father Erizbar Baratashvili-Orbelishvili, the latter being therefore Otar's uncle.^[4]

Otar was mentioned for the first time in the Iranian sources in 1626, when he held the function of darugha (prefect) of New Julfa, having succeeded Mirman Mirimanidze (Safiqoli Khan) on this post. When king Abbas I died in 1629, he had already been appointed as governor of Semnan and possessed the rank of soltan.^[1] Later, in 1649, during the reign of king Abbas II (r. 1562–1666), he was given the governorship of Qandahar in the easternmost territories, as well as the honorary name of Zu al-Faqār Khan.^[5] When Qandahar was surrounded by the Mughal forces in 1653, the city nearly fell due to the protracted siege, and Otar was blamed for his soft attitude. According to the contemporary Safavid historian and author Valiqoli Shamlu, who served Otar personally in Qandahar, Otar answered that he would fight alone till the end and, after his death, behave as generals liked to do. He is quoted: "I have served the Safavid kings for seventy years. My bones are made from Shah's (kings) different kinds of graces".^[1]

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Floor, Willem; Herzig, Edmund (2015). Iran and the World in the Safavid Age. I.B.Tauris. p. 481. ISBN 978-1780769905.
• Floor, Willem M. (2008). Titles and Emoluments in Safavid Iran: A Third Manual of Safavid Administration, by Mirza Naqi Nasiri. Washington, DC: Mage Publishers. pp. 257, 275. ISBN 978-1933823232.
• Maeda, Hirotake (2003). "On the Ethno-Social Background of Four Gholām Families from Georgia in Safavid Iran". Studia Iranica (32): 1–278.