42 
[No. 2, 
E. E. Oliver —The Safwi Dynasty of Persia. 
abandon his conquests. In 941 H. Tahmasp’s brother Sam Mirza, who 
had been left as governor of Hirat, rebelled, but fled on the former’s 
approach across the Oxus, and subsequently to Qandahar. To recount 
these constant moves of the pieces backwards and forwards across the 
Khurasan chess-board is monotonous, but it must have been much 
more so for Khurasan and its people, the changes being rung between 
plunder by Uzbak and Persian, and persecution by Sunni and Shi’ah. 
The city of Hirat and the misfortunes of its luckless inhabitants would 
alone require a volume. Again in 942 H. it was taken and pillaged by 
’Ubaidu-llah, and the Shi’ahs had to suffer. In 943 H. Tahmasp re¬ 
gained it, and the Sunnis bore the brunt. Sultan Muhammad Mirza, 
a young prince, was made governor. 
At one time Tahmasp extended his power as far as Qandahar, at 
another 955 H, the Turks were masters as far as Isfahan, and for some 
years war with the latter continued. Ultimately the anarchy which 
prevailed in the Turkish empire ensured the peace of Persia ; and the 
death of ’Ubaidu-llah rendered the Uzbaks less troublesome. In 960 H. 
Tahmasp subdued Georgia, and took some unimportant cities in Asia 
Minor, but shortly after gave over charge of his armies to his generals 
and settled down at Qazwin, which he made his capital. The reign of 
Tahmasp, as Malcolm remarks, owes much of its celebrity to the truly 
royal and hospitable reception he gave to the Emperor Humayun, a 
full account of which may be read in Erskine. This was in 950—51 H. 
Tahmasp died in 984 H. at the age of 64, after a reign of 53 years. 
Isma’il the Second 984—985 H. 
Tahmasp left a large family. Haidar, the favourite of five sons, 
who had been kept at court while his brothers were employed elsewhere, 
seized the palace and proclaimed himself king, but he neglected two 
very important matters—to seize the treasuries and secure the support 
of the ladies. The neglect of the latter promptly brought* him into the 
toils of Tahmasp’s favourite Sultanah, Pari-Khun Kh&nanp the sister of 
Rhamkhal, chief of the Chirkas tribe, by whoso intrigues ho was mas¬ 
sacred, before his friends could assemble, and bis brother Tsma’il, at the 
time imprisoned in the Fort of Kahki, was immediately proclaimed 
king, 984 H. 
Coming straight from a prison to a throne Tsma’iTs short reign 
was a brief record of debauchery and crime. His first act was to direct 
* [Malcolm, Yol. 1, p. 614, Hpolls the immo Van-Khan Khnnttm, but tho Persian 
Translation makes it Fari-Jdn Khanam, which is probably tho correct form. 
Malcolm, ibid., poll* the rrnmo of the fort Kdhlfi (Transl., p. 172. kahk), and 
any*, it is believed to bo the modorn PhuhAh, (Transl, fih(thah). Ed.] 
