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Karim Khan

Karim Khan Zand

Vakil e-Ra'aayaa €•€‚ƒ„…† ‡ˆ‰Š

(Representative of the People)

Reign 1750-1 May 1779[1]

(29 years)

Born c. 1705

Died 1779

Place of death Zand Palace, Shiraz

Buried Pars Museum, Shiraz

29€36€57.63•N 52€32€42•E

Successor Mohammad Ali Khan

Dynasty Zand dynasty

Religious beliefs Shia Islam[2]

Karim Khan Zand, (Persian: €•‚ ƒ„… †‡ˆ‰ ), (c. 1705- 1779), was a ruler of Iran, and the founder of the Zand Dynasty.

He was born in Village of Pari near Malayer to a family of the Zand tribe of Lak [3][4][5][6] or Lur[7] deportees.

Kurdish nationalists such as Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou[8][9] considered him as a Kurdish hero[10] Modern

scholarships such as Wadie Jwaideh suggested his proud Kurdishness.[11][12][13][14]

He never styled himself as "shah" or king, and instead used the title Vakil e-Ra'aayaa ( Representative of the People).

Karim Khan Zand was one of the generals of Nader Shah Afshar. Af ter Nader Shah's death in 1747, Persia fell into a

state of civil war. At that time, Karim Khan, Abolfath Khan and Ali Mardan Khan reached an agreement to divide

the country among themselves and give the throne to Ismail III. However, the cooperation ended after Ali Mardan

Khan invaded Isfahan and killed Abdolfath Khan. Subsequently, Karim Khan killed Ali Mardan Khan and gained

control over all of Iran except Khorasan, ruled by Shahrokh, grandson of Nader Shah. Nevertheless, he did not adopt

the title of Shah for himself, preferring the title, Vakil e-Ra'aayaa (Advocate of the People = People's President)

While Karim was ruler, Persia recovered from the devastation of 40 years of war, providing the war ravaged country

with a renewed sense of tranquility, security, peace, and prosperity. During his reign,relations with Britain wererestored, and he allowed the East India Company to have a trading post in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his

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Karim Khan 2

capital[15] and ordered the construction of several architectural projects there. Following Karim Khan's death, civil

war broke out once more, and none of his descendants were able to rule the country as effectively as he had. The last

of these descendants, Lotf Ali Khan, was killed by Agha Mohammad Khan, and the Qajar dynasty came to power.

Karim Khan on an Iranian stamp

Monument of Karim Khan in Shiraz

To this day, he has a reputation as one of the most just and able rulers in

Iranian history. A wealth of tales and anecdotes portray Karim Khan as a

compassionate ruler, genuinely concerned with the welfare of his subjects. Inthe words of John Malcolm, "The happy reign of this excellent prince, as

contrasted with those who preceded and followed him, affords the historian of 

Persia that kind of mixed pleasure and repose, which a traveler enjoys on

arriving in a beautiful and fertile valley during an arduous journey over barren

and rugged wastes. It is pleasing to recount the actions of a chief who, though

born of an inferior rank, obtained power without crime, and who exercised it

with a moderation that, for the times in which he lived, was as singular as his

humanity and justice." (John Malcolm, The History of Persia, 1829)

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Portrait of Karim Khan, watercolor

painting, National Museum of Iran.

He is buried at Pars Museum of Shiraz.

References

[1] Yeroushalmi, David (2009). The Jews of Iran in the nineteenth century (http:/   /  books.

google.  co.  uk/  books?id=XYlGS3s3zTQC& printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&  q& f=false).

Brill's Series in Jewish Studies. 40. The Netherlands: Brill. pp. xxxix. ISBN 90-04-15288-1. .[2] Dabashi, Hamid (2011). Shi'ism: A Religion of Protest  (http:/   /  books.  google.  co.  uk/ 

books?id=3l1fBbd-9noC&  printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&  q& f=false). Harvard

University Press. pp. 164 ‚ 165. ISBN 0-674-04945-4. .

[3] KARIM KHAN ZAND (http:/   /  www. iranica. com/  articles/  ot_grp5/ 

ot_kurdish_tribes_20040616.  html)

[4]  A fourth pretender was Karim Khan, son of Aymak of the Zand, a section of Lak tribe, Sir

Percy Molesworth Sykes, A History of Persi, Macmillan and co., limited, 1930, p. 277. (http:/ 

 /  books.google.  com/  books?id=y6BCAAAAIAAJ&  q="A+ fourth+  pretender+  was+

Karim+ Khan,+  son+ of+  Aymak+ of+  the+ Zand"& dq="A+  fourth+  pretender+  was+

Karim+ Khan,+  son+ of+  Aymak+ of+  the+ Zand"& hl=en&

ei=b_RKTr-IK4jqmAWpmNHuBw&  sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&

ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA)[5] One of the contenders for power was Karim Khan Zand, a member of the Lak tribe near Shiraz, William Marsden, Stephen Album, Marsden's

 Numismata orientalia illustrata, Attic Books, 1977, ISBN 978-0-915018-16-1, p. 158. (http:/   /  books.  google.  com/ 

books?id=zDtmAAAAMAAJ& q="One+  of+  the+ contenders+  for+  power+ was+ Karim+ Khan+  Zand,+  a+ member+ of+  the+ Lak+ tribe+

near+  Shiraz,"& dq="One+ of+  the+ contenders+  for+ power+  was+ Karim+ Khan+  Zand,+  a+ member+  of+  the+  Lak+ tribe+ near+

Shiraz,"& hl=en&  ei=vfVKTuL8J6H8mAXfp8TxBw&  sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&  ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA)

[6] Karim Khan, the f ounder of the Zand dynasty of Persia that succeeded the Afsharids, was himself born to a family of these Lak deportees (of 

the Zand tribe), Mehrdad R. Izady, The Kurds: A Concise Handbook , Taylor & Francis, 1992, ISBN 978-0-8448-1727-9, p. 12. (http:/   /  books.

google.  com/  books?id=I9mr6OgLjBoC&  pg=PA12&  dq="Karim+ Khan,+  the+ founder+  of+  the+ Zand+  dynasty+  of+  Persia+ that+

succeeded+  the+ Afsharids,+ was+ himself+ born+  to+ a+ family+  of+ these+ Lak+ deportees+ (of+  the+ Zand+  tribe). + "& hl=en&

ei=MfdKTpKjO8r9mAXQjtWSCA& sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&  ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&  q="Karim Khan,

the founder of the Zand dynasty of Persia that succeeded the Afsharids, was himself born to a family of these Lak deportees (of the Zand

tribe). 

"& 

f=false)[7]  Muhammad Karim Khan, of the Zand clan of the Lur tribe, suc- ceeded 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, ISBN

978-90-04-15288-5, p. xxxix. (http:/   /  books.  google.  com/  books?id=XYlGS3s3zTQC&  pg=PR39&  dq="Muhammad+  Karim+ Khan,+ of+

the+  Zand+ clan+ of+  the+ Lur+  tribe,+ suc-+ ceeded+ in+  imposing+  his+ authority+  on+  parts+ of+ the+ defunct+  Safavid+ empire"&

hl=en&  ei=_gJLTsPHGYPEmAXM_oiPCA& sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&  ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&

q="Muhammad Karim Khan, of the Zand clan of the Lur tribe, suc- ceeded in imposing his authority on parts of the defunct Safavid empire"&

f=false)

[8] Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, Kurdistan and the Kurds, Pub. House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, 1965, p. 37. (http:/   /  books.

google.  com/  books?id=OJK6AAAAIAAJ& q="great+  Kurdish+ dynasty+  of+  Zand+  led+ by+  Karim+ Khan+ Zand"&  dq="great+  Kurdish+

dynasty+  of+  Zand+ led+ by+  Karim+ Khan+ Zand"&  hl=en& ei=fARLToH8J-igmQW1vanuBw&  sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result&

resnum=1&  ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA)

[9] While the late Kurdish nationalist Ghassemlou, who spoke of the era of Karim Zand as "a splendid chapter in Kurdish history ", compared

Karim Khan to Saladin as a Kurdish ruler of other nations,... , Martin Strohmeier, Crucial Images in the Presentation of a Kurdish National

 Identity: Heroes and Patriots, Traitors and Foes, Brill, 2003, ISBN 978-90-04-12584-1, p. 46. (http:/   /  books.  google.  com/ 

books?id=xUmGAAAAMAAJ& q="compared+  Karim+ Khan+ to+ Saladin+ as+ a+ Kurdish+ ruler+  of+ other+  nations"& dq="compared+

Karim+ Khan+  to+ Saladin+ as+ a+  Kurdish+  ruler+ of+  other+  nations"& hl=en&  ei=P_9KTpqNI8HFmAWo5KmbCA&  sa=X&

oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&  ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA)

[10] ...ethnically non-Kurdish rulers such as Nadir Shah and Karim Khan have been transformed into, and accepted by some as, ethnic Kurds. ,

Abbas Vali, Essays on the Origins of Kurdish Nationalism, Mazda Publishers, 2003, ISBN 978-1-56859-142-1, p. 147. (http:/   /  books. google.

com/  books?id=tWptAAAAMAAJ& q="ethnically+ non-Kurdish+  rulers+ such+ as+ Nadir+ Shah+ and+  Karim+  Khan+  have+ been+

transformed+  into,+  and+  accepted+  by+ some+ as,+ ethnic+ Kurds.  "& dq="ethnically+  non-Kurdish+  rulers+ such+  as+ Nadir+ Shah+  and+

Karim+ Khan+  have+ been+  transformed+  into,+ and+  accepted+ by+  some+ as,+ ethnic+  Kurds. "& hl=en&

ei=gAFLTvPhB4_JmAXXqo3jBw&  sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&  ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA)

[11]  Kurdish leader, Karim Khan Zand,..., Wadie Jwaideh, The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development , Syracuse University

Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-8156-3093-7, p. 17. (http:/   /  books.  google.  com/  books?id=FCbspX-dGPYC&  pg=PA17&  dq="Kurdish+  leader,+Karim+ Khan+  Zand,+  who+  for+  nearly"& hl=en&  ei=9flKTu6BGcL-mAW206zxBw&  sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&

ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&  q="Kurdish leader, Karim Khan Zand, who for nearly"&  f=false)

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Karim Khan 4

[12] Lokman I. Meho, Kelly L. Maglaughlin, Kurdish Culture and Society: An Annotated Bibliography , Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001.

ISBN 978-0-313-31543-5, p. 308. (http:/   /  books.  google.  com/  books?id=sl4PIeyWriUC&  pg=PA308&  dq="Karim+ Khan+  Zand,+  the+

founder+  of+  the+ Kurdish+ Zand+  dynasty"& hl=en&  ei=QftKTviXOLD2mAWLiPSICA& sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&

ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&  q="Karim Khan Zand, the founder of the Kurdish Zand dynasty"&  f=false)

[13] ...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, ISBN 978-0-521-20095-0, p. 64. (http:/   /  books.  google.  com/ 

books?id=H20Xt157iYUC&  pg=PA64&  dq="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. +  "& hl=en&  ei=Qv1KTtz2K4mOmQX07_X5Bw&

sa=X& oi=book_result&  ct=result& resnum=1&  ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&  q="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.  "& f=false)

[14] Jwaideh, Wadie (2006). The Kurdish national movement: its origins and development  (http:/   /  books.  google.  no/ 

books?id=FCbspX-dGPYC&  pg=PA17&  dq=Karim+ KhanZand+  Kurdish#v=onepage&  q=Karim Khan Kurdish& f=false). .

[15] Kaveh Farrokh. Iran at War: 1500-1988 (http:/   /  books.  google.  com. vn/  books?id=dUHhTPdJ6yIC&  pg=PT204). Osprey Publishing.

p. 204. ISBN 1-78096-221-5. .

Perry, John R.,  Kar€m Kh•n Zand: a history of Iran, 1747-1779 University of Chicago Press, 1979, ISBN

978-0-226-66098-1 and One World Publications, 2006 ISBN 978-1-85168-435-9.

Malcolm, John, Sir, The history of Persia, from the most early period to the present time containing an account of 

the religion, government, usages, and character of the inhabitants of that kingdom in 2 volumes; London : Murray,1815.; re-published by Adamant Media Corporation 2004 vol 1. ISBN 978-1-4021-5134-7; vol. 2 ISBN

978-1-4021-5205-4.

External links

‚ History of Iran: Zand Dynasty (http:/   /  www. iranchamber.com/  history/  zand/  zand. php)

‚ Karim Khan's portrait (http:/   /  www.qajarpages.org/  karimkhan. html)

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Article Sources and Contributors 5

Article Sources and ContributorsKarim Khan  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=506354100 Contributors: Alansohn, Alborz Fallah, Alborzagros, Alborztv, Alex Middleton, Aparhizi, Arash100, Auntof6,Babakexorramdin, Bart133, Bgwhite, Bokan995, Boleslav1, Boris ƒiv, Carlossuarez46, ChrisGualtieri, CommonsDelinker, CreazySuit, Dougweller, Dragfyre, Erik9, Ervaude, Ganna24,Gazaneh, Gomada, Grandmaster, Houshyar, Ipaat, Itai, J04n, Johankian, Karafs, Karim Khan Zand of Shiraz, Kashk, Kigali1, Kurdo777, ManiF, MeltBanana, Mimihitam, Mrjahan, MuffledThud,Pantherarosa, Pitt 32, Rjwilmsi, Roozbeh, Sardanaphalus, Shauni, Shergo, Shervin1982, Siba, Sixtytwohundred, Skud, Solitude, Soran Xani, SouthernComfort, Takabeg, Tassedethe, TheBehnam, TheNeon, Uanfala, Vpendse, Welsh, Wiki-uk, Xani95, Xano95, ZANDWEB, Zanganeh, Zereshk, 77 anonymous edits

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