Introduction
Sheikh Junayd (died 1460) (Persian: شیخ جنید Shaikh Junaid) was the son of Shaykh Ibrahim. After the death of his father, he assumed the leadership of the Safaviyya from 1447–1460.
History
Under Junayd, the Safaviyya was transformed from a Sufi order organized around a saint-ascetic into an active military movement with a policy of conquest and domination. He was the first Safavi spiritual leader to espouse specifically Shi’i sentiments, and in particular those of the Twelver ghulat. Junayd was viewed as a divine incarnation by his followers.
During his time in Ardabil, Junayd attracted so many disciples that in 1448, Jahan Shah (the Kara Koyunlu prince) drove him into exile to Anatolia and Syria. While there, he engaged in missionary activities and accumulated Turkmen followers. He then went to the court of Uzun Hassan at Diyarbakır, where he married Uzun Hassan’s sister, Khadija Begum, somewhere between 1456-1459.
Junayd was prevented from returning to Ardabil, so he lived at Shirvan where he died in a local skirmish near the Samur River in what is modern Azerbaijan, where he was buried. This led to the beginning of animosity between the mainly Sunni Shirvanshah and the increasingly heterodox Shi’i Safaviyya.
Mausoleum of Sheikh Juneyd is located in the village of Khazra in Azerbaijan. Junayd was succeeded by his son Shaykh Haydar.
Succession
| Shaykh Junayd Safavid dynasty | ||
| Preceded by Sheikh Ibrahim Safavi | Leader of the Safaviyya 1447–1460 | Succeeded by Sheikh Haydar Safavi |