khanate · Mesopotamia and Iran

Khanate of Qaradagh

1747 CE – 1828 CE (approx.) · capital Ahar

A mountain khanate north of Tabriz, centred on Ahar, that emerged after Nader Shah's death and was gradually absorbed by the Qajars.

Origins

Qaradagh, the 'Black Mountain' country between Tabriz and the Aras river, became a separate khanate after the assassination of Nader Shah in 1747 broke up the Afsharid Empire. Local tribal chiefs ruled from Ahar, a town known for the shrine of the Sufi Sheikh Shihab al-Din.

Rule and society

The khanate was a land of mountain villages and pastoral tribes, with copper and other mineral resources. Its khans, of whom Kazem Khan Qaradaghi is among the best known, competed with the neighbouring Tabriz and Karabakh khanates and paid tribute to whichever power dominated Azerbaijan. Records of its internal government are sparse.

Decline and legacy

Agha Mohammad Khan's Qajar Iran brought Qaradagh under its control in the 1790s. After the Russo-Persian War ended with the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, the Aras became the border, and Qaradagh remained within Iran as a governorate.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

  • Khanate of Qaradagh was conquered by Qajar Iran1828 CE

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻