Zand dynasty
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Pp-semi-indef Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infoboxTemplate |templatestyles = Template:Infobox country/styles.css | bodyclass = ib-country vcard | aboveclass = adr | above = {{#if:Guarded Domains of IranTemplate:Lang
| {{#if:Guarded Domains of Iran
|
}}{{#if:Template:Lang
|
}}{{#ifeq:|yes
|Micronation
}}
|
}}
| subheader = {{#if: | {{{life_span}}} | {{#if:1751|1751{{#if:1794|–1794 }} }} }}
| image1 = {{#if:شیر و خورشید بدون شمشیر.pngZand Dynasty flag.svg
|Template:Infobox country/imagetable }}
| data1 = {{#if:
|Motto: Template:If empty{{#if:|
}}
}}
| class2 = anthem | data2 = {{#if:
|Anthem: Template:If empty }}{{#if: |Anthems: {{{anthems}}} }}{{#if: |
}}{{#if:
|
}}{{#if:
|
}}{{#if:
|
}}{{#if:
|
}}{{#if:
|
}}{{#if:
|
}}
| data3 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
| Template:If empty
}}Template:If empty
}}
| data4 = {{#if:Mapofthezands1776.png
|{{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=Mapofthezands1776.png|size=|alt=|title=The Zand dynasty at its zenith under Karim Khan in 1776. }}{{#if:The Zand dynasty at its zenith under Karim Khan in 1776.|
}} }}
| data5 = {{#if:
|{{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=|size=|alt=|title=Location of Zand dynasty }}{{#if:|
}} }}
| label6 = Status | data6 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox country/status text }}
| label7 = Location | data7 =
| label8 = {{#if: | {{{capital_type}}} | Capital }}{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq:|capital
|capital|{{#switch:Shiraz
| [[]] = capital
| = capital
| not capital
}}}}|capital |
}}
| data8 = {{#if:Shiraz|Shiraz{{#if:|
{{#invoke:Coordinates|coordinsert|{{{coordinates}}}|type:city}}}} }}
| rowclass9 = {{#if:Shiraz|mergedrow}} | label9 = Capital-in-exile | data9 = {{#ifexist:|[[]]|}}
| rowclass10 = {{#if:Shiraz|mergedrow}} | label10 = {{#if:| {{{admin_center_type}}} | Administrative center }} | data10 = {{#switch:
|capital | = |[[Shiraz]] = |Shiraz = |#default = {{{admin_center}}}{{#if:Shiraz||{{#if:|
{{#invoke:Coordinates|coordinsert|{{{coordinates}}}|type:city}}}} }} }}
| rowclass11 = {{#if:Shiraz|mergedbottomrow}} | label11 = Largest city | data11 = {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq:|capital
|capital|{{#switch:Shiraz
| [[]] = capital
| = capital
| not capital
}}}}|capital |
| Template:If empty
}}
| rowclass12 = mergedtoprow | label12 = Official languages | data12 = Persian | rowclass13 = mergedrow | label13 = {{#if:|Recognized|Recognised}} languages | data13 = Template:If empty | rowclass14 = mergedrow | label14 = {{#if:|Recognized|Recognised}} national languages | data14 = Template:If empty | rowclass15 = mergedrow | label15 = {{#if:|Recognized|Recognised}} regional languages | data15 = Template:If empty | label16 = Common languages | data16 =
| rowclass17 = {{#ifeq:|yes
|{{#ifeq:|yes |mergedrow}}
|{{#ifeq:|yes |mergedbottomrow}} }}
| label17 ={{#ifeq:|yes
|
|Template:If empty }}
| data17 =
| rowclass18 = {{#ifeq:|yes |mergedbottomrow}} | label18 = {{#ifeq:|yes
|
|Template:If empty }}
| data18 =
| label19 = Ethnic groups {{#if: |
|
}}
| data19 =
| label20 = Religion {{#if: |
|
}}
| data20 = Twelver Shi'ism
| label21 = [[Demonym|DemonymTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | data21 = {{#if:
|{{#ifexist:{{{demonym}}} people
| [[{{{demonym}}} people|{{{demonym}}}]]
| {{{demonym}}}
}}
}}
| label22 = Type | data22 =
| label23 = Template:If empty | data23 =
| label24 = {{#if:Monarchy
| {{#if:
| [[{{{politics_link}}}|{{#ifeq:|yes|Organizational structure|Government}}]]| {{#ifexist:Politics of Zand dynasty
| {{#ifeq:|yes|Organizational structure|Government}}| {{#ifeq:|yes|Organizational structure|Government}}}}}}}}
| data24 = Monarchy
| header25 = {{#if:Monarchy || {{#if:
| {{#if:
| Leaders
| Government
}}
}} }}
| rowclass26 = mergedrow | data26 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| rowclass27 = mergedrow | label27 = {{#if:Vakilol Ro'aya (Advocate of People)| Vakilol Ro'aya (Advocate of People) }} | data27 = {{#if:Vakilol Ro'aya (Advocate of People)| }} | rowclass28 = mergedrow | data28 = {{#if:1751–1779 | Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| rowclass29 = mergedrow | label29 = {{#if:| {{{title_representative}}} }} | data29 = {{#if:| }} | rowclass30 = mergedrow | data30 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| rowclass31 = mergedrow | label31 = {{#if:|{{{title_deputy}}} }} | data31 = {{#if:| }} | rowclass32 = mergedrow | data32 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| label40 = Legislature | data40 = | rowclass41 = mergedrow
| label41 =
| data41 = | rowclass42 = mergedbottomrow
| label42 =
| data42 =
| rowclass43 = {{#if: |mergedtoprow}} | header43 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
| {{{sovereignty_type}}}{{#if: |
}}
| {{#if:| | Establishment }}
}} }}
| label44 = Establishment | data44 = {{#if:
|
|
}}
| label45 = {{#if:|Historical era|History}} | data45 = {{#if: |{{#ifexist:|[[{{{era}}}]]|{{{era}}}}} | {{#if:1751| }}}}
| rowclass46 = {{#if: |mergedrow |mergedbottomrow}} | data46 = {{#if:|Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| rowclass47 = {{#if:1751 |mergedrow |mergedbottomrow}} | data47 = {{#if:1751|Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| rowclass60 = mergedtoprow | header60 = {{#if:
| {{#if:
| [[{{{area_link}}}|Area {{#ifeq:|yes|claimed|}}]]
| {{#ifexist:Geography of Zand dynasty
| Area {{#ifeq:|yes|claimed|}}
| Area {{#ifeq:|yes|claimed|}}}}}} }}
| rowclass61 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}}
| label61 =
| data61 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox
}}
}}{{#if: | ({{{area_rank}}}) }}
}}
| rowclass62 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}}
| label62 =
| data62 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox
}}
}}
}}
| rowclass63 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}}
| label63 =
| data63 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox
}}
}}
}}
| rowclass64 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}}
| label64 =
| data64 =
| rowclass65 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}}
| label65 =
| data65 = {{#if:| }}
| rowclass66 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}}
| label66 =
| data66 = {{#if:| }}
| rowclass67 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}} | label67 = | data67 = {{#if: | Template:Convinfobox }}
| rowclass68 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}} | label68 = | data68 = {{#if: | Template:Convinfobox }}
| rowclass69 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}} | label69 = | data69 = {{#if: | Template:Convinfobox }}
| rowclass70 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}} | label70 = | data70 = {{#if: | Template:Convinfobox }}
| rowclass71 = {{#if:|mergedrow|mergedbottomrow}} | label71 = | data71 = {{#if: | Template:Convinfobox }}
| rowclass72 = mergedrow
| label72 =
| data72 = {{#if:| }}
| rowclass73 = mergedrow
| label73 =
| data73 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
|Template:Convinfobox{{#if:| ([[List of countries and dependencies by area|]])}}
}}
}}
| rowclass89 = mergedbottomrow
| label89 =
| data89 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
| Template:Convinfobox{{#if:| ([[List of countries and dependencies by area|]])}}
}}
}}
| rowclass90 = mergedtoprow | header90 = {{#if:
|{{#if:
| {{#ifeq:{{{population_link}}}|no|Population|[[{{{population_link}}}|Population]]}}| {{#ifexist:Demographics of Zand dynasty
| Population| Population}}}} }}
| rowclass91 = mergedrow
| label91 =
| data91 = {{#if:
|{{{population_estimate}}}{{#if: | ({{{population_estimate_rank}}})}}
}}
| rowclass92 = mergedrow
| label92=
| data92= {{#if:|}}
| rowclass93= mergedrow
| label93=
| data93= {{#if:|}}
| rowclass94= mergedrow | data94= {{#if:|Template:Infobox country/multirow }}
| rowclass95= mergedrow
| label95=
| data95= {{#if:
|{{{population_census}}}{{#if: | ({{{population_census_rank}}})}}
}}
| rowclass96= mergedrow | label96 = {{#if:|{{#if:|Template:Nobold}}}} | data96 = {{#if:|{{#if:|}}}}
| rowclass97 = mergedrow
| label97=
| data97= {{#if:|{{#if:
|{{{FR_total_population_estimate}}}{{#if:| ({{{FR_total_population_estimate_rank}}})}}
}} }}
| rowclass98 = mergedrow
| label98=
| data98= {{#if:|{{{FR_metropole_population}}}{{#if:
| ({{{FR_metropole_population_estimate_rank}}})}} }}
| rowclass99 = mergedbottomrow
| label99=
| data99= {{#if:
| Template:Convinfobox{{#if: | ({{{population_density_rank}}})}} }}
| rowclass100 = {{#if:|mergedbottomrow|mergedtoprow}} | label100 = Membership | data100=
| rowclass101= mergedtoprow | label101= {{#ifeq:|yes|Claimed|}} GDP Template:Nobold | data101= {{#if:
|{{#if: |{{{GDP_PPP_year}}} }}estimate
}}
| rowclass102= mergedrow
| label102=
| data102= {{#if:
|{{{GDP_PPP}}}{{#if: | ({{{GDP_PPP_rank}}})}}
}}
| rowclass103= mergedbottomrow
| label103=
| data103= {{#if:
|{{{GDP_PPP_per_capita}}}{{#if: | ({{{GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank}}})}}
}}
| rowclass104= mergedtoprow | label104= {{#ifeq:|yes|Claimed|}} GDP Template:Nobold | data104= {{#if:
|{{#if: |{{{GDP_nominal_year}}} }}estimate
}}
| rowclass105= mergedrow
| label105=
| data105= {{#if:
|{{{GDP_nominal}}}{{#if: | ({{{GDP_nominal_rank}}})}}
}}
| rowclass106= mergedbottomrow
| label106=
| data106= {{#if:
| {{{GDP_nominal_per_capita}}}{{#if: | ({{{GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank}}})}}
}}
| label107= Gini{{#if: | Template:Nobold}} | data107= {{#if:
| {{#switch:
|increase = Template:IncreaseNegative |decrease = Template:DecreasePositive |steady = Template:Steady }}{{{Gini}}}
Template:Nowrap{{#if:
| ({{{Gini_rank}}})}}}}
| label108= HDI{{#if: | Template:Nobold}} | data108= {{#if:
| {{#switch:
|increase = Template:Increase |decrease = Template:Decrease |steady = Template:Steady }}{{{HDI}}}
Template:Nowrap{{#if:
| ({{{HDI_rank}}})}}}}
| label109= {{#ifeq:|yes|Purported currency|Currency}} | data109= {{#if:
| {{{currency}}} {{#if: |({{{currency_code}}})}}
}}
| rowclass119= {{#if: |mergedtoprow}} | label119= Time zone | data119= {{#if:
|Template:Nowrap {{#if:|({{{time_zone}}})}} | }}
| rowclass120= {{#if: |mergedrow |mergedbottomrow}}
| label120=
| data120= {{#if:
|Template:Nowrap {{#if:|({{{time_zone_DST}}})|{{#if:|({{{DST}}})}}}} |{{#if:|{{{time_zone_DST}}}|}} }}
| rowclass121= mergedbottomrow | label121= | data121=
| label122 = Antipodes | data122=
| label123 = Date format | data123=
| label126= {{#if:
|{{#ifexist:Telephone numbers in Zand dynasty
| Calling code
| Calling code
}}
}}
| data126=
| label127= ISO 3166 code | data127= {{#switch:
|omit =
| = {{#if:Zand dynasty
| {{#if:Template:ISO 3166 code
| [[ISO 3166-2:Template:ISO 3166 code|Template:ISO 3166 code]]
}}
}}
|#default = [[ISO 3166-2:{{{ISO3166CODE}}}|{{{ISO3166CODE}}}]]
}}
| label128= Internet TLD | data128=
| data129 = {{#if:
|
{{{official_website}}}
}}
| data130= {{#if:
| {{#invoke:InfoboxImage|InfoboxImage|image=|size=|alt=|title=Location of Zand dynasty }}{{#if:|
}}
}}
| data134 = {{#if:Azad Khan AfghanQajar Iran|Qajar dynasty
|Template:Infobox country/formernext
}}
| label135 = Today part of | data135 =
| data136 = {{#if:
|
-
{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|}}
}}
| data137 = {{#if:
|
-
{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|
}}{{#if:|}}
}} | data138 = {{#if:|
{{{footnotes2}}}}}
}}
| data177 =
| belowclass = mergedtoprow noprint | below = {{#if:| Template:Navbar }} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox country with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| admin_center_type | admin_center | alt_coat | alt_flag | alt_flag2 | alt_map | alt_map2 | alt_map3 | alt_symbol | anthem | anthems | antipodes | area_acre | area_data2 | area_data3 | area_footnote | area_ha | area_km2 | area_label | area_label2 | area_label3 | area_land_acre | area_land_footnote | area_land_ha | area_land_km2 | area_land_sq_mi | area_link | area_rank | area_sq_mi | area_water_acre | area_water_footnote | area_water_ha | area_water_km2 | area_water_sq_mi | regexp1 = border_[ps][%d]+ | calling_code | capital_exile | capital_type | capital | cctld | coa_size | coat_alt | common_languages | common_name | conventional_long_name | coordinates | currency_code | currency | date_end | regexp2 = date_event[%d]+ | date_format | date_post | date_pre | date_start | demonym | regexp3 = deputy[%d]+ | drives_on | DST_note | DST | empire | englishmotto | era | regexp4 = established_date[%d]+ | regexp5 = established_event[%d]+ | established | ethnic_groups_ref | ethnic_groups_year | ethnic_groups | event_end | event_post | event_pre | event_start | regexp6 = event[%d]+ | flag| flag_alt | flag_alt2 | flag_border | flag_caption | flag_caption | regexp7 = flag_[ps][%d]+ | flag_size | flag_type | flag_type_article | flag_width | flag2_border | regexp8 = footnote_[a-h] | regexp9 = footnote[%d]+ | footnotes | footnotes2 | FR_cadastre_area_km2 | FR_cadastre_area_rank | FR_cadastre_area_sq_mi | FR_foot | FR_foot2 | FR_foot3 | FR_foot4 | FR_foot5 | FR_IGN_area_km2 | FR_IGN_area_rank | FR_IGN_area_sq_mi | FR_metropole_population_estimate_rank | FR_metropole_population | FR_metropole | FR_total_population_estimate_rank | FR_total_population_estimate_year | FR_total_population_estimate | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank | GDP_nominal_per_capita | GDP_nominal_rank | GDP_nominal_year | GDP_nominal | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank | GDP_PPP_per_capita | GDP_PPP_rank | GDP_PPP_year | GDP_PPP | Gini_change | Gini_rank | Gini_ref | Gini_year | Gini | government_type | HDI_change | HDI_rank | HDI_ref | HDI_year | HDI | house1 | house2 | image_coat | image_flag | image_flag2 | image_map_alt | image_map_caption | image_map_size | image_map | image_map2_alt | image_map2_caption | image_map2_size | image_map2 | image_map3 | regexp10 = image_[ps][%d]+ | image_symbol | iso3166code | languages_sub | languages_type | languages | languages2_sub | languages2_type | languages2 | largest_city | largest_settlement_type | largest_settlement | regexp11 = leader_name[%d]+ | regexp12 = leader_title[%d]+ | regexp13 = leader[%d]+ | legislature | life_span | linking_name | location_map | loctext | lower_house | map_caption | map_caption2 | map_caption3 | map_width | map2_width | map3_width | membership_type | membership | micronation | module | motto | name | national_anthem | national_languages | national_motto | native_name | navbar | nummembers | official_languages | official_website | org_type | other_symbol_type | other_symbol | regexp14 = [ps][%d]+ | patron_saint | patron_saints | percent_water | politics_link | pop_den_footnote | population_census_rank | population_census_year | population_census | population_data2 | population_data3 | population_density_km2 | population_density_rank | population_density_sq_mi | population_estimate_rank | population_estimate_year | population_estimate | population_label2 | population_label3 | population_link | recognised_languages | recognised_national_languages | recognised_regional_languages | recognized_languages | recognized_national_languages | regexp15 = ref_area[%d]+ | regexp16 = ref_pop[%d]+ | regional_languages | recognized_regional_languages | religion_ref | religion_year | religion | regexp17 = representative[%d]+ | royal_anthem | flag_anthem | march | national_march | regional_anthem | territorial_anthem | state_anthem | sovereignty_note | sovereignty_type | regexp18 = stat_area[%d]+ | regexp19 = stat_pop[%d]+ | regexp20 = stat_year[%d]+ | status_text | status | symbol| symbol_type_article | symbol_type | symbol_width | text_symbol_type | text_symbol | time_zone_DST | time_zone | title_deputy | title_leader | title_representative | today | type_house1 | type_house2 | upper_house | utc_offset_DST | utc_offset | regexp21 = year_deputy[%d]+ | year_end | year_exile_end | year_exile_start | regexp22 = year_leader[%d]+ | regexp23 = year_representative[%d]+ | year_start}}Template:Main other{{#if:|{{#ifeq:|Colony|Template:Main other|{{#ifeq:|Exile|Template:Main other}}}} }} Template:History of Iran The Zand dynasty (Template:Langx) was an Iranian dynasty,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> founded by Karim Khan Zand (Template:Reign1751–1779) that initially ruled southern and central Iran in the 18th century. It later expanded to include much of the rest of contemporary Iran (except for the provinces of Baluchestan and Khorasan) as well as parts of Iraq. The lands of present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were controlled by khanates which were de jure part of the Zand realm, but the region was de facto autonomous.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The island of Bahrain was also held for the Zands by the autonomous Al-Mazkur sheikhdom of Bushehr.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The reign of its most important ruler, Karim Khan, was marked by prosperity and peace. With its capital at Shiraz, arts and architecture flourished under Karim Khan's reign, with some themes in architecture being revived from nearby sites of pre-Islamic Achaemenid (550–330 BC) and Sasanian (224–651 AD) eras. The tombs of the medieval Persian poets Hafez and Saadi Shirazi were also renovated by Karim Khan. Distinctive Zand art which was produced at the behest of the Zand rulers became the foundation of later Qajar arts and crafts. Following Karim Khan's death, Zand Iran went into decline due to internal disputes amongst members of the Zand dynasty. Its final ruler, Lotf Ali Khan Zand (Template:Reign1789–1794), was eventually executed by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (Template:Reign1789–1797) in 1794.
As noted by The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, "Karim Khan Zand holds an enduring reputation as the most humane Iranian ruler of the Islamic era".<ref name="ODoI">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> When, following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, names of Iran's past rulers became taboo, citizens of Shiraz refused to rename the Karim Khan Zand and Lotf Ali Khan Zand streets, the two main streets of Shiraz.<ref name="OxfordIslam">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
Name
Since the Safavid era, Template:Lang (Guarded Domains of Iran) was the common and official name of Iran.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The idea of the Guarded Domains illustrated a feeling of territorial and political uniformity in a society where the Persian language, culture, monarchy, and Shia Islam became integral elements of the developing national identity.Template:Sfn The concept presumably had started to form under the Mongol Ilkhanate in the late 13th-century, a period in which regional actions, trade, written culture, and partly Shia Islam, contributed to the establishment of the early modern Persianate world.Template:Sfn
History
Karim Khan Zand
The dynasty was founded by Karim Khan Zand, chief of the Zand tribe, which is a tribe of Laks,<ref name="EI3">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref name="iranica-perry">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Cambridge">...the bulk of the evidence points to their being one of the northern Lur or Lak tribes, who may originally have been immigrants of Kurdish origin., Peter Avery, William Bayne Fisher, Gavin Hambly, Charles Melville (ed.), The Cambridge History of Iran: From Nadir Shah to the Islamic Republic, Cambridge University Press, 1991, Template:ISBN, p. 64.</ref> a branch of Lurs<ref name="EI3"/><ref>Muhammad Karim Khan, of the Zand clan of the Lur tribe, succeeded in imposing his authority on parts of the defunct Safavid empire, David Yeroushalmi, The Jews of Iran in The Nineteenth Century: Aspects of History, Community, and Culture, BRILL, 2009, Template:ISBN, p. xxxix.</ref> who may have been originally Kurdish.<ref name="iranica-perry" /><ref name="Cambridge"/> Nader Shah moved the Zand tribe from their home in the Zagros mountains to the eastern steppes of Khorasan. After Nader's death, the Zand tribe, under the guidance of Karim Khan, went back to their original land.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After Adel Shah was made king Karim Khan and his soldiers defected from the army and along with Ali Morad Khan Bakhtiari and Abolfath Khan Haft Lang, two other local chiefs, became a major contender but was challenged by several adversaries.<ref name=autogenerated1>Template:Cite web</ref> Abolfath Khan was the Vizier, Karim Khan became the army chief commander and Ali Morad Khan became the regent.<ref name=autogenerated1 />
Karim Khan declared Shiraz his capital, and in 1778 Tehran became the second capital. He gained control of central and southern parts of Iran. In order to add legitimacy to his claim, Karim Khan placed the infant Shah Ismail III, the grandson of the last Safavid shah, on the throne in 1757. Ismail was a figurehead shah and real power was vested in Karim Khan. Karim Khan chose to be the military commander and Alimardan Khan was the civil administrator. Soon enough Karim Khan managed to eliminate his partner as well as the puppet shah and in 1760, founded his own dynasty. He refused to accept the title of shah and instead named himself Vakilol Ro'aya (Advocate of the People).
By 1760, Karim Khan had defeated all his rivals and controlled all of Iran except Khorasan, in the northeast, which was ruled by Shahrokh Shah. His foreign campaigns against Azad Khan in Azerbaijan and against the Ottomans in Mesopotamia brought Azerbaijan and the province of Basra into his control. But he never stopped his campaigns against his arch-enemy, Mohammad Hassan Khan Qajar, the chief of the Qoyunlu Qajars. The latter was finally defeated by Karim Khan and his sons, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar and Hossein Qoli Khan Qajar, were brought to Shiraz as hostages.
Karim Khan's monuments in Shiraz include the famous Arg of Karim Khan, Vakil Bazaar, and several mosques and gardens. He is also responsible for building of a palace in the town of Tehran, the future capital of the Qajar dynasty.
Decline and fall
Template:Multiple image Karim Khan's death in 1779 left his territory vulnerable to threats from his enemies. His son and successor Abu al-Fath was an incompetent ruler who was heavily influenced by his half uncle (and Karim Khan's commander), Zaki Khan. Other rulers such as Ali Morad and Jafar Khan also failed to follow the policies of Karim Khan and soon enough, the country was under attack from all sides.
The biggest enemies of the Zands, the Qajar chiefs, led by the former hostage, Agha Mohammad Khan, were advancing fast against the declining kingdom. Finally, in 1789, Lotf Ali Khan, a grand-nephew of Karim Khan, declared himself the new king. His reign (until 1794) was spent mostly in war with the Qajar khan. He was finally captured and brutally killed in the fortress of Bam, putting an effective end to the Zand dynasty.
Politically, it is also important that the Zands, especially Karim Khan, chose to call themselves Vakilol Ro'aya (Advocate of the People) instead of shahs. Other than the obvious propaganda value of the title, it can be a reflection of the popular demands of the time, expecting rulers with popular leanings instead of absolute monarchs who were totally detached from the population, like the earlier Safavids.
Foreign policy
In foreign policy, Karim Khan attempted to revive the Safavid era trade by allowing the British to establish a trading post in the port of Bushehr. This opened the hands of the British East India Company in Iran and increased their influence in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The taxation system was reorganised in a way that taxes were levied fairly. The judicial system was fair and generally humane. Capital punishment was rarely implemented.
Art
The Zand era was a time of relative peace and economic growth for the country. Many territories that were captured by the Ottomans in the late Safavid era were retaken, and Iran was once again a coherent and prosperous country. From 1765 onwards Karim Khan promoted art and architecture at his capital Shiraz.<ref name="Grove">Template:Cite book</ref> After Iranian painting reached its height at the end of the 17th century, a special school of painting took shape during the Zand era in the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Painting thrived under Karim Khan, and notable paintings from this era include Muhammad Karim Khan Zand and the Ottoman Ambassador which was created Template:Circa.<ref name="Grove"/> The most important painter of the Zand era was Mohammad Sadiq.<ref name="Grove"/> The art of this era is remarkable and, despite the short length of the dynasty, a distinct Zand art had the time to emerge. Many Qajar artistic traits were copied from the Zand examples and Zand art became the foundation of Qajar arts and crafts.<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> Following Karim Khan's death, the Zand dynasty became embroiled in disputes over succession and other intrigues, which put a halt to further significant patronage of the arts.<ref name="Grove"/>
Architecture
Karim Khan's first architectural considerations were focussed on defense and he therefore rebuilt the city walls of Shiraz in 1767.<ref name="Grove"/> He decorated Shiraz with new buildings including the Arg of Karim Khan, the Vakil Bazaar and the Kulah-e Farangi and grouped these around a public square (maidan in Persian).<ref name="OxfordIslam"/><ref name="Grove"/> Zand-era architecture is notable in Iranian history for "its revetments in carved marble and overglaze-painted tiles with flowers, animals and people".<ref name="Grove"/> The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture notes that some themes employed by Zand architecture were knowingly revived from the nearby ancient Achaemenid and Sasanian sites, such as Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rostam.<ref name="Grove"/>
Cultural patronage
According to the Italian scholar Alessandro Bausani: "The eighteenth century, which in Europe (and partly also in India, for example) was a ferment of renewal, is the darkest and most sterile period in Persian literature and culture." Scholars of Persian literature have also made a similar conclusion. John Perry commented on these statements: "While regrettably true of literature, this view is somewhat too sweeping to be fair to the fine and applied arts." Like Nader Shah, Karim Khan was uninterested in poetry panegyric and had no more than a passing tolerance for history. He supported the court artisans and artists, albeit in an indifferent manner.Template:Sfn
The numerous artists active during Karim Khan's time who were born in or educated in Isfahan, many of whom carry the surname "Esfahani," can be considered as representations of the lengthy political and cultural traditions of the Safavid court; they account for at least seventeen of the twenty-seven identified by Abu'l-Hasan Mostawfi Ghaffari. In the 1750s, some people—including the poet Hazin Lahiji—had immigrated to India. Others, like Vafa of Qom, departed for India under Nader Shah's rule but later came back to Iran under Karim Khan. During the interim period, a large number of people, primarily in the central region of Isfahan, Qom, and Kashan, remained in Iran. These people included Moshtaq, Azar Bigdeli, Hatef Esfahani, and Rafiq. Shiraz largely took up Isfahan's role as the patronage hub.Template:Sfn
Seven calligraphers, including Mohammad Hashem Zargar, and least as many poets, including Azar Bigdeli, and the doctor Mirza Mohammad Nasir left Isfahan to settle in Shiraz.Template:Sfn One of the factors behind Isfahan's loss as the literary center of Iran is reported by Abd al-Razzaq Beg Donboli.Template:Sfn The city's poets, including Azar Bigdeli, were actively supported by the governor Mirza Abd ol-Vahhab Musavi. However, after the latters death in 1759/60, the governorship of Isfahan was given to the tyrannical figure Hajji Agha Mohammad Ranani. In 1763/64, disgruntled poets and other prominent individuals sent a delegation to Karim Khan in which they attempted to have Hajji Agha replaced. After their efforts were unsuccessful, some of them relocated to Shiraz.Template:Sfn
Imperial ideology
The distinguishing quality of Karim Khan's leadership came from his refusal to exercise royal authority independent of nominal Safavid sovereignty. However, his decision to continue serving as vakil al-dowleh ("deputy of the state") marked a subtle change from his previous role as the regent of a prince distantly related to the Safavid dynasty and of no importance. Moreover, he appears to have tacitly changed his authority from Safavid kingship to that of representing the people by using the title of Vakil ol-Ra'aya ("deputy of the people"). The subtle change reflected Karim Khan's standing among his subjects, particularly the urban people. He also drew on Iranian monarchy traditions that were directly related to the Fars province in order to distance himself from the distressing events of recent times.Template:Sfn
Karim Khan attempted to recreate the territorial Iran of the Safavid era, just like Nader Shah and Agha Mohammad Khan.Template:Sfn A common reference for consecutive rulers was Nader Shah's mention of Iran's established borders during the Safavid dynasty. Karim Khan made use of the same justification for similar land dispute resolutions.Template:Sfn
Court and administration
When compared to the complex structure of hierarchy and ceremony that distinguished the Safavid court, Karim Khan's household in Shiraz was smaller, simpler, and more focused on real administrative and military requirements than on the lavish displays of the Safavid shahs.Template:Sfn The Zand nobility was a remnant of the Safavid nobility and was later almost entirely absorbed into the Qajar nobility.Template:Sfn As with previous dynasties, the official language and court literature was in Persian, and the majority of the chancellors, ministers, and bureaucrats were well-educated and talented Persian speakers.Template:Sfn
The central government was under the complete control of Karim Khan. Historical documents do contain occasional references to the established Safavid court offices and protocols under the Zands, but nothing suggests that the chief minister (etemad ol-dowleh, sadr-e azam) and resident court amirs (the qurchi-bashi, qollar-aghasi, eshik-aqasi-bashi, and tofangchi-aghasi) formed the "close council of state" as they did in the late Safavid era. Under Karim Khan, no government official attained significant importance. Instead, he gave his kinsmen and trusted tribal leaders the responsibility for military campaigns and governance. Local administrators, who were all directly accountable to him, were given charge of the provinces.Template:Sfn When a Zand prince was given a title, it was more honorific rather than an official position in the government.Template:Sfn
The vazir-e divan was Karim Khan's direct subordinate in the bureaucracy. The first to occupy that office under him was Mirza Aqil Esfahani, who was executed in 1763 and succeeded by Mirza Mohammad Ja'far Esfahani. The office of mostowfi ol-mamalek was almost equally important and was held by Mirza Mohammad Borujerdi and Mirza Mohammad Hossein Farahani in succession. Karim Khan treated the people holding these senior administrative and senior fiscal positions as nothing more than secretarial assistants, treating them more like friends than colleagues.Template:Sfn
Religious policy
Karim Khan might have been anticipated to seek the ulama's approval for his unusual position as the head of an nominally neo-Safavid (but in reality kingless) monarchy. However, he refused to comply with this. By minting coins under the name of the hidden imam, erecting mosques and shrines, and probably participating in Friday prayers—though this is not mentioned—Karim Khan supported the Shia beliefs in a traditional manner. Abu'l-Hasan Qazvini, who was one the more religious historians, claims that Karim Khan never prayed throughout his entire life. The government-appointed shaykh ol-eslam was the most important religious figure in Shiraz. His responsibilities seemed to be more constrained than those of his Safavid predecessors, and the title molla-bashi (chief theologian) created by Soltan Hoseyn was not retained.Template:Sfn
Religious officers typically selected by the crown got degrees and set payments from Karim Khan, such as the guardian of the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine at Ray in 1765 and the supervisor of religious activities at Qazvin. However, the lesser akhunds, theologians, Alavid seyyeds, and dervishes who anticipated living off of government pensions were let down. They were reportedly seen as parasites by Karim Khan, who claimed that by controlling pricing, they could live happily with what they had just like others.Template:Sfn Presentations of the passion play, which reenacted the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, gained popularity from Karim Khan's reign onward, possibly as a result of the more tolerant religious climate.Template:Sfn
Both Karim Khan in 1764 and Ali-Morad Khan in 1781 issued farmans (royal edicts) that ensured freedom of residence, worship, and trade to Christian missionary groups in Iran, including the Carmelites, Benedictines, Jesuits, Capuchins, Augustinians, and others. The only requirement was that they behaved in a manner that did not anger the Shia and its supporters.Template:Sfn
Population
Roughly between the 1730s and the 1780s, hundreds of literate and renowned Iranians escaped to India due to the devastating circumstances. Many of them, including Abol-Hasan Golestaneh, expressed regret. The latter was a hostage in Karim Khan's entourage during the struggle for supremacy in western Iran, but in 1756 he managed to escape to the Shia shrine city of Najaf and subsequently to India, where he reunited with his family. Three of his uncles had served Nader Shah, but two of them fell out of favor and fled to India. His Mojmel al-tavarikh, a comprehensive history of the early Zand period, was written there in Murshidabad in 1782.Template:Sfn Native Jews, Armenians, and other Christians, who were frequent targets of extortion and persecution, also migrated in very large numbers. Between 1742 and 1758, refugees settled in Mughal India, Bengal, Ottoman Iraq and Yemen, giving rise to a new generation of Iranians and Armenians. Baghdad and the adjacent shrine towns were home to an estimated 100,000 Iranian refugees, and Basra was claimed to be two-thirds occupied by refugees.Template:Sfn
While European and Iranian emigrants eagerly scanned the horizon for signs that "Persia would soon be reunited under one chief, which would undoubtedly lead to the reestablishment of trade, so long interrupted," rumors of Karim Khan's victories and of his fair rule started to spread in the mid-1750s, which convinced many refugees to return. By 1760, every day refugees were returning to Iran. Thousands of them from all social classes arrived along the now-secure caravan routes.Template:Sfn
The population of Isfahan had decreased to perhaps 20,000 by 1750 from what may have been between 250,000 and 500,000 during the Safavid era. It increased to an estimated 40,000–50,000 by 1772. Even though Shiraz appeared to be "demolished and destroyed... altogether depopulated and empty of Christians" in 1756, refugees from Isfahan, especially Armenians from the suburb of New Julfa, were already making their way there every day. According to John R. Perry; "There are no contemporary estimates of the population of Shiraz under the Vakil, but it seems reasonable to assume that between 1759 and 1779 it grew at a much faster rate than Isfahan, reaching roughly the same population as the latter, though within a much more compact urban area."Template:Sfn
Shiraz lost around half of its population following its sack by Agha Mohammad Khan, numbering 20,000. Other cities in central Iran, like Qom, reportedly experienced a revival under Karim Khan's rule after suffering under the Afghans, Afsharids and the Zand-Qajar conflicts.Template:Sfn
Armenians and Jews
Many of the Armenians of New Julfa and Peria who had fled Iran, returned to the country by settling in Shiraz, which welcomed their return. The Armenian population in Shiraz, whose quarter was located in the western corner by the Kazerun Gate, was primarily engaged in viticulture and wine trade. They also had their own mayor, and the government promoted their settlement by granting them villages around the capital. Mkrtic Vardapet, the Armenian prelate, divided his time between New Julfa and Shiraz every year for six months. Shiraz became the largest Jewish hub in Iran as a result of the return of many Jews, whose population may have decreased by about 20,000 between 1747 and 1779. They paid a special tax in exchange for being given their own section of land west of the bazaar. Although they seemed to be struggling financially in 1765, they were not the target of any persecution until after Karim Khan's death in 1779.Template:Sfn
Coinage
Various anonymous or semi-anonymous currencies were struck by Karim Khan and his successors, but the abbasi of 4.6 gram and the rupee of 11.5 gram seemed to be the most common.Template:Sfn Isfahan, Kashan, Yazd, Shiraz, Tabriz, Qazvin, Rasht, Mazandaran, and the court mint were the main coin mints under Karim Khan. There was no monetary unity in Iran even though Karim Khan was acknowledged as the overlord of the majority of the country after 1763, as many regions remained independent or semi-autonomous. This was especially true for the semi-autonomous local khans that controlled the Caspian and Caucasian regions, as well as Khorasan, which was ruled by the Durranids and Afsharids.Template:Sfn
A number of these khanates, including Ganja, Shirvan, Shaki, Derbent, and Karabakh, produced their own coins, first in the name of Nader Shah and then in the name of Karim Khan. A large portion of their coinage was completely nameless by the end of the 18th-century. While a few uncommon issues of Derbent contain a vague reference to one of their khans, none of the khans ever put their names on their coins, due to lacking the legitimacy of a sovereign monarch and any claims to independence.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn These northern Iranian coins were made entirely of silver and copper.Template:Sfn
Legacy
As noted by The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, "Karim Khan Zand holds an enduring reputation as the most humane Iranian ruler of the Islamic era".<ref name="ODoI"/> Karim Khan is the subject of many stories about his "kindness, generosity and justice".<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World adds that he is described as "a model ruler who never took the title of Shah".<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> The Zand entity of Karim Khan was at peace and the roads within the realm were reportedly free of bandits.<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> Karim Khan rebuilt Shiraz, his capital, and decorated it with new buildings including the Arg of Karim Khan, the Vakil Bazaar and the Kulah-e Farangi.<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> He also restored the tombs of the medieval Persian poets Hafez and Saadi Shirazi.<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> Until this day, the inhabitants of Shiraz honor Karim Khan.<ref name="OxfordIslam"/> When following the Islamic Revolution of 1979 the names of the past rulers of Iran became a taboo, the citizens of Shiraz refused to rename the Karim Khan Zand Street and Lotf-Ali Khan Zand Street, the two main streets of Shiraz.<ref name="OxfordIslam"/>
Rulers/kings
- Karim Khan Zand, 1751–1779 Template:Lang
- Mohammad Ali Khan Zand, 1779 Template:Lang
- Abol-Fath Khan Zand, 1779 Template:Lang
- Sadeq Khan Zand, 1779–1782 Template:Lang
- Ali-Morad Khan Zand, 1782–1785 Template:Lang
- Jafar Khan, 1785–1789 Template:Lang
- Sayed Morad Khan, 1789 Template:Lang
- Lotf Ali Khan, 1789–1794 Template:Lang
Other notable members
Family tree
Template:Tree chart/start Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart Template:Tree chart/end
See also
- Tribe of Zand
- List of monarchs of Iran
- List of Shia dynasties
- Iranian-Dutch War
- Ottoman–Iranian War 1775–1776
- Occupation of Bahrain 1783
- Siege of Kerman 1794
References
Template:Reflist Template:Commons category
Sources
- Template:Cite journal
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite encyclopedia
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite encyclopedia
- Template:Encyclopaedia Iranica
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite encyclopedia
Template:S-start Template:S-royalhouse Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end Template:Iran topics Template:Empires
- Pages with broken file links
- Zand dynasty
- 18th century in Iran
- Former monarchies of Iran
- Iranian Muslim dynasties
- Middle Eastern dynasties
- Shia dynasties
- 18th century in Azerbaijan
- 18th century in Armenia
- 18th century in Georgia (country)
- 18th century in Ottoman Iraq
- States and territories established in 1751
- States and territories disestablished in 1794
- 1750s establishments in Iran
- 1790s disestablishments in Iran
- 1751 establishments in Asia
- 1794 disestablishments in Asia
- Former Islamic monarchies