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The Persian Georgians: How Gholam Slaves Became Safavid Power Brokers
In this episode of The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness, Lucas and Luna explore the rise of the gholam—Christian slaves from the Caucasus who became the backbone of Shah Abbas I's military and administrative reforms. They trace how the shah systematically broke the power of the Qizilbash by importing thousands of Georgians, Armenians, and Circassians, training them as elite soldiers, and promoting them to the highest offices of state. The conversation covers the pivotal Battle of Marv where the gholam first proved their worth, the career of the Armenian-born Allahverdi Khan who…
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