Bijan Beg Saakadze

Bijan Beg, also known as Bijan Beg Gorji (Bezhan, Bizhan), was a Safavid noble and gholam from the Georgian Saakadze clan. He was one of the most influential and closest servants of king Abbas I (r. 1588–1629) in the latters' early reign.

Bijan belonged to the gentry (aznauri), and initially served king Luarsab I of Kartli. It is probable that he accompanied David XI of Kartli (Davud Khan) when the latter moved to the Safavid court at Qazvin in 1562 in order to tender his submission to king Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576). When David XI converted to Islam on this occasion, it is probable that Bijan Beg converted as well. After the Ottoman conquest of northwestern Iran and the Caucasus through the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578-1690, Bijan moved together with a son of David XI of Kartli, either Bagrat or Rostom, and other nobles moved to the Safavid court. Bijan then subsequently served Safavid king Abbas I (r. 1588-1629) for many years, and was part of the elite gholam regiments. In the first years of Abbas' reign, in 1590, Bijan was given the position of darugha (prefect) of the city of Isfahan, a position he would hold for several years. This further stipulates his high-ranking position and close relationship with the reigning Safavid king, for he was entrusted with the rule of the future Safavid capital. He was selected as a senior squire (yasavol-e sohbat) after the conquest of Kandahar. Shortly after, he was sent to Azerbaijan to supervise the army. In the Tarikh-e-Rostam (lit. "On the history of Rostam") it is mentioned that Abbas ordered Bijan to guard the royal palace after suppressing the revolt of Yaqub Khan in Fars.Iskandar Beg Munshi, the court historian at the time also mentions Bijan and writes in particular about one of his duties where he was to guard an important captive. When Bagrat Khan was appointed as ruler of Kartli by Abbas I in 1619, Bijan Beg was appointed to serve as lord chamberlain (sakhlt'ukhuts'esi) at his court. Due to his high-ranking position at Luarsab I and Bagrat Khan's court, Bijan Beg is seen as an open supporter of David XI and his successors pro-Iranian policies.

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