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Notes on the Kizilbash

The Kizilbash were a Moslem religious brotherhood that the Safavi family used to gain control of tribal groups. The used the order to create a new confederation with which they over threw the Aqquyunlu confederation. The predominant language of the Kizilbash was Azerbaijani. The original Kizilbash Uymaqs (Aimaks) were:
Ustalu,
Shamlu,
Takkelu,
Varsaq,
Rumlu, (Rahimlu of the Qashqai)
Zu-l-Qadr,
Afshar
Qajar
More were added later. Including the Chahar Aymaq and the Abdali/Durani Pashtuns of Afghanistan
The key to understanding the Kizilbash is that the Safavi staged a realignment of the Turkmen tribes of Azeribaijan through the use of a religious brotherhood. This did not erase their Turkoman lineage and transform them body and soul into Persians. Ismael Safavi was the Grandson of the Turkoman leader that he overthrew and his allies were key clans he was able to lure way from his Grandfather. During the early days of the Safavi dynasty from the time of Ismael up until Shah Abbas the Great, the Safavi were a Turkoman Il or at least an neo-Il.