In a 17th century Safavid collection of stories, the biography of Firuzshah, the Kurdish founding father of the Safavid house is introduced and why 'of the Golden Crown' was attached to his name. It's likely that the detail has some historical reality, in the sense that it's corroborated from other examples in Kurdish history that such titles meant that the figure or tribe held a fiefdom, and a way to display that was for the members to wear some golden piece, as in the example of a Kurdish tribe, whose name means: 'of the Golden Shoe':
The historians of events and the tellers of tales and the sugar-chewing parrots of fine discourse have related thus: In the time of the Emam who commands obedience and demands protection, the Emam Musā Kāzim, who was the hon-orable ancestor of Soltan Mohammad Firuzshāh, Solțān Seyyed Firuzshāh was living in the Abode of Right Guidance, Ardabil. God Almighty, by the light of divine knowledge and the flow of infallible causality, had raised that victorious and noble prince to a high station. Solţān Adham Shah, the son of Ebrahim Adham, was king of Iran. In his time, most provinces, such as Ādharbāyjān, clung to the paths of Sunnism and Christianity, and the true sect of the Twelve Emāms was hidden.
When the fame of the perfection of Solțān Firuzshāh had swept the world, it reached the hearing of the eminent king Solțān Adham, the son of Soltan Ebrahim. The king's whole being was taken up with the fervent desire to see that garden of truth. When he arrived in Ardabil, the noble seyyeds and juris-prudents and lords and common people all welcomed him. When Solțān Ad-ham's eye fell from afar on the beauty of Soltan Firuzshāh, the light from the forehead of that chosen one of God was so resplendent that the world-illumi-nating sun was as darkest night next to it. He saw his own royal magnificence pale before the grandeur of that prince, brilliant like the eyes of a div. He was swept away by the pleasure of beholding that graceful rose, and love penetrat-ed his heart so much that he opened his arms in mercy and affection and warmly embraced him. After this, they began to converse, asking each other about past affairs, then went together to the home of Solțān Firuzshāh, form-ing an auspicious conjunction.¹ After some small talk, one Solțān asked the other:
"What was the purpose of your undertaking such a long journey?"
Solţān Adham replied: "The fame of your disciples had reached our ears, and some ignorant and superficial people said, 'Don't let Solțān Firuzshāh gradually become lord over the land of Iran! It is better to test him, like miners do, by the touchstone of investigation. If he proves a fraud, purify him with the fire of wrath, so that by going through a few crucibles he may become genuine.' No matter how much they repeated their talk about you in secret, though, hatred for you found no way into my heart; rather, perfect happiness befell my mind. Because of this, I got up and came here, and I was exalted by our meeting. Since not one speck of darkness is ever visible when I look in the mirror of your face, I would like you to do me a favor: Rule over Iran as a brother, for my mind is at peace regarding you." No matter how much Solțān Adham importuned him in this way, Solțān Firuzshāh kept refusing. Finally Solțān Adham made him swear an oath to the holy Emāms, entreating him to accept the province of Ardabil as his fief. Firuzshāh, because of the oath he had sworn, could not refuse what the Solţān was saying, so he accepted. Then Soltan Adham took off his jeweled crown and placed it on his Firuzshāh's head, saying: "We name you Solțān Firuzshāh of the Golden Crown (zarrin-kolāh)." After that, Solţān Adham went off to Balkh. Solțān Firuzshah of the Golden Crown provided the people with guidance on the Straight Path until his ap-pointed time came. When he became ill, he summoned his noble son Evazolkhavāşş, naming him in his will as his heir-apparent. Then he com-mended himself to God and was joined to His mercy.
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