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Karim Khan Zand

Karim Khan Zand, (Persian: کریم خان زند), (c. 1705- 1779), was the ruler and de facto Shah of Iran from 1760 until 1779. Founder of the Zand dynasty and a member of the Lur peoples, he never styled himself as "shah" or king, and instead used the title Vakil e-Ra'aayaa (President).

Karim Khan Zand was one of the generals of Nader Shah Afshar. After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Persia fell into a state of civil war. At that time, Karim Khan, Abdolfath 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, respecting Shah Rukh, 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 (literal translation - workers of the fields i.e. peasants)).

Wax figure of Karim Khan in Fars History museum

Monument of Karim Khan in Shiraz

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 were restored, and he allowed the East India Company to have a trading post in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital 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.

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. In the 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)

He is buried at Pars Museum of Shiraz.

Zand Benevolent

Esteemed academic John Perry (the leading English authority on Karim Khan Zand's era) writes of this forward thinking and notably popular leader, Karim Khan Zand, a man before his time, that by opening up international trade, employing a fair fiscal system and showing respect for existing religious institutions, Karim Khan succeeded in creating a peaceful and prosperous state in a particularly turbulent epoch of history.^[1]

So Karim Khan Zand was a model leader, an inspiration of his time and still one for Iran today.It is to commemorate this great man's achievements and to continue his down-to-earth humanitarianism, that the Zand Benevolent Trust has been set up by a number of Karim Khan Zand's descendants, including Nazenin Khajeh-Noori and Michael-Mehrdod Khajeh-Noori, both great grand children of Bolour Khanum Zandieh, the daughter of Karim Khan Zand, who married the Qajar King,Mohammad Shah^[2]. The Zand Benevolent Trust is a global charity dedicated to bringing hope and relief to children and the vulnerable.^[3] The related Noble Order of Zand annually selects a handful of unsung heroes to whom honorary Order of the Zand membership is offered together with a small cash prize. The first award was to George Hosking, Founder, Chief Executive and Research Co-ordinator of The WAVE Trust (Worldwide Alternatives to ViolencE) in recognition of his remarkable efforts, enabling The WAVE Trust to make progress in working to prevent violence and child abuse by tackling it at its roots and making headway at a government and international level and the path to a world where compassion, empathy and peace can genuinely be the norm is that bit more realistic.^[4]

Background

1. Aryan
2. Scythian
3. Feyli
4. Zandi

External links

• History of Iran: Zand Dynasty
• Karim Khan's portrait
• http://www.zandbenevolent.com

See also

• History of Iran
• List of kings of Persia
• Persian name
• Zand dynasty

References

Perry, John R. Karīm Khān Zand: a history of Iran, 1747-1779 University of Chicago Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0226660981 and One World Publications, 2006 ISBN 978-1851684359

John Malcolm, The History of Persia, 1829