Rustam Mirza Safavi

Rustam Mirza Safavi, known as Rustam Qandahari, was an Iranian administrator, a prince of the Safavid dynasty, and an eminent grandee in the court of the Mughal Empire. Rustam Mirza belonged to a junior branch of the Imperial Safavids, who ruled over the Qandahar region. In 1578, at age 12, Rustam was appointed governor of Zamindawar and Garmsir, by his cousin, Shah Mohammad Khodabanda. As an adult, Rustam became a significant destabilising force in the region, exercising semi-independent rule and launching invasions into neighboring Sistan and Qandahar to expand his domain, fostering a fierce rivalry with his brother, Mozaffar-Hosayn Mirza. In the early 1590s, his failed attempt to establish an independent realm in Khorasan prompted his defection to the Mughal Empire.