Son and successor of Safiyuddin Ardabili, founder of the Safaviyya order. Upon his father's death in 735/1334 he took charge of the Ardabil lodge and led the order for nearly sixty years; in his time the office of postnishin became hereditary. He built a mausoleum over his father's grave together with a khalwa-house and a house of Qur'an memorizers, forming the core of the Sheikh Safi al-Din Ensemble now on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Through his khalifas he spread the order towards Georgia and Khurasan, sending his famous deputy Qasim-i Anvar first to Gilan and in 779/1377 to Herat. Sources relate that rulers of the age, including Timur, showed him respect. In his era the Safaviyya was a Sufi order esteemed in Sunni circles as well. He died in 794/1392 (some sources: 1391) and was buried beside his father in Ardabil; his son Khwaja Ala al-Din Ali succeeded him. The Bayramiyya chain connects to the Ardabil lodge through this family. (Sources: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam "Safeviyye"; Ankara University Open Course; UNESCO WHC ref. 1345.)