Qarachaqay Khan, an Iranian military commander of Armenian descent

Qarachaqay Khan was a military commander in Safavid Iran of Armenian origin. He was known for his great collection of porcelain items and loyal service to Shah Abbas I. Qarachaqay Khan was killed while commanding an expedition against the Georgian rebels.

Born as a Christian Armenian in Erivan, Qarachaqay was enslaved in childhood and brought to the Safavid court to be raised as a gholam. He began his career in a royal tailoring workshop and was soon distinguished in the Safavid army as an artillery officer.

In 1605, Qarachaqay Beg, being in charge of a musketeer regiment, under the command of Allahverdi Khan—also originally a Gholam of Georgian origin—contributed to Abbas I’s victory over the Ottoman forces at Sufiyan near Tabriz.

Qarachaqay was bestowed with the title of muqarab al-Hazrat (“intimate of the illustrious”), reserved for Shah’s close companions. In 1616, he received the title of khan and was appointed commander-in-chief (sepahsalar-e Iran) of the Safavid army.

A year after the defeat of the Ottoman troops led by Khalil Pasha, he became governor of Tabriz and all of Azerbaijan but was soon recalled by the shah to continue his service as governor of Mashhad in northeastern Khorasan in 1618.

When Abbas I decided to marry his granddaughter to Semayun Khan of Kartli (Simon II) in 1624, Qarachaqay Khan ordered Yusuf Khan, likewise of Christian Armenian origin and a childhood friend, to host the banquet in the first term of the wedding party.

In the same year, Qarachaqay Khan, accompanied by the Safavid Georgian officer Murav-Beg (Giorgi Saakadze), captained a punitive expedition against the rebels in Georgia.

Murav-Beg conspired with the insurgents, who unexpectedly attacked and destroyed the Iranian camp at Martqopi, killing Qarachaqay Khan and one of his sons, Imam Verdi Khan. Both were buried within a family shrine complex in Mashhad.

Taken from: Mano Chil

This painting, Walters manuscript leaf W.691, depicts courtiers of the Safavid ruler Shah ‘Abbas I (reigned 996 AH/AD 1588-1038 AH/AD 1629). It is the right side of a double-page composition, which most likely served as a frontispiece to a manuscript. Certain courtiers of Shah ‘Abbas I are identified by name. In the far upper right two men stand wearing turbans with vertical extensions held at the center, who are identified as Alpan Bik (Beg) (in a blue robe) and Qarajaghay Khan (in a red robe). Their headdress is distinctive of high-ranking members of the court during the early 11th century AH/AD 17th. Qarajaghay Khan, an Armenian of the royal household, held several political positions at court and was an important patron of the arts. Standing lower down on the right side is Shah Vardi Bik Ishik Aqasi (literally master of the threshold, or master of ceremonies) (in a gold and black robe). An Uzbek envoy (ilchi-yi Uzbak) (in a beige and blue patterned robe) is seated on the carpet. Falconers, grooms, and a musician (Qubad-i Kurd) standing beside a man identified as Mirza ‘Umar (?) Shaykh (in a red and gold robe) is also shown. There are 2 seated female figures, identified as Gulpari and Dukhtardallalah. The latter seems to denote a woman who procures slave girls for the palace. This single leaf has been associated with Reception at the court of Shah`Abbas I, also housed at the Walters Art Museum (W.771, fol. 50a). However, it is unlikely that the two ever formed a double-page composition. wikipedia.org