tribal confederation · Mesopotamia and Iran

Qara Qoyunlu

1374 CE – 1468 CE (approx.) · capital Tabriz

A Turkmen confederation, the 'Black Sheep', that ruled Azerbaijan, Iraq and much of Iran in the 15th century until defeated by the rival White Sheep.

Origins

The Qara Qoyunlu were Oghuz Turkmen tribes of the region around Lake Van and Mosul. Their leader Bayram Khwaja emerged in the 1370s as a vassal of the Jalayirids. Qara Yusuf fought Timur, fled to the Mamluk Sultanate, returned after Timur's death and in 1410 defeated and killed Ahmad Jalayir, taking Tabriz and Baghdad.

Rule and society

The confederation was ruled by the Qara Yusuf family through tribal leaders and Persian officials, with Tabriz as capital. Iskandar fought the Timurid Shah Rukh. Jahan Shah (1438 to 1467) expanded the state to its greatest extent, briefly taking Herat in 1458, and wrote poetry in Turkic and Persian; the Blue Mosque of Tabriz was built in his reign. The dynasty has been associated with Shia sympathies, though this is debated.

Decline and legacy

In 1467 Uzun Hasan of the Aq Qoyunlu defeated and killed Jahan Shah. His son Hasan Ali was defeated in 1468, and Aq Qoyunlu absorbed the state.

Lineage

Qara QoyunluAq Qoyunlu 1378 CE – 1503 CE

Connections (6)

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Qara Qoyunlu. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qara-qoyunlu
MLA
“Qara Qoyunlu.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qara-qoyunlu. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Qara Qoyunlu.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qara-qoyunlu.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Qara Qoyunlu’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qara-qoyunlu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻