In Search of Allegiance: Shah Tahmāsp's Communication with Zaynal Bayg of Hakkārī.

The Kurdish emirate of Hakkārī played a very important role in the interaction between the Ottoman and Safavid empires. Brought under Ottoman control, in the course of the sixteenth century Hakkārī turned into one of the principal frontier emirates, connected through frontier regions with the main centers of the Safavid state via Ādharbāyjān. Despite its Ottoman position in the sixteenth century, we know precious little about Safavid efforts to gain the allegiance of Hakkārī. One of Shah Tahmāsp's existing letters, published here for the first time, illustrates his side of the correspondence with the Hakkārī emir Zaynal Bayg, and helps to explain a few obscure points in the Safavid- Kurdish relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]