Hotak

Hotak refers to a Pashtun tribal group of the Ghilji confederation, centered in Kandahar and southern Afghanistan, with ties to parts of eastern Iran. The name also designates the ruling dynasty founded by Mir Wais Hotak in the early 18th century, which briefly governed parts of Afghanistan and Iran.

In 1709, Mir Wais Hotak led a revolt against Safavid authority in Kandahar, establishing an independent emirate. His successors extended control into southern Iran, and Mahmud Hotak (r. 1715–1725) captured Isfahan and proclaimed himself Shah of Iran in 1722, ruling a state that included portions of present-day Afghanistan and Iran. The Hotak realm faced internal strife, external pressure, and the rising power of Nader Shah of the Afsharid dynasty.

Nader Shah defeated the Hotaks in the 1730s, with Kandahar falling to his forces in 1738–1739, effectively ending the Hotak dynasty. The Afghan political landscape subsequently reorganized, paving the way for the rise of the Durrani Empire under Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747), which is often regarded as the foundation of modern Afghanistan.

Notable rulers include Mir Wais Hotak, founder of the dynasty; Mahmud Hotak, who expanded into Isfahan; and Ashraf Hotak, who ruled during the mid-1720s to early 1730s. The Hotak period is viewed as a transitional epoch between the decline of the Safavid order and the emergence of later Afghan statehood.