The Tupchi-bashi ("head of the tupchis") was the commander of the Safavid Empire's artillery corps. He was responsible for the artillery battery (tup-khaneh) and needed materials in relation to the artillery pieces as well. The tupchi-bashi received assistance by an administrative staff, as well as by various officers of lower rank. The term tupchi-bashi was also used to designate the commanders of local artillery batteries in the various cities and provinces of the empire.

List of Tupchi-bashis

Reign of Ismail I

  • Hamza Beg (1507)
  • Mahmud Beg (1516)

Reign of Tahmasp I

  • Ostad Sheikhi Beg (1528-1529)
  • Sheikh Ali (1538-1539)
  • Darvish Beg (1551-1552)
  • Soleiman Beg (1556-1557)

Reign of Mohammad Khodabanda

  • Morad Khan (1580-1581)

Reign of Abbas I

Reign of Safi

Reign of Abbas II

Reign of Suleiman I

  • Najafqoli Beg (1669-1679)[lower-alpha 5]
  • Mohammad Hosein Beg (1679-?)
  • Musa Beg (1692)
  • Abd ol-Razzaq Beg (1693-1695)

Reign of Sultan Husayn

Reign of Tahmasp II

  • Emin Khan (1728-1729)
  • Taher Beg (1730-1731)
  • Mohammadqoli Khan (1731-1732)
  • Yar Beg Khan (1732)

Reign of Abbas III

  • Yar Beg Khan (1732)
  • Mehdi Khan (1733)

Notes

  1. A gholam, he started his career in the qeichigari ("tailors workshop") and rose to further importance from there.
  2. Son of Barkhordar Beg.
  3. After Hoseinqoli Khan died in 1655, Abbas II did not appoint a new tupchi-bashi. The jabbehdar-bashi ("head of the royal arsenal") took over its role temporarily until 1660-1661. Floor mentions that the post may have become vacant afterwards.
  4. The actual role of tupchi-bashi was still performed by the jabbehdar-bashi during these years. However, Qalandar Soltan Chuleh did keep command over the artillery and its related logistics at Qandahar.
  5. He was also rekabdar.
  6. Died at Gulnabad in 1722.
  7. He was the son of Aslamas Beg.
  8. After Mohammad-Ali Khan was dismissed on 14 June 1722, he was succeeded by his seven year old son.

Sources

  • Floor, Willem (2001). Safavid Government Institutions. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers. pp. 188–199. ISBN 978-1568591353.
  • Mikaberidze, Alexander (2015). Historical Dictionary of Georgia (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 362. ISBN 978-1442241466.
  • Savory, Roger (2007). Iran Under the Safavids. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 59, 92. ISBN 978-0521042512.
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