Karim Khan Zand emerged as the dominant contender in western and southern Iran after the post-Nader Shah power struggles, founding what became known as the Zand dynasty.
To bolster legitimacy, the Safavid prince Ismail III was retained as a nominal shah under Zand authority, while real power rested with Karim Khan as vakil (regent).
The Vakil Mosque was built in Shiraz as part of Karim Khan’s capital complex; it reflected Zand state-building and later received significant Qajar-era decorative work.
Karim Khan opened a channel for expanded foreign commerce by allowing the English East India Company to establish a trading post at the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr.
Karim Khan made Shiraz the seat of government, anchoring Zand administration and patronage there and turning the city into the dynasty’s political and architectural center.
Construction of the Arg of Karim Khan (citadel-palace complex) began and was completed the next year, symbolizing the consolidation of Zand power in the new capital.
Zand forces invaded Ottoman Iraq and, after a year-long siege, took Basra in 1776—an effort tied to trade strategy and regional power contests in the Persian Gulf.
In 1779, Agha Mohammad Khan (future founder of the Qajar dynasty) escaped from his years as a political hostage in Shiraz and returned north to rebuild Qajar power.
Karim Khan died on March 1, 1779; his death triggered a prolonged succession struggle that weakened Zand authority and opened opportunities for Qajar expansion.
Following Karim Khan’s death, Mohammad-Ali Khan Zand briefly took the throne amid factional control and instability at the Zand court.
Sadeq Khan Zand seized power in Shiraz during the succession turmoil, continuing the pattern of rapid ruler turnover after Karim Khan’s death.
Ali-Morad Khan Zand ruled during a continued period of fragmentation, as central authority struggled against internal rivals and growing Qajar pressure.
Jafar Khan established himself as shah, attempting to stabilize Zand rule from Shiraz while rival claimants and Qajar forces contested power.
After Jafar Khan’s death, Seyd Morad Khan briefly ruled as shah, illustrating the continuing volatility within the Zand leadership.
Lotf Ali Khan became the last Zand ruler, launching energetic campaigns against the better-resourced Qajar forces led by Agha Mohammad Khan.
Agha Mohammad Khan advanced on Shiraz and besieged the Zand capital in 1789, signaling the Qajars’ escalating bid to replace the Zands as Iran’s dominant dynasty.
In 1792, Agha Mohammad Khan entered Shiraz, appointed allies to govern Fars, and had Karim Khan’s body exhumed and reburied in Tehran as a symbolic act of domination.
Qajar forces captured Kerman after months of resistance in 1794, a decisive defeat that effectively ended Zand military capacity and control of major territory.
After fleeing Kerman, Lotf Ali Khan was captured and brought to Agha Mohammad Khan; his death in 1794 marked the end of the Zand dynasty as a ruling house.
Zand Dynasty in Persia (1751–1794)
