Abstract
<jats:p>This article explores the role of Georgian ghulams in the cultural sphere of the Safavid Empire (1501-1722). Georgian captives taken during Safavid shahs’ military campaigns began to form a “third force”, counterposed to both Qizilbash and Tajiks. Ghulams were primarily military prisoners who occupied important positions in the military and administrative structures of medieval Muslim states, often rising to high ranks due to their own talents, discipline, and loyalty to the ruler. The institution of ghulams in the Safavid Empire remains insufficiently studied in domestic and foreign historiography. The mechanisms by which slaves were integrated into the socio-administrative structure of the state, the principles governing their appointment to various positions, and the ways of realizing their creative potential in the court environment are still not fully understood. This article contributes to the study of this problem through the cases of specific court figures of Georgian origin. Research Objective. To identify the role and contribution of Georgian ghulams in the cultural life of Safavid Iran based on the biographies of the artist Siyavush Beg Gurji, the calligrapher Yusuf Gurji, the painter Ali Quli Jabbadar, and the musician-composer Amir Khan Gurji. The source base comprises Safavid chronicles and prosopographies: Tarikh-i Alamara-yi Abbasi by Iskandar Munshi, Sharaf-nama by Sharaf-khan Bidlisi, Gulistan-i Hunar by Qazi Ahmad Qumi, and Raphaël du Mans’ account in Estat de la Perse en 1660. The research employs a comparative-historical method, enabling comparison of the biographies and creative paths of court ghulams within the context of the era, and a problem-chronological approach reconstructing the sequence of their cultural activities at the Safavid court.</jats:p>