Amanullah Khan Ardalan's Orientation towards Sheykhieh: Its Causes and Consequences

Ardalan's family was one of the ruling families in the Kurdistan region, which, due to numerous cultural and historical factors, refused to accept the official Shi’a religion, accepted the Safavid obedience, and the members of this family were subordinate to the central government until the late Qajar. Although the inhabitants of the area remained on Shafi’i’s religion, the governor's family accepted the Shi’a religion from the middle of the Safavid period. The last governor of Ardalan, Amanullah Khan II (1265-1284 AH), was a Qajar from his mother, converted to Sheikiah, and for some time (though short) turned Sanandaj into one of Sheykhieh's propaganda centers. This historical research, while investigating the presence of Sheykhieh in Kurdistan, has examined the causes of the accompaniment of Amanullah Khan II with Sheykhieh, as well as the implications of this theorem. This article shows that the accompaniment of Amanullah Khan to Sheykieh was due to various political, personal and family motives. The presence and activity of Sheykhieh in Kurdistan lasted nearly three years to promote their ideas. As a result of the governor's inclination to Sheykhieh, sympathy between the residents of Kurdistan and his relationship with the central government were also affected. Eventually, this contributed to the early decline of Ardalan's rule.