Abdollah Khan Ustajlu


Abdollah Khan Ustajlu was a high-ranking Safavid dignitary of Turkoman origin, who served during the reign of king Tahmasp I. He successively held the posts of amir al-omarāʾ and divanbegi, before becoming the governor of Shirvan from 1549 until 1565 or 1566.

Biography

Abdollah Khan was a son of Qara Khan Ustajlu by his wife, a sister of king Ismail I, and was thus a nephew to Ismail's successor and son Tahmasp I. He married a Safavid princess himself as well, a daughter of Ismail I with the name of Pari Khan Khanum.
In 1549, having already served as amir-al-omarāʾ and divanbegi, he was appointed governor of Shirvan, a post he held for numerous years. in 1562-1563, Abdollah Khan sent envoys to the capital of the Russian Tsardom, Moscow, to conduct discussions about trade. In the 1560s, Abdollah Khan granted the Muscovy Company trading privileges, whose mission to Safavid Iran at the time was led by Anthony Jenkinson. Abdollah Khan's grandson, Salman Khan Ustajlu b. Shah-Qoli Mirza, became one of the "highest and richest dignitaries of the state" on his turn.