emirate · Central Asia and the Steppe

Hotak dynasty

1709 CE – 1738 CE · capital Kandahar

A Ghilji Pashtun dynasty from Kandahar that threw off Safavid rule and, under Mahmud Hotak, captured Isfahan and toppled the Safavid dynasty in 1722.

Origins

In 1709 Mirwais Hotak, a chief of the Ghilji Pashtuns, led a revolt in Kandahar against the Safavid governor Gurgin Khan, killed him and made Kandahar independent. He repelled Safavid attempts to retake the city and ruled until his death in 1715.

Rule and society

Mirwais governed with the support of Pashtun tribal councils and avoided the title of king. His son Mahmud Hotak invaded Persia, defeated the Safavid army at Gulnabad in 1722 and took Isfahan after a long siege, forcing Shah Sultan Husayn to abdicate. Hotak rule in Persia was harsh and insecure, and Mahmud's successor Ashraf faced Ottoman and Russian advances as well as Safavid loyalists.

Decline and legacy

Nader Shah, fighting for the Safavid pretender Tahmasp II, defeated Ashraf at Damghan in 1729 and drove the Afghans out of Persia. In 1738 Nader besieged and took Kandahar from Hussain Hotak, ending the dynasty. Its fall cleared the way for the later Durrani Empire.

Lineage

Safavid Empire 1501 CE – 1736 CEHotak dynasty

Connections (1)

Hotak dynasty was conquered by Afsharid Empire1738 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hotak dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hotak-dynasty
MLA: “Hotak dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hotak-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Hotak dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hotak-dynasty.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hotak dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hotak-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻