Khan Ahmad Khan

Khan Ahmad Khan
King of the Karkiya dynasty
Reign1538–1592
PredecessorSoltan-Hasan Kiya
SuccessorSafavid conquest
Born1537
Lahijan, Gilan
Died1596
Constantinople
Burial
SpouseMaryam Begum
IssueYakhan Begum
FatherSoltan-Hasan Kiya
ReligionTwelver Shia Islam

Khan Ahmad Khan (Gilaki/Persian: خان احمد خان), was the last king of the Karkiya dynasty in Gilan, ruling from 1538 to 1592. In 1591, the Safavid shah Shah Abbas (r. 1588–1629) asked Khan Ahmad Khan's daughter Yakhan Begum to marry his son Mohammad Baqer Mirza, since Khan Ahmad Khan had no male successor. Khan Ahmad Khan disagreed due to the age of his daughter. This and some other economic factors caused a Safavid raid in 1591 and Khan Ahmad Khan escaped to Ottoman territories, and spent the rest of his life in Constantinople and Baghdad, spending fruitless attempts to return to power. He died in 1596 and was buried in Najaf, one of the holiest cities of Shia Islam.