Treaty of Serav was a treaty between Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 and Safavid Persia after the war of 1615 - 1618. (signed on the 26th of September, 1618)

Background

By the treaty of Nasuh Pasha

Treaty of Nasuh Pasha

Treaty of Nasuh Pasha was a treaty between Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia after the war of 1603 - 1612. - Background :...

 in 1612 Ottoman Empire had agreed to turn back Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...

 and Northwest Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 to Safavid Persia. Safavid Empire on the other hand agreed to pay an annual tribute of 200 loads of silk as a part of reparations . However, Shah Abbas I of Persia refused to pay the tribute. The war renewed in 1615.

The war

The Ottoman commander in chief Grand Vizier

Grand Vizier

Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...

 Öküz Kara Mehmed Pasha

Öküz Kara Mehmed Pasha

Kara Mehmed Pasha or "Öküz" Mehmed Pasha was an Ottoman statesman and military commander of the early 17th century, who held the office of Grand Vizier twice, the first time from 17 October 1614 to 17 November 1616 , and the second time from 18 January 1619 to 23 December 1619, Kara Mehmed Pasha...

 tried to capture Yerevan

Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...

 (modern Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

) which was recently abandoned by the treaty of Nasuh Pasha. But he lifted the siege after 44 days. The target of the next commander in chief Damat Halil Pasha was Ardabil

Ardabil

Ardabil is a historical city in north-western Iran. The name Ardabil probably comes from the Zoroastrian name of "Artavil" which means a holy place. Ardabil is the center of Ardabil Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 412,669, in 102,818 families...

. This time Abbas sued for peace.

The terms

The terms of the treaty was similar to those of treaty of Nasuh Pasha with several minor rectifications on border line. Also, the annual tribute of Persian side was reduced from 200 loads to 100 loads.

Aftermath

This treaty proved that a stalemate between Ottoman empire and Safavid Persia had been reached and neither side might gain substantial territories in the long run. In the following decades there were times when Ottomans succeeded to storm Tebriz and there were times when Persians succeeded to capture Bagdat. But these victories were all temporary and the balance of power between the two states continued up to 20th century.