Safi-ad-Din Ardabili

Safi Al-Din Adabili (1252-1334) was the spiritual Heir and son in Law of the great Sufi Murshid (Grand Master) Sheikh Zahed Gilani, of Lahijan in Gilan provinece of Northern Iran. Sheikh Safi Al-Din inherited Sheikh Zahed Gilani's Zahediyeh Sufi Order, which he later transformed into his own Safaviyeh Order. During the following 170 Years this Order gained political and military power, fially culminating in the Safavid Dynasty.