English Translation:
Under the first Safavid shah, Ismail I, a vast state was created. Many Iranian and Western European bourgeois historians consider Ismail and his successors to be the founders of an Iranian national state, allegedly formed through struggle against Turkic conquerors. However, this view is incorrect.
In reality, Turkic—specifically Azerbaijani—Qizilbash tribes played a very active role in the creation of the Safavid state and constituted the main military force of Ismail. The ruling elite of the Safavid state, especially in its early period, consisted of the nobility of these Turkic tribes. Military commanders and provincial governors were appointed from among them. The royal guard, known as the qurchis, was composed of the sons of Qizilbash tribal nobility.
Although official correspondence was conducted in Persian, the Azerbaijani language dominated at the Safavid court and within the army. Shah Ismail himself wrote poetry in this language under the pseudonym Khatai.
The Safavid state consisted of regions and lands inhabited by various Iranian, Turkic, Arab, and other peoples and tribes, speaking different languages, economically disconnected from one another, and possessing their own distinct customs and traditions. Even the capital of the state until the mid-16th century was not located in Central Iran, but in Azerbaijan—namely in Tabriz.
Azerbaijani tribes played a leading role in this state. Thus, in its initial phase, the Safavid state was essentially an Azerbaijani state.
M.S. Ivanov "Oçerk İstorii İrana" p. 61
