Zand tribe:
Zand is the name of one of the Lak tribes. The tribe traces its ancestry back to the nomadic Laks who lived in the Alashtar region. The Laks of Alashtar are descendants of the Hasanuya (or Hasnawiya) princes, who were Kurds from Sharazur and migrated to the area. During the Safavid period, many groups of Zand migrated to Malayer and the Daragaz (Darreh Gaz) region of Khorasan.
The Zands or Zandiya or Zand dynasty are the names of a family of Iranian kings who ruled Iran for forty-six years from the collapse of the Afshari dynasty to the rise of the Qajars. The dynasty, led by Karim Khan Zand, belonged to the Zand tribe and came to power in 1163 AH.
Karim Khan was the head of the tribe of the Zand tribe during his pre-monarchy. His father, Inaq Khan, was also the head of that tribe. Karim Khan was initially one of the commanders of Nader Shah Afshar. He returned from the battlefield after Nader Shah's death. Karim Khan was a capable manager. Historians have described him as the best ruler and the most merciful man after the Arab invasion of Iran. He introduced himself as the people's representative and refrained from the title of king. Karim Khan chose Shiraz as his capital and made great efforts to rebuild the city. After Nader Shah's death, he ruled over central, northern, and southern Iran. His brother, Sadeq Khan Zand, was able to separate Basra from the Ottoman Empire in 1189 AH and annex it to Iran, and later, he put Iranian authority over the entire Arvand River, Bahrain, and the southern islands of the Persian Gulf.
Karim Khan's victory:
After the death of Nader Shah, Karim Khan formed a force and agreed with two Bakhtiari Khans, Abul Fath Khan Bakhtiari and Alimrad Khan Bakhtiari, and chose Abutorab Mirza (King Ismail III) who was from Safavid from his mother side as the King. The alliance appointed Alimrad Khan as viceroy, Abul Fateh Khan as governor of Isfahan and Karim Khan as general of the Iranian army. After a while, however, Alimrad Khan killed Abul Fath Khan and fought against Karim Khan, who defeated him and won.
After sixteen years of continuous fighting, Karim Khan was able to defeat all his rivals and gradually take over all parts of central, southern, and northern Iran.
The Zands after the death of Karim Khan:
After the death of Karim Khan, his successors once again fell for each other and through their constant fighting, they paved the way for the strengthening and seizure of power by the Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar dynasty. In 1209 AH, Lutf Ali Khan Zand, the last king of Zand, was killed by Agha Mohammad Khan, also known as Yakhta Khan, according to historians. At that time, Kerman was the capital of the Zands. After taking over Shiraz, Agha Mohammad Khan began to massacre people of Zand descent. He ordered the sons of Lutf Alikhan to be raped and the pregnant women and daughters of Lutf Alikhan Zand and the rest of the women of the family.
Karim Khan's most important enemies and how dealt with them:
Of the good things recorded by historians about Karim Khan, many things have been mentioned; one of them was the justice and kindness of Karim Khan. He never lost himself in the face of rank and never considered himself arrogant. He had shown his kindness not only to Muslims but also to non-Muslim believers. He was a righteous man, and even his enemies believed him. Karim Khan is said to have always had the idea that "people should live happily ever after in an atmosphere of safety, peace, and happiness". However, Karim Khan was hostile on two sides:
First, he fought with Azad Khan near Qazvin and was defeated by himself and his army. He returned to Isfahan and from there to Shiraz and Kohkiluyeh.
For the second time, he returned to the battlefield against Azad Khan through Kamarej, a narrow road on a hillside, and defeated him. After his defeat, Azad Khan sought refuge with Karim Khan, who welcomed him with such respect and kindness that the brave enemy bowed down to Karim Khan's noble character and became his close friend.
Second, Mohammad Hussein Khan Qajar was another strong enemy of Karim Khan, and he had built up a good force around Mazandaran and even conquered Azerbaijan. Muhammad Hussain Khan then moved to Isfahan and from there to Shiraz. The people of Shiraz, who loved the "representative of the people," Karim Khan, resisted the enemy. As a result, Mazandaran came out of Mohammad Hussein Khan's rule and Gilan and Azerbaijan came under Karim Khan's rule. Although the Qajars had put many obstacles in his way, he put them all under his kindness. Karim Khan wanted to establish brotherhood and cooperation with the Qajar men by establishing kinship relations, but Mohammad Hussain Khan lost his luck and once again stirred up sedition and revolted in Damghan. Karim Khan sent Zaki Khan to control the intrigue, who severely defeated Muhammad Hussain Khan and ended their work forever.
Karim Khan died in 1193 after the conquest of Basra.
Shrine of Karim Khan:
After Karim Khan's death, a three-day battle broke out between his brothers for power and the throne. During those three days, Karim Khan's body remained unburied. When Zaki Khan and the rest of the ignorant, authoritarian, and incompetent people of Zand shed the blood of their brothers and relatives, they remembered the corpse of their leader and king. On the fourth day, Zaki Khan and the rest of the chiefs, elders, and members of the royal family, who killed each other in their tribe, Zand, dressed in black and put Karim Khan's body on his shoulders and buried him in a building in the middle of a garden where Karim Khan had built his buildings.
However, Karim Khan's body did not remain there long and thirteen years later, on the first day of Zihajjah in 1206 AH, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, the enemy of the dynasty, triumphantly entered Shiraz and camped in Bagh-e Vakil. After dismounting there, he ordered Mirza Mohammad Khan Larijani to return to Karim Khan's grave and exhume his body. The Qajar king took the body with him to Tehran thirteen years later and buried it under his own stairs so that whenever he passed by, he could step on the bones of his father's murderer.
Karim Khan's Internal Policy:
According to historians, Karim Khan did not take the name of the king until the end of his life. He was a supporter of the people and wanted peace, prosperity, and development of his country. In this regard, he has issued many decisions that insist on protecting the property of the people and subjects from the hands of the authorities. He was one of the few kings who was so close to his subjects that he asked them how they were. Karim Khan insisted on his belief that he must subdue the aggressors and the powerful who wanted to take over the people's property and finances. Those who committed such unjust acts against ordinary people would not be forgiven by him. Karim Khan was very sensitive in spending, eating and all matters related to public finances. He held on to finances and did not enjoy overspending. Because he had seen the tragedies of Nader Shah's reign and knew that the people were poor and needed peace and comfort, he tried to comfort the people under the shadow of his justice and move towards happiness with them.
The rulers of Zand:
1. Karim Khan Zand (1179-1193)
2. Zaki Khan Zand; He was the brother of Karim Khan, ruled for only a hundred days, and was killed by his nephew Alimrad Khan.
3. Abulfath Khan Zand (1193-1193) was the son of Karim Khan, who succeeded his father in ruling for seventy days.
4. Sadeq Khan Zand (1193-1196) Abulfath Khan took over the rule in Kerman and claimed the kingdom. After the assassination of Zaki Khan, he moved to Shiraz and took over the rule. However, he was defeated by Alimrad Khan and killed, or as some sources say, committed suicide.
5. Alimrad Khan Zand (1196-1201) was the nephew of Karim Khan. He initially ruled over Isfahan. He was then able to put his rivals aside one by one and take control of the capital, Shiraz.
6. Jafar Khan Zand (1201-1203) was the son of Sadeq Khan and succeeded Alimrad Khan after his death. Some of his opponents, including Sayid Murad Khan Zand; cousin of Alimrad Khan; attacked him at midnight, beheaded him, and threw him from the wall of Shiraz.
7. Sayid Murad Khan; was a leader of Zand and reigned in Shiraz for seventy days after the assassination of Jafar Khan.
8. Lutf Ali Khan Zand (1203-1209), son of Jafar Khan and the last king of Zand. He fought against Agha Mohammad Khan in Shiraz, Kerman, Tabas, and other places and took Bam castle, and chose Kerman as his capital for some time. Agha Mohammad Khan brought his army around Kerman to retreat and besieged the city for four months, but Lutf Ali Khan was eventually defeated by the treachery of his army, which was tired of the siege. After his arrest, after severe torture, he was blinded and sent to Tehran, where he was killed. This ended the Zand dynasty.
