SəFƏVİLƏr döVLƏTİ

partitioned among Qizilbash noblemen. The central power ruled by
weak willed Shah Muhammed Khudabende had terribly weakened
and nearly didn't activate.
Using of the internal struggles of the Safavi state the Ottoman
Turkey sent its troops to the South Caucasus again. New period of
wars lasting till 1590 started again. At this time not stepping back
systematically and stubbornly in front of any kind of loss the

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Ottoman Turkey was able to capture the South Caucasus. These
countries were undergone huge ruins. Especially, Azerbaijan being
the main battle field in these wars had been completely destroyed.
The Shirvan lands, undergone the attacks of Crimea khans except
Turkish, were destroyed. The Safavi state had been surrounded
with internal conflicts and weakened day by day. Not having
enough power and opportunity to defend itself from Turkish troop
the Safavis obliged to sign a peace treaty. According to this treaty
they were forced to admit the fact connected with the occupation of
Azerbaijan and Georgia. These enervating wars affected negatively
to the historical fortunate of the South Caucasus nations being
under reign of Ottoman feudal.
At the beginning of the XVII century as a result of constant
occupation of Azerbaijan by Ottoman Empire put an end to the
existence of Safavi dynasty founded by Shah Ismail I. 20 years long
Ottoman reign in Azerbaijan caused destroying its resources and
economical decline. In XVII century Azerbaijan lost its reign in the
administration of Safavi state and was forced to compromise it to
the interior provinces of Iran. Except that, Azerbaijan noblemen and
Qizlbash tribes lost its prior power as a result of internal and
external wars. Even so, in the XVII century Azerbaijan nobles
unable to keep their hegemony position everywhere. As a
dangerous power they began gradually pressed by the Iran feudal.
Adjoining the South and North provinces of Azerbaijan under the
reign of Safavi state from political point of view has to be consid-
ered as a new period of Azerbaijan history. The state, especially the
advantage of private feudal property in land was the new features
in strengthening of centralization directly connected with it. To
pursue the centralization policy created new forms of land owners
called "tiyul".
At the first part of the XVI century the welfare of the population
improved a little. But at the end of the 70s years and at the
beginning of 80s years the welfare of the population hardened
again. The working masses, failing into hard situation began their
armed struggle against exploiters. The bright sample of it was the
revolt of Tabriz in 1571-1573. The creation of Azerbaijani Safavid
state offered all necessary facilities for the development of
productive forces. The agriculture developed and craftsmanship
and trade reached their peak. The economical relations of
Azerbaijan with Moscow and European countries were developed
and strengthened for its local silk, which gained the worldwide
fame at the time. Arash, Tabriz, Shamakhi and Julfa was the inter-
national trade centers of raw material and silk. Ardabil,
Nakhichivan, Ganja, Baku and many other big cities became the

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centers of craftsmanship. The great development in the field of
Azerbaijan culture also connected with the reign of Safavis. It was
also the widely spreading period of Azerbaijani language. The
great literary works, gained worldwide fame were written in
Azeribaijani Turkish. Great poets such as, Fuzuli, Habibi and Shah
Ismail Khatai wrote their works in this language. The painting
samples of Tabriz art school included to the row of world art pearls
and caused to be trained the great artists like Kamalladin Behzad
and Sultan Muhammad.
Safavi state has an exceptional place in the history of our
country. The history of this state is instructive in many points for
our contemporary nation. There were many objective reasons for
disintegrating of Safavi state. Not having the integrity among
Qizilbash tribes, their making conflicts and hostility with each
other, clashing of interests for wealth, fertile lands and reign, posi-
tion of tribes, general hardship of private and general state
interests, like this many other reasons resulted with disintegration
of Safavi dynasty. It would be more convincing to value the reality
of wars between the Ottoman Empire and Safavis not as a hostility
of two Turkish nation (Ottoman and Azeri turks) but as crash of
economical and political interests of the rulers of these huge coun-
tries. The creation of sharp conflicts between Sunni and Shiite sects
on political purpose roused the relation between two Turkish
nations.
Those times European countries instigated these two Turkish
and Muslim states to make war against each other by offering
various pretexts and at same time they tried to protect the south-east
Europe from the Ottoman occupations.

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