A Critical Investigation of the Historical Manuscript if Zandieh History (by Mirza Razi Ashtiani)

Abstract

After the death of Nader Shah and the deterioration of the Afsharid dynasty, the Zand and the Qajar tribes competed to obtain power in Iran. After protracted struggles, the Qajars put an end to the conflicts between his successors gave the opportunity to the Qajars to overcome the Zands. When the Qajars considered the Zands as their rivals. Therefore, the forced the Zand’s tribe to be exhiled and dispatched in different parts of Iran. Probably this is one of the reasons for the Particular attention of the historiography of the Zand tribe by the Qajars. Among these histories, Zandieh History by Mirza Razi Ashtiani, the secretary of Bahman Mirza, the Qajar prince and son of Abbas Mirza, is a prominent work written in the era of Mohammad Shah Qajar in 1259 (A.H.). This manuscript has not been critically investigated or edited so far. The manuscript is significant in understanding the Qajar’s approach to the tribe and the dynasty of Zandieh and displays how the Zandieh dynasty was deteriorated.