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Early Modern & Age of Discovery1709 CE – 1737 CEPeak: 1.9M km² (1730 CE)

Hotaki Dynasty: Map & History

The Hotak Empire also known as the Hotaki Empire was an Afghan dynasty founded by Ghilji Pashtuns that briefly ruled parts of Iran and Afghanistan during the 1720s.

4.5
1709 CEDrag timeline:1730 CE1737 CE
1709 CE
1715 CE
1725 CE
1730 CE
1737 CE
Capital: Kandahar (1709–1722), (1725–1738), Isfahan (1722–1729)Capital at 31.62°N, 65.72°EPeak Extent: 1.9M km²Vector Attribution: Cliopatria (CC BY 4.0)Wikidata: Q627449 ↗
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Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium

Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry

Wikipedia: Hotak dynasty
Hotak dynasty historical cartography
1709–1738 Afghan monarchy ruled by Ghilji Pashtuns

The Hotak Empire also known as the Hotaki Empire was an Afghan dynasty founded by Ghilji Pashtuns that briefly ruled parts of Iran and Afghanistan during the 1720s. It was established in 1709 by Mirwais Hotak, who led a successful rebellion against the declining Persian Safavid empire in the region of Loy Kandahar in what is now southern Afghanistan.

Capital / Seat
Kandahar (1709–1722), (1725–1738), Isfahan (1722–1729)
Common Languages
Pashto (poetry), Persian (poetry)
State Governance
Absolute monarchy
Historical Religion
Sunni Islam
Peak Territory
1,918,357 km²
Key Dynasts / Leaders
Mirwais Hotak, Abdul Aziz Hotak
Preceded By
Safavid Iran, Mughal Empire
Succeeded By
Afsharid Iran
Content & infobox metadata adapted from Wikipedia (Hotak dynasty)

Modern Countries Once Part of Hotaki Dynasty

At its mapped extent, Hotaki Dynasty covered territory in 3 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.

Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.

Hotaki Dynasty in Depth

History of the Hotak Empire

The Shi'a Safavids ruled Loy Kandahar as their easternmost territory from the 16th century until the early 18th century. At the same time, the native Afghan tribes living in the area were Sunni Muslims. Immediately to the east was the powerful Sunni Mughal Empire, who occasionally fought wars with the powerful Safavids over the territory of southern Afghanistan. The Khanate of Bukhara controlled the area to the north at the same time. By the late 17th century, the Safavids started to decline. With the death of Shah Abbas in 1629, succeeding Safavid rulers were less effective and caused the empire to decline. On 29 July 1694, Shah Suleiman died and Sultan Husayn took the throne. Under his reign the problems worsened.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Hotak dynasty (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Hotaki Dynasty: Key Facts

Key facts about Hotaki Dynasty
CapitalKandahar
Official languagePashto
ReligionSunni Islam
Founded1709
Dissolved1738

Facts from Wikidata Q627449 (CC0).

Hotaki Dynasty Timeline

Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion

1 Epochs
Territorial Apex1730 CE

Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,918,357 km² in 1730 CE.

Hotaki Dynasty: Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Hotaki Dynasty exist?

The Hotaki Dynasty is dated to 1709 CE – 1737 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.

What was the capital of the Hotaki Dynasty?

The capital of the Hotaki Dynasty was Kandahar (1709–1722), (1725–1738), Isfahan (1722–1729).

How large was the Hotaki Dynasty at its peak?

At its peak in 1730 the Hotaki Dynasty covered about 1,918,357 km².