Khan Ahmad Khan Ardalan

Khan Ahmad Khan Ardalan was the Ardalan beglerbeg (governor) of Kurdistan from 1617/18 to 1637. Before his tenure, he lived as a hostage at the royal court in Isfahan, where he spent his adolescence. There he reinforced the bond between the Safavids and Kurds by marrying Zarrin Kolah, a daughter of Shah Abbas I ((r. 1588 – 1629)). In 1617/18, Shah Abbas I dismissed Khan Ahmad Khan's father Halow Khan Ardalan as the governor of Kurdistan and had him sent to Isfahan, where he died in 1627/28. Khan Ahmad Khan was sent to Ardalan in his stead. In 1633, Khan Ahmad Khan rebelled after his two sons were blinded by Shah Safi ((r. 1629 – 1642)). Khan Ahmad Khan was defeated in 1637 and died in the same year. He was replaced by his cousin Soleyman Khan Ardalan.