Khorasan, the Eastern Province of Safavid Iran in the 1630s

The province of Khorasan, which was a part of Iran since the Sassanids (224–651), has been the scene of conflict between Persians, Uzbeks and Moguls over its territory for several centuries. A new wave of aggravation of this internecine struggle occurred during the reign of Shah Safi (1629–1642). Shah Safi I is associated with the weakening of the central authority in Iran and the loss of a number of territories that had previously been part of the Safavid State. The information about it is given in the Khulasat al-Siyar by the Shah’s court historiographer Muhammad Ma‘sum (1586/87–1647). As far as we know, this is the only manuscript of the period written in Persian and covering all thirteen years of Shah Safi’s reign. Analyzing the data of this source, one can follow the course of military clashes in the province of Khorasan, as well as find out the circumstances of the loss by the Persians of the city Kandahar (1638), reveal the names of local rulers, both those who were loyal to the Shah and those, who “put on the robe of betrayal”. Muhammad Maʻsum’s information about this period of the Safavid dynasty’s history (1501–1736) remains unclaimed by modern scholars and investigators.