afghan sultanates, 1260–1732against him, Sultan Daulat Khan eventually regained possession of Safa.
Meanwhile in Multan, Hayat Khan’s eldest son, ‘Abd Allah Khan, who had
married a daughter of Daulat Khan in an attempt to end the feud between
the two families, quarrelled violently with his father and set out for Safa to
join forces with Sultan Daulat Khan, taking with him Muhammad Zaman
Khan, Daulat Khan’s son.
The Hotak Ghilzai dynasty of KandaharMeanwhile the new Safavid monarch, Sultan Husain, made another attempt
to suppress the lawless tribes in the Helmand and Kandahar region and
in 1704 he appointed Gurgin Khan, a Georgian prince, as governor of
Kandahar. Gurgin, whose regnal name was Giorgi, was the nominal ruler of
Kartli in Georgia, but his principality had been subjugated by the Safavids
and Gurgin and his Georgian ghulams had been forced to convert to Shi‘a
Islam, though in secret they continued to practise their Christian faith.
Giorgi even covertly corresponded with Pope Innocent xii and after his
death a crucifix and a Psalter were found on his body.
Giorgi had earned a fearsome reputation as beglar begi of Kirman,
restoring order in this turbulent province by brute force. His mandate
as military governor of Kandahar was similar: put down the raids by the
Afghans and Baluch by all possible means. The Baluch rebellion was quickly
snuffed out but the main threat to Giorgi’s power came from the ‘Abdalis
and the Hotak Ghilzais. In an attempt to bring them to heel, Giorgi adopted
a policy of divide and rule. He flattered Sultan Daulat Khan Saddozai
by sending him valuable presents and assuring him of Persia’s undying
friendship, but at the same time he offered the headship of the ‘Abdalis to
two of his rivals, ‘Izzat and Atal, who had a blood feud with the family of
Daulat Khan. Giorgi then made the same offer to Hajji Amir Khan, better
known as Mir Wa’is, a young but influential leader of the Hotak Ghilzais,
in return for his support against the ‘Abdalis.
‘Izzat and Atal eventually lured Sultan Daulat Khan and his youngest
son, Nazar, out of Shahr-i Safa and sent them in chains to Giorgi, who
condemned them to death and handed them back to ‘Izzat and Atal, who
put them to a slow and excruciating death. Next Giorgi appointed Daulat
Khan’s eldest son, Rustam Khan, as mir-i Afghaniha, retaining his younger
brother Muhammad Zaman Khan as a hostage for his good behaviour.
The appointment was not well received by Malik ‘Izzat and Malik Atal, for
Giorgi had offered them the headship of the tribe. They therefore conspired
with Mir Wa’is Hotaki and eventually convinced Giorgi that Rustam Khan