As the hereditary leader of the Safavid Sufi Order, Shah Ismail founded the Safavid dynasty in 1501. This study goes beyond Shah Ismail's historical legacy, however, to examine the pious and literary sources which have shaped a permanent place for him within the Alevi-Bektashi community, an Islamic sectarian minority in Turkey. Although Shah Ismail has received extensive treatment in both historical chronicles and modern historiography, this dissertation locates the development of his cult in the legendary versions of his life story. In this respect, the Turkish "Minstrel Tale" (hikaye) is fundamental to the transformation of Shah Ismail's significance in the sectarian context. This dissertation also traces the development of his pious significance through both the "authentic" poetic works of Shah Ismail, as contained in his earliest collections of poetry, as well as the poetry attributed to Shah Ismail by the Alevi-Bektashi. It is further demonstrated how the poetry attributed to Shah Ismail is integrated into ritual structures. Through the examination of these disparate literary genres, this thesis accounts for Shah Ismail's legacy as it transformed and endured within a pious context beyond his lifetime and beyond his empire.

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