Herat campaign of 1729

Safavid Abdali War
Part of Nader's Campaigns

A military diagram demonstrating the key manoeuvres in the campaign
DateMay 4 – July 1, 1729
Location
Khorasan, Afghanistan
Result Safavid victory
Territorial
changes
Herat becomes a vassal of the Safavids
Belligerents
Safavid dynasty Safavid loyalists Abdali Pashtuns (Afghans)
Commanders and leaders
Nader (WIA) Allahyar Khan Abdali
Zulfaqar Khan Abdali
Strength
Unknown, comparable to the Abdali:
~20,000

27,000[1]

  • 15,000 under Allahyar
  • 12,000 under Zulfaqar
Casualties and losses
Moderate Heavy

The Campaign of Herat consisted of a series of intermittent and fluid engagements culminating in the finale of Nader's military operations against the Abdali Pashtuns. Nader having recently concluded a successful campaign against his own monarch and prince, the badly humiliated Tahmasp II, set out from Mashad on 4 May 1729, making sure that the Shah also accompanied him on this journey where he could be kept under close supervision.

The conflict is also important because it helped develop Nader's tactics against light cavalry armies, something that would be important at the Battle of Damghan (1729), where the Hotaki Pashtuns were given a rude introduction to modern warfare by Nader's well-drilled army.

  1. ^ Moghtader, Gholam-Hussein(2008). The Great Battles of Nader Shah,p. 16. Donyaye Ketab