Siege of Kandahar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Kandahar |
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| Part of Qandahar Campaign of 1737 | |||||||||
 Illustration of the siege of Kandahar |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Afsharid Persia |
 Hotaki dynasty |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Hussain Hotaki (POW) |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | All killed or captured | ||||||||
The Siege of Kandahar was a major battle that happened in Afghanistan. It started when Nader Shah and his Afsharid army attacked Kandahar. They wanted to take over the last main city held by the Hotaki ruler, Hussain Hotaki. The fight took place in the area of Old Kandahar and lasted until March 24, 1738. The Hotaki Afghans lost, and the Persian army won.
Contents
Why Did the Siege Happen?
After chasing the Afghans out of Iran in 1729, Nader Shah (who was then known as Tahmasp Qoli Khan) wanted to attack the Hotaks. He planned to take back Kandahar in 1730. However, other events made him wait.
Hussain Hotak was worried about Nader Shah attacking Kandahar. So, he encouraged the Abdalis of Herat to rebel. This made Nader Shah stop his fight against the Ottomans and go back to Herat. He took Herat back into the Safavid Empire on February 27, 1732. After Nader Shah made peace with the Ottomans in 1736, he finally got ready to attack Kandahar.
The Long Siege Begins
For most of the siege, there wasn't much direct fighting. Nader Shah's army didn't have strong cannons to break down the city walls. Because of this, they decided to surround the city and block it off. This is called a blockade.
As the Persians grew impatient, they tried several times to storm the city. But the Afghan defenders bravely fought them off each time.
The Brave Bakhtiari Attack
The Afghans had stored a lot of food and supplies inside the city before the siege. Even though people started to get hungry by late 1737, Nader Shah knew it would take a long time for the Afghans to run out of everything.
Nader Shah was also worried about his own power back in Persia. He had removed the previous king, Tahmasp II, but the ex-king was still alive. Nader Shah didn't want to get stuck fighting in Kandahar for too long.
On March 23, 1738, Nader Shah chose 3,000 brave men from his Bakhtiari soldiers. He wanted them to lead a direct attack on Kandahar. A Bakhtiari man named Mullah Adineh Mostafi was chosen to lead this dangerous mission.
Nader Shah first tried to convince the mullah not to join the attack because it was so risky. But Adineh insisted on being part of it. The night before the attack, Nader Shah spoke to the Bakhtiaris himself. He promised each of them 1,000 rupees and a share of the city's treasures if they succeeded.
On March 24, the attack began. The Bakhtiaris rushed forward from their hiding spots on the cliffs of Chehel Zina. They charged towards the city. Afghan gunners in the city's guard towers managed to kill some attackers. However, many Bakhtiaris reached the city walls and used ladders to climb over. Mullah Adineh was the first to reach the top. A fierce fight broke out on top of the Kandahar city walls.
Slowly, the Bakhtiaris took control of the walls. They then moved to take the inner defenses of the city. The attackers then set up their own guns on the walls and used them to fire into the city.
The Afghans tried several times to take back the city's defenses. But they were pushed back by heavy fire from the Bakhtiari Jazayerchis (soldiers with special guns). Realizing they couldn't win, Hussain Hotaki and a few Afghans retreated into the Kandahar citadel. They left the rest of the city's people to be killed or captured. The Persians then took over the cannons on the city walls. They used these cannons to bombard the citadel. Finally, the next day, on March 25, 1738, Hussain Hotaki and his remaining group surrendered.
What Happened After the Siege?
Nader Shah was very generous to the Bakhtiaris. He personally gave Adineh Mostafi a bag full of gold. Hussain Hotaki was treated kindly. He and his royal family were sent away to Mazandaran. It is thought that he and his family were later killed during the Zand attacks on Afghans in what is now northern Iran.
However, Nader Shah was suspicious of Hussain's main military leader, Mohammad Seidal Khan. Nader Shah thought he might cause trouble. So, Nader Shah ordered that Mohammad Seidal Khan be blinded.
The city of Kandahar was completely destroyed by cannon fire. The people who survived were moved to a new city. This new city was about 6 miles southeast of the old one. Nader Shah named the new city "Naderabad" after himself. The old city was never lived in again. The ruins of the old Kandahar Citadel can still be seen today. The capture of Kandahar is a very important story in Bakhtiari history and in Lur culture.
See also
- Military of the Afsharid dynasty of Persia
- Durrani dynasty
Sources
- Michael Axworthy, The Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant Hardcover 348 pages (26 July 2006) Publisher: I.B. Tauris Language: English ISBN: 1-85043-706-8
