Atlas of Battles

commander, 30 engagements

Battles of Nader Shah

Battles of Nader Shah

Shah of Iran (r. 1736–47) and founder of the Afsharid dynasty, 1698 to 1747

Nader Shah is recorded as a commander at 30 placed engagements in the atlas between 1720 and 1745: 18 battles, 5 sieges and 7 campaigns across 11 present-day countries, most in Iran (9), Iraq (6), Afghanistan (4). Taken in date order, the sites lie 21,422 km apart end to end, 739 km between engagements on average. Most belong to Campaigns of Nader Shah (21), Mughal–Persian Wars (3), Ottoman–Persian War of 1730–1735 (3).

Khorasan CampaignBattle of SanganBattle of Khwar PassHerat CampaignBattle of HeratBattle of ZarghanBattle of Murche-KhortWestern Persia campaign of 1730Battle of NahavandHerat Campaign of 1731Nader's Mesopotamian CampaignSiege of Baghdad (1733)Battle of SamarraSiege of GanjaBattle of YeghevārdSiege of KandaharCapture of Samarkand by Nader Shah AfsharNader's Sindh ExpeditionNader's Dagestan campaignWithdrawal through AndalalSiege of MosulSiege of KarsBattle of MosulBattle of KarsCampaigns of Nader ShahBattle of DamghanBattle of Kirkuk (1733)Caucasus CampaignBattle of KarnalCampaigns of Nader ShahBattle of DamghanBattle of Kirkuk (1733)Caucasus CampaignBaghdadKabulTashkentLahoreKuwait CityBakuIsfahanMultanPeshawarShiraz1000 km36.589N, 57.048E
30 placed engagements, coloured by era. Present-day coastlines; ringed marks are the most widely documented.

Engagements by year

1720: 1 engagements1726: 1 engagements1727: 1 engagements1729: 6 engagements6 in 17291730: 2 engagements1732: 2 engagements1733: 3 engagements1734: 2 engagements1735: 1 engagements1737: 2 engagements1739: 1 engagements1740: 2 engagements1741: 2 engagements1743: 1 engagements1744: 1 engagements1745: 2 engagements17201745
30 dated engagements, one bar per year, coloured by era.

In time order

Campaigns of Nader Shah, 1720Khorasan Campaign, 1726Battle of Sangan, 1727Battle of Damghan, 1729Battle of Khwar Pass, 1729Herat Campaign, 1729Battle of Herat, 1729Battle of Zarghan, 1729Battle of Murche-Khort, 1729Western Persia campaign of 1730, 1730Battle of Nahavand, 1730Herat Campaign of 1731, 1732Nader's Mesopotamian Campaign, 1732Battle of Kirkuk (1733), 1733Siege of Baghdad (1733), 1733Battle of Samarra, 1733Caucasus Campaign, 1734Siege of Ganja, 1734Battle of Yeghevārd, 1735Nader's Central Asian Campaign, 1737Siege of Kandahar, 1737Battle of Karnal, 1739Capture of Samarkand by Nader Shah Afshar, 1740Nader's Sindh Expedition, 1740Nader's Dagestan campaign, 1741Withdrawal through Andalal, 1741Siege of Mosul, 1743Siege of Kars, 1744Battle of Mosul, 1745Battle of Kars, 174517201745
One tick per dated engagement; each tick is a link.

Wars 3

Engagements by date

DateEngagementPlaceFrom the lastResult
1720Campaigns of Nader ShahMesopotamia, AfghanistanPersian victory
1726Khorasan CampaignKhorasan, Turkmenistan822 km WSafavid victory
1727Battle of SanganSangan, Iran238 km SWSafavid victory
1729Battle of DamghanMehmandust, Iran545 km NWSafavid victory
1729Battle of Khwar PassIran498 km SSafavid victory
1729Herat CampaignKhorasan Province, Iran773 km NESafavid victory
1729Battle of HeratHerat, Afghanistan321 km SESafavid victory
1729Battle of ZarghanZarqan, Iran1,027 km SWSafavid victory
1729Battle of Murche-KhortMurcheh Khvort, Iran387 km NSafavid victory
1730Western Persia campaign of 1730Persis, Iran347 km SSafavid victory
1730Battle of NahavandNahavand, Iran577 km NWSafavid victory
1732Herat Campaign of 1731Khorasan Province, Iran1,045 km ESafavid victory; Fall of the Sadozai Sultanate of Herat
1732Nader's Mesopotamian CampaignMesopotamia, Iraq1,493 km WInconclusive
1733Battle of Kirkuk (1733)Kirkuk, Iraq202 km NESafavid victory
February 1733Siege of Baghdad (1733)Baghdad, Iraq221 km SOttoman victory
19 July 1733Battle of SamarraSamarra, Iraq85 km NOttoman victory
1734Caucasus CampaignCaucasus, Russia967 km NSafavid victory; (effective end of the war)
3 November 1734Siege of GanjaGanja, Azerbaijan277 km SESafavid victory
1735Battle of YeghevārdYeghvard, Armenia164 km WSafavid victory; Effective end of the war
1737Nader's Central Asian CampaignCentral Asia, Kazakhstan1,673 km NEPersian victory
April 1737Siege of KandaharOld Kandahar, Afghanistan1,531 km SAfsharid victory
24 February 1739Battle of KarnalKarnal, India1,111 km EAfsharid victory
1740Capture of Samarkand by Nader Shah AfsharSamarkand, Uzbekistan1,437 km NWPersian victory
1740Nader's Sindh ExpeditionHindu Kush, Afghanistan628 km SEAfsharid victory
1741Nader's Dagestan campaignNorth Caucasus, Russia2,507 km NWNorth Caucasian victory; Eventual Afsharid withdrawal from...
1741Withdrawal through AndalalDagestan, Russia301 km EPersian withdrawal harried,; causing heavy casualties
13 September 1743Siege of MosulMosul, Iraq826 km SWInconclusive; Siege suspended; Negotiated Persian withdrawal
1744Siege of KarsKars, Turkey472 km NOttoman victory
1745Battle of MosulMosul eyalet, Iraq475 km SIranian victory
1745Battle of KarsKars, Turkey475 km NIranian victory

Sources and method

Commanders come from the commander fields of the English Wikipedia infoboxes of these engagements (CC BY-SA 4.0), resolved to one article each; portrait, dates and description from Wikidata (CC0) and Wikimedia Commons, Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Distances are great-circle distances between recorded sites, not marches.