While Ismail was in
Ercuvan, he was informed about the news that Taliş Muhammed Bey would caught him.
Therefore, the disciples from Anatolia and Damascus that had gone to visit the tombs of
their former sheikhs in Erdebil were called back. This situation will effectively describe
the few number of the fellows of Ismail. As it was stated in a resource, if there had been
one thousand and five hundred people with him, there would have not been any requirement
for such a precaution and even the warning of Cakirlu Sultan Ali who was the governor of
Erdebil would have been neglected. The winter of the year of 1500 had passed so hard that
even the birds could not fly due to the severe conditions of the winter and they would
fall down from the sky.
Ismail had their
disciples to construct a snow castle. He positioned some men in the castle and he enjoyed
himself through the attacks and conquest of the castle. In the winter of (1500), he
visited Erdebil and then, he set off towards Gokçe Sea (Lake). His purpose must have been
to unite with Huseyn-i Barani who was settled in the coasts of the aforesaid lake.
However, the main purpose of Ismail was to go to Anatolia. While he was in his winter
quarters, he had sent messengers to the disciples in Anatolia to invite them to come to
Erzincan. One of these messengers was Koç Oglu Hamza Bey and he was sent to the Ustaculu
people that constituted his own tribe. Huseyn-i Barani had alleged that he was from the
lineage of Kara-Koyunlu Cihan Shah. However, this allegation should be considered in
doubt.
According to the
rumours, Ismail had 1000 people under his command in this peirod. However, despite this
number, he was afraid of being caught by Safevi Sheikh Huseyin. Therefore, he departed
from that place together with his disciples and he arrived in Sad Çukur (Çuhur Shad)
region in the south of Erevan. When, they reached to the site of Dokuz ulam, some of the
Anatolian devotees under the command of Karaca Ilyas from Bayburd entered the presence of
their sheikh. Ismail that advanced in his way passed through Kagizman and Erzurum. He
firstly came to Tercan and then to the summer pasture of Saru Kaya in the south of Tercan
(1500). Ismail was met by Ustacalu people in this place. The Safevi sheikh was the guest
of Oglan Emet that was the father of Baba Suleyman from Cavuslu nomad group in Ustacalu.
Ismail who stayed in Saru Kaya for nearly two months killed a bear that lived in a cave
and disturbed the people through shooting an arrow and he acquired much more admiration of
his disciples. Then, they went to Erzincan. According to the statement in the Ottoman
resources, Erdebil Son could easily come from Taliş to Erzincan without any subjection to
harassment. This issue clearly indicates that the Akkoyunlu State was in a terrible state
of decline.
The arrival of Ismail
in Anatolia caused a great bliss and joy among his disciples in this country. This bliss
and joy was so extreme that even a young person from Dulkadirli country who was on the
verge of his wedding night with his wife forgot the wedding night when he heard of this
arrival and he set off to Erzincan.
Turks that came in
crowded groups from every direction were the members of Ustacalu, Damascus, Anatolian
people (the inhabitant Turkish people of particularly Sivas, Amasya, and Tokat regions ),
Tekelü (the region of Antalya), Zülkadr (Dulkadr) and the people of Karaman region in
Anatolia (particularly the people of Turgutlu) and Varsak people (the Turkmens in the
region of Tarsus). Of the beys, Muhammed Bey who was the son of Ustacalu Mirza Bey, and
Abdi Bey from Damascus had been among the visitors that came with their crowded
attendants. These groups were the Anatolian Turks that founded the Safevi States and
maintained the existence of this state. As it can be understood, the overwhelming majority
or all of these Turks were from the Cental and Southern Anatolian regions. Ismail had
travelled around the Akkoyunlu State without any subjection to difficulties due to the
internal struggles and conflicts within the state and he had come to Erzincan that was a
city under the domination of this state and collected his disciples around him easily.
Meanwhile, Bayezid II was occupied with the conquests of Modon and Koron. Therefore,
thousands of people among the Ottoman subjects and the disciples in Erzincan that were
close to the border could go to Ismail without any difficulty. Before his departure from
Erzincan, Ismail had written a letter to Bayezid and requested him to permit the stay of
the children, women and the old people of the Ustacalu tribe in the Ottoman country. It
has been understood that Alauddevle Bey was indifferent to the departure of a big
community from the Dulkadir region that was under his domination together with the Safevi
Sheikh. Like his predecessors, Alauddevle had a dominion in a wide region called as Boz Ok
Region that was composed of the regions of Maraş, Elbistan and Harput and also the region
of Pınarbaşi and most significantly, the province of today’s Yozgat and some regions
that are connected to Sivas and Kayseri today.
The first steps of the denizen life that was
delayed due to Kara Tatar people were taken as a result of the efforts of him and his son,
Shah Ruh Bey. Nevertheless, it has been observed that the majority of the people that went
to Ismail were from the region of Boz Ok (Grey Arrow). The following migrations had also
taken place from this region.
The Anatolian Safevi
disciples that we will cite as Kizilbaş (Shiite) in the following sections had gathered
around their sheikh in Erzincan . As a result of this assembly, the head and the body was
connected. Then, it was due time to set in motion henceforth.
Ismail departed from Erzincan in
the beginning of the year of 1501 (July- August 1501= Sheep year). He had a force composed
of approximately seven thousands of people under his command. The target was the country
of Shirvan. Therefore, Ismail would take the revenge of both his father and grandfather,
and he would feed and equip his poor disciples with the spoils that it would acquire from
the country of Shirvan. Actually, the experiences had indicated that the army of Shirvan
Shah did not have any power to be abstained from. When they arrived in Pasin savanna in
the way of return, a force under the command of Hadim Bey was sent to Georgia and some of
the places were despoiled. An emir called as Menteş who had been the possessor of a
castle in the region of Şureğil and had despoiled the properties of Bayburtlu Karaca
Ilyas and his attendants was disciplined. Pursuant to this event, the Kura River was
passed through the famous passage of Koyun Ölümü. Then, they penetrated into Shirvan.
Shirvan Shah Ferruh Yesar gathered all
his soldiers when he heard of the news about the advance of Ismail and his disciples
towards him. The Shirvan army was composed of 20.000 cavalrymen and approximately 6.000
infantrymen and they had perfect weapons and equipment. The superior quality of Shiite
soldiers was the extreme strength of their spiritual power. These men who considered their
sheikhs as their God were going to death in haste. The Shirvan army was totally defeated
in the war that took place in the site called as Cebani near the castles of Gulistan and
Baykurd. Ferruh Yasar was killed by a Shiite soldier who was not familiar with him while
he tried to run away. Then, he was detected and his corpse was incinerated. Pursuant to
the war, the Shiite soldiers that had hidden their bundles and saddlebags all together
under a tree could easily find them without any missing bag.
Ismail penetrated into Şemahi
pursuant to this first victory that he had won. Most of the Shirvan soldiers were in
Şehr-i Nev on the coast of the sea together with Sheikh Shah (his real name was Sheikh
Ibrahim) who was the son of Ferruh Yesar. Ismail who was informed about this news sent a
troop of soldiers under the command of Taliş Hadim Bey and he also oriented towards this
place. Sheikh Shah got on a ship and run away to Gilan and his soldiers got dispersed.
Ismail went to the site of Mahmut Abat that was near to the river-mouth of Kura River in
order to spend the winter. He sent Ustacalu Muhammed Bey and Hınuslu Aygud Oğlu Ilyas
Bey to conquer Baku. These persons accomplished this task with success. While Ismail spent
the winter (906=winter of 1500-1501), Emir Zekeriyya came from Tabriz. Ismail entitled him
with the title of Key of Azerbaijan and he assigned him as his vizier. Emir Zekeriyya was
the member of the famous Muhammed-i Keçeci family in Tabriz and he had been in the
service of the Akkoyunlu State as a vizier for a long time. When the spring came
(906=1501), Ismail got out of the winter quarters and he attempted to conquer the castle
of Gulistan. Meanwhile, he heard of the news about the advance of the Akkoyunlu Ruler,
Elvend against him. Therefore, he set in motion in order to encounter him. Ismail and
Elvend fought in the site of Shurur within the environs of Nachicevan (907=1501 probably
in the month of July or August). Although Elvend was in a superior state in respect of
number and weapons, he was defeated by the Safevi sheikh. A significant portion of the
Akkoyunlu army and most of the Akkoyunlu beys were killed in the battlefield. The
principal emirs of Ismail who had fought in this war were composed of particularly his
older disciples such as Lala Hüseyin Bey from Damascus and ile Dulkadirli (Zülkadr) Dede
Abdal Bey, and the others such as Ustacalu Muhammed Bey, Şamlu Abdi (Abidin) Bey,
Bayburdlu Karaca İlyas, Tekelü Saru Ali Bey, Rumlu Ali Bey (he was called as Div Sultan
in the further periods), Tekelü Helvacı oğlu İlyas Bey, Zulkadrlu (Dulkadir) Keçel
Bey, Karamanlu Bayral Bey, Kacar Pîrî Bey, Taliş Hâdim Bey and some other emirs. As it
can be observed, only the last 3 of them were bot from Anatolia. Of these emirs, Karamanlu
Bayram Bey had been the commander of some of Zulkadr and Tekelü soldiers in the coure of
the return from Erzincan. The disappearance of the emirs from Taliş people pursuant to
Hadim Bey was another evidence that indicated that Hadim Bey had participated in the
foundation of the state with few people from his tribe. We can utter the same statement
for Karamanlu and Kaçar people.
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