Sulṭán Salím, greatly elated by his success, immediately despatched the usual bombastic proclamations of victory Sulṭán Salím's proceedings after the victory of Cháldirán. (fatḥ-náma) to his son Sulaymán, to the Khán of the Crimea, to the Kurdish chieftains, to Sulṭán Murád, the last of the Áq-Qoyúnlú or “White Sheep” dynasty, to Sháh Rustam of Luristán, to the Governor of Adrianople, and others. The texts of these documents are given by Firídún Bey (pp. 386-96), but they are followed (pp. 396-407) by a document of much greater historical value, namely a detailed journal of the movements of the Turkish army from the time they marched out of Adrianople on Muḥarram 3, 920 (March 20, 1514) until they returned to winter at Amásiya at the end of the same year (Nov.-Dec., 1514). They marched in 105 stages from Adrianople to Tabríz by way of Constantinople, Caesarea, Síwás, Arzinján, Cháldirán, Khúy and Marand; thence back to Amásiya in 58 stages, by way of Nakhjuwán, Jisr-i-Júbán, and Bayburt. They erected a pyramid of the skulls of their enemies on the field of battle, handed over to Ja'far Bey one of Sháh Isma'íl's wives who fell into their hands, and massacred Khálid Bey and 150 of his Qizil-básh companions at the village of Sáḥilán the day before they entered Tabríz, in which city, however, they seem to have behaved with moderation, as even the Persian historian of Sháh Isma'íl testifies. * Sulṭán Salím remained there only about a week (Sept. 6-14, 1514), when he departed, taking with him the Tímúrid Prince Badí'u'z-Zamán, the fugitive son of the late Sulṭán Abu'l-Ghází Ḥusayn ibn Bayqará, * and a number of skilled artisans whom he proposed to settle in his dominions. Within two or three weeks of his departure Sháh Isma'íl was back in Tabríz. According to Sir John Malcolm, * “the effect of so great a reverse upon the sanguine mind of Isma'íl was deep and lasting, and though before of a cheerful disposition he was never afterwards seen to smile.” But as a matter of fact the defeat, decisive as it was, had little permanent effect, since the discontent and nostalgia of the Janissaries compelled the Ottoman Sulṭán to withdraw from Persian territory, and, save for the extirpation of the little Dhu'l-Qadar dynasty * at Kamákh near Arzinján in the spring of A.D. 1515, his martial ardour was fully occupied, until his death in A.D. 1520, with the subjection of Egypt, Syria and Arabia.
Sháh Isma'íl, on his return to Tabríz after the battle of Cháldirán, sent a very polite and apologetic letter * by the hand of Núru'd-Dín 'Abdu'l-Wahháb to Sulṭán Salím, who, apparently, vouchsafed no reply, but some months later (end of Rajab, 921 = Sept. 9, 1515) wrote in Turkish a long letter to 'Ubayd Khán the Uzbek inciting him to persecute the Shí'a.*
The documents connected with Sulṭán Salím's reign fill
another 84 pages of Firídún Bey's compilation,
*
but, with
one notable exception, contain only incidental abusive
references to Sháh Isma'íl. The exception is formed by
two poems, one in Persian and the other in Turkish,
addressed to Sulṭán Salím by an unpatriotic Persian named
Khwája Iṣfahání, probably identical with Khwája Mawláná-
The following verses from the Persian poem will suffice to give an idea of its character.
A Persian congratulatory poem addressed to Sulṭán Salím. <text in Arabic script omitted> <text in Arabic script omitted>“O messenger of auspicious aspect, carry my prayer to the victorious
King.
Say, ‘O King of all the World, thou art today accredited in valour.
Thou didst lay the foundations of Religion in the World; thou didst
restore the Holy Law of Muṣṭafá [Muḥammad].
Religion hath been renovated by thy zeal, the World lies under the
burden of thy favour.
If the realm of the Holy Law is firmly established, it is all through
the fortune of Sulṭán Salím.
Persia and Turkey quake through fear of thee, since thou hast cast
from his head the crown of the Red-cap.
*
O victorious one, thou hast cast his crown from his head: now man-
fully cast his head from his body!
The Red-head is like the viper; until thou crushest his head it
availeth nothing.
Thou art today, through thy noble qualities, the Vicar (Khalífa) of
God and of Muḥammad.
Dost thou hold it right that the guebre
*
and brute-heretic should
revile the Companions of the Prophet?
*
If thou dost not break him by the strength of thy manhood, and
if thou turnest back without having cut off his head,
If he obtains amnesty in safety, I will seize thy skirt in the day of
Resurrection.
Thus have I seen in the accounts of the Prophet, that Dhu'l-Qarnayn
(“the Two-horned”)
*
was Emperor in Rome.
For this cause did he style himself Dhu'l-Qarnayn, because he added
the dominion of Persia to that of Rome.
*
His two horns were sovereignty throughout the World; his orders
ran through East and West.
Come, break the Idol by the aid of the Faith, and add the Kingdom
of Persia to the Throne of Rome!’”*
Sulṭán Salím died in 926/1520, having reigned, according to the Aḥsanu't-Tawáríkh, 8 years, 8 months and 8 days. He was succeeded by his son Sulaymán, called by his countrymen “the Law-giver” (Qánúní) and by Europeans Sulṭán Salím dies in 926/1520 and is succeeded by his son Sulaymán. “the Magnificent.” The Persian poet Amíní composed a poem on his accession, of which each half-verse (miṣrá') yields the date 926. The following verse is cited as a specimen by the Aḥsanu't-Tawáríkh:
<text in Arabic script omitted>
“Fortune hath given the Kingdom of Desire to the Ká'ús of the Age,
the Second Solomon.”
Three years later (in 929/1523), when Sulṭán Sulaymán conquered Rhodes, another Persian Poet, Niyází, commemorated this victory in an equally ingenious qaṣída beginning:
<text in Arabic script omitted> where the first half-verse gives the date of Sulaymán's accession (926/1520), and the second the date of the conquest of Rhodes.*
Sháh Isma'íl died on Monday, Rajab 19, A.H. 930 (May 23, 1524) at the age of 38 after a reign of 24 years, and was Death of Sháh Isma'íl in 930/1524. buried with his fathers at Ardabíl. He left four sons, Ṭahmásp, born on Dhu'l-Ḥijja 26, A.H. 919 (Feb. 22, 1514), who succeeded him; Alqáṣ, born in 922/1516, and Sám and Bahrám, both born in the following year; besides five daughters. * In his reign the sword was more active than the pen. He not only eliminated all of his numerous rivals in Persia, but greatly enlarged her frontiers. “His kingdom,” says the Aḥsanu't-Tawáríkh,*
“included Ádharbáyján, Persian 'Iráq, Khurásán, Fárs, Kir-
Extent of his
realms.
mán and Khúzistán, while Diyár Bakr, Balkh
and Merv were at times under his control. In
the battle-field he was a lion wielding a dagger,
and in the banquet-hall a cloud raining pearls. Such was his
His valour and
bounty.
bounty that pure gold and worthless salt were
alike in his sight, while by reason of his lofty
spirit the produce of ocean and mine did not
suffice for the donations of a single day, and his treasury
His love of the
chase.
was generally empty. He had a passion for the
chase, and alone used to slay lions. He had
issued orders that whoever should bring news of
a lion should receive from his officers a horse and saddle; and
he who should bring news of a leopard an unsaddled horse.
He would go forth alone and kill lions and leopards. During
His five great
battles.
his reign he fought five [great] battles, the first
with Farrukh-Yasár king of Shírwán at the place
called Jabání, the second with Alwand at Shurúr,
the third with Sulṭán Murád at Alma Qúlághí near Hama-