Uzun Ḥasan Ak Koyunlu and the Campaign against the Georgians Involved in the Struggle with Sultan Muhammad Fatih

Religion، as a factor، was a very important pretext both before and after the advent of Islam for invading the Georgian settlements. Of the ruling dynasties in post-Islam Iran، Ak-Koyunlus or Bāyundurian، under the leadership of Uzun Ḥasan، were among those invaders who، under the guise of religion and in the name of campaign (ghazā) and jihād، carried out destructive attacks on Georgians. Five significant attacks of Uzun Ḥasan against the Georgians are recorded in sources under the heading of campaign and we know that ghazā is a sacred and divine battle against the infidels for expansion of Islam as a religion. Anyway، this research addresses the attention Uzun Ḥasan paid to the land of Georgians involved in the struggle with Sultan Muḥammad Fātiḥ and is intended to clarify his motivations for invading those regions.