Monument to Karim Khan in Shiraz.
Karim Khan (Persian: کریم خان زند) (ca. 1705 - 1779), shah of Persia and founder of the Sand dynasty.
Karim Khan was a general under Nader Shah Afshar. After his death in 1747, a civil war broke out in Persia. Karim Khan, Abolfath Khan and Ali Mardan Khan made a covenant in which they divided Persia among themselves and put Ismail III on the throne. Their alliance ended when Ali Mardan Khan invaded Isfahan and killed Abdolfath Khan. Karim Khan killed Ali Mardan Khan and gained the dominion over Persia except Khorasan, which was controlled by Shah Rukh, a grandson of Nader Shah Afshar.
Karim Khan restored relations with Great Britain and allowed the British East India Company to open a trading post at Bushehr in the south of Persia. He made Shiraz the capital.
After the death of Karim Khan another civil war broke out and the Kad Years came to power. Also see
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