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Siege of Tabriz
	; Ismail declares himself shah by entering Tabriz, painter Chingiz Mehbaliyev, in private collection.
Date	1501
Location	Tabriz, Iran
Result	Safavid victory.
Territorial; changes	Safavids capture Tabriz.
Belligerents
Safavid dynasty	Aq Qoyunlu
Commanders and leaders
	Shah Ismail I

Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid Empire, embarked on a series of significant military campaigns between 1501 and 1524 to establish and expand his realm. His reign was marked by a series of key conflicts that shaped the political and religious landscape of the region. This article provides an overview of these major military engagements, highlighting Shah Ismail I’s strategic initiatives and their impact on the consolidation of the Safavid state and the expansion of its territories.

The siege of Tabriz (Persian: محاصره تبریز) took place in 1501 just after the Safavids had defeated the Aq Qoyunlu in the Battle of Sharur. In the preceding battle the Safavids were able to defeat the Aq Qoyunlus that had an army which was 4 times bigger than the Safavid army.^[1] After the siege Ismail I chose Tabriz as his capital and proclaimed himself Shahanshah of Iran.^[2]^[3]^[4]

References

^ "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica".
^ George Lenczowski, "Iran under the Pahlavis", Hoover Institution Press, 1978, p. 79: "Ismail Safavi, descendant of the pious Shaykh Ishaq Safi al-Din (d. 1334), seized Tabriz assuming the title of Shahanshah-e-Iran".
^ Stefan Sperl, C. Shackle, Nicholas Awde, "Qasida poetry in Islamic Asia and Africa", Brill Academic Pub; Set Only edition (February 1996), p. 193: "Like Shah Ni'mat Allah-i Vali he hosted distinguished visitors among them Ismail Safavi, who had proclaimed himself Shahanshah of Iran in 1501 after having taken Tabriz, the symbolic and political capital of Iran".
^ Heinz Halm, Janet Watson, Marian Hill, Shi'ism, translated by Janet Watson, Marian Hill, Edition: 2, illustrated, published by Columbia University Press, 2004, p. 80: "...he was able to make his triumphal entry into Alvand's capital Tabriz. Here he assumed the ancient Iranian title of King of Kings (Shahanshah) and setup up Shi'i as the ruling faith"