State

Afsharid Empire

Also known as Afsharid dynasty, Afsharids, Afsharid

The Afsharid Empire was the Iranian state founded by Nader Shah, who deposed the last Safavid ruler in 1736. Nader built a powerful army, defeated the Ottomans and Afghans, and sacked Delhi in 1739, but his rule was harsh and fiscally exhausting. After his assassination in 1747 the empire fragmented, with the Zand dynasty taking much of Iran while Afsharid rulers held on in Khurasan.

Afsharid Empire
Image: Orange Tuesday · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Afsharid EmpireFoundation, Socioeconomy, Governance, Impact, Decline, SummaryZand EmpireFoundation, Impact

Mentioned in 1 state history

Bakhtiari confederation

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Afsharid Empire. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afsharid-empire
MLA
“Afsharid Empire.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afsharid-empire. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Afsharid Empire.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afsharid-empire.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Afsharid Empire’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afsharid-empire (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻