Biography
Early Years:
 Born
in Shiraz in 1705, Karim Khan came from humble tribal
origins. Early in
his life, Karim Khan became a general in the army of
the great Nader Shah. When Nader Shah was suddenly
assassinated in 1747, the country was left with no immediate
ruler. Karim Khan, who had a strong and loyal following,
became a major contender for power. Considering himself
a fair man, Karim Khan did not want the title of Shah.
Therefore, Karim Khan, Abdolfath Khan and
Ali Mardan Khan
decided to divide
Persia between themselves while officially placing
Ismail III on the throne. The grandson of the last official
Safavid king, Ismail was merely an infant and therefore
a figurehead king. The real power stayed with Karim
Khan, who, smartly, never desired to claim the title
of shahanshah (king of kings) but wanted his people to
refer to him as the vakil or the people's chosen leader.
Karim Khan strongly believed
that he would do better as just an ordinary person, serving
his people, and perhaps was the first to unknowingly
bring democracy to Persia.
Karim Khan, the "Vakil"
of Persia
By 1760 Karim Khan managed
to defeat his many rivals and control all of
Iran except
for Khorasan, in the northeast. This region was still
under the rule of Shahrokh, the
blind grandson of Nader
Shah.
It was during Karim Khan's rule that Iran recovered from
the devastation of 40 years of war. Karim Khan chose
Shiraz, his birthplace as the capital of Persia and started
to construct a beautiful city with
many fine buildings and structures. In addition, the
Vakil, devised a better fiscal system
by removing
tax
burdens
from the agricultural classes and shifting it to the
more wealthy. As Karim Khan was a deeply religious
man and also an active patron of the arts, he supported
and
encouraged the construction of libraries, schools,
and mosques. He attracted many mathematicians, scholars
and
poets to Shiraz in this way.
 Among other great achievements,
Karim Khan-e Zand paved the way for better foreign relations
for Iran. He encouraged international
trade by allowing the English
East
India Company to establish
a trading post in Bushehr.
In 1775, he attacked
and re-captured Basra, the Ottoman port at the mouth
of the Persian Gulf, which had diverted much of the trade
with India away from Iranian ports. A bloody civil war
with the Qajars followed, which ended with Karim Khan's
death and the establishment of the Qajar dynasty in
1796.
Karim Khan was known
to be a compassionate ruler and a a brave leader. He
restored peace to the kingdom after the collapse
of the Safavid
dynasty. He died in the year 1779, at the age
of 74. Much of what Karim Khan built in Shiraz can still
be seen today. The Hamam-e Vakil has been turned into
a beautiful restaurant with live music (right). His
fortress is a museum and can be visited, as well as the
Masjed-e
Vakil and Bazaar-e Vakil. Karim Khan's legacy will continue
to live in Shiraz for many more years to come.
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Famous Iranians
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