A Study and Analysis of the Safavid Historiographical Approach to Shah Tahmasb's Attacks on Georgia

Georgia was a Christian land that was of special interest to the kings of this dynasty during the Safavid period. Most of the Safavid attacks on Georgia took place during the reign of Shah Tahmasb, which were carried out to achieve the two goals of jihad in the way of God and gaining booty. The type and manner of reflection of these attacks in Safavid historiography is a topic that this study seeks to address. The presupposition of the research is based on the fact that due to the religious nature of the Safavid rule and in general the religious worldview prevailing in that period, historiography in that period is also subject to the conditions and Shah Tahmaseb's attacks on Georgia as O religious narrated. The present study has been done with a descriptive-analytical approach and relying on the method of collecting information from historical sources.Findings show that Safavid historians have followed two methods in narrating the attacks of Shah Tahmaseb on Georgia: First; To magnify Shah Tahmaseb's successes was to turn to the use of epic expressions in the narrative of Tahmaseb's attacks on Georgia. Second; Justification for the killings and looting that took place in these attacks, using arguments such as: - Introducing the Georgians as polytheists and infidels, whose killing and looting was naturally legitimate in such a situation - Defending the Safavid king from the borders of Islam and Promoting Islam, which is the duty of every Muslim ruler - destiny in the sense that