Afsharids

The Afsharid Dynasty was a Persian empire that ruled parts of Iran and surrounding regions in the mid-18th century. Named after the Afshar tribe of Turkic origin, it was founded by Nader Shah, a prominent military commander who rose to power during the collapse of the Safavid state.

Nader Shah consolidated power, rebuilt the army, and established a centralized administration. He reconquered much of Iran, imposed order on rival factions, and conducted wide-ranging campaigns in the Caucasus and Transoxiana. His 1739 invasion of the Mughal Empire culminated in the sack of Delhi.

The empire at its height stretched from Iran to Afghanistan and parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia; in the Indian subcontinent, Delhi’s defeat marked a high point. The Afsharids emphasized military prowess and personal authority, rather than long-term institutional consolidation.

Following Nader Shah’s assassination in 1747, the state rapidly fragmented. Succession disputes and local uprisings allowed rival dynasties to emerge; by the late 1740s the Afsharid realm had collapsed, with the Zand and eventually Qajar dynasties rising in Iran.

The Afsharids are noted for briefly restoring Iranian sovereignty after the Safavid decline and for expanding Iran’s borders through swift military campaigns. Their era is remembered for the prominence of Nader Shah and for the disruptions that followed his death.