khanate · Mesopotamia and Iran

Khanate of Khoy

1747 CE – 1799 CE (approx.) · capital Khoy

A khanate of the Kurdish Donboli family in north-western Iran whose last khan resisted the Qajars and ended his days ruling a khanate under Russia.

Origins

The Donboli, a Kurdish family long settled around Khoy, held hereditary authority there under the Safavids. After Nader Shah's death in 1747 they ruled Khoy and Salmas as a khanate. Ahmad Khan Donboli (r. 1763 to 1786) was the most powerful of the line, extending his influence over Tabriz.

Rule and society

Khoy lay on the main route between Tabriz and the Ottoman frontier and was a prosperous trading town. The Donboli khans kept tribal cavalry and patronised building in the town. Ahmad Khan was murdered in 1786, and his son Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli opposed the rising power of Agha Mohammad Khan.

Decline and legacy

Agha Mohammad Khan's Qajar Iran took control of the region in the 1790s; Jafar Qoli Khan fled north in 1799 and was later installed by Russia as khan of Sheki. Khoy became part of Qajar Azerbaijan.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (2)

  • Khanate of Khoy was a vassal of Zand Empire1763 CE – 1779 CE
  • Khanate of Khoy was conquered by Qajar Iran1799 CE

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Khanate of Khoy. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khanate-of-khoy
MLA
“Khanate of Khoy.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khanate-of-khoy. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Khanate of Khoy.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khanate-of-khoy.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Khanate of Khoy’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/khanate-of-khoy (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻