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The Battle of Damghan (1729)
Nader defeated Ashraf Hotak, the Afghan ruler who had seized Iran, near Mehmandust; Nader's rise began here.
In 1722 the Afghan Hotaki dynasty had taken Isfahan, the Safavid capital, and the Safavid state had collapsed. Prince Tahmasp II found refuge in Khorasan, where Nader, a commander of the Afshar tribe who entered his service, quickly built a strong army.
In the autumn of 1729 the Afghan ruler in Isfahan, Ashraf Hotak, marched on Khorasan. Between 29 September and 5 October the armies met around the village of Mehmandust near Damghan. Nader had built his army around artillery and musketeers, while the Afghans relied mainly on cavalry. Disciplined fire broke the Afghan charges and Ashraf withdrew.
A month later Nader won again at Murcheh-Khort and freed Isfahan from the Afghans. Tahmasp II was restored to the throne, but real power was now in Nader's hands, and seven years later, in 1736, Nader was chosen shah on the Mughan plain.
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Updated: November 11, 2026