New information about Iran-Georgia relations at the beginning of the 17th century According to the Iranian author, Fazli Beg Khuzani Isfahani's Afzal al-Tawarikh:- Isa Khan Mirza and Shah-Abbas I

Abstract

The historical work of the 17th-century Iranian historian Fazli Beg Khuzani Esfahani, "Afzal al-Tawarikh" (The Beautiful History), focuses on the reign of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629). This text represents the third part of Fazli’s long-lost chronicle, which was later published in an academic edition in 2015. The "Afzal al-Tawarikh" provides a detailed account of 17th-century Iran-Georgia relations, offering significant insights into this complex dynamic. As an important source, "Afzal al-Tawarikh" contributes not only to the study of the Safavid era in Iran (1501-1722) but also to the broader historical under­stan­ding of Georgia and the Caucasus region. He appears as the author of many unknown and noteworthy information about Georgians. The above-mentioned work depicts certain vicissitudes of the history of Georgia in the XVI-XVII centuries in a completely new way.

Fazli Beg Khuzani Esfahani, the author of the chronicles of Shah Abbas, served as vizier to Peikar Khan, the ruler of Kakheti, during the Qizilbash period (1616–1625). As an eyewitness to many significant events involving Safavid Iran and Georgia, his firsthand accounts provide invaluable insight into the political, social, and military int­eractions of that era.

This article examines previously unknown episodes in the history of Georgia: Interactions between Shah Abbas I and Prince Isa Khan Mirza (grandson of Aleksandre of Kakheti (1574-1605 and the son of Giorgi)) who was a converted Muslim brought up in Iran.