Afghanistan. A History from 1260 to the Present - Jonathan L. Lee (2018)

afghan sultanates, 1260–1732

table 5: The Hotaki Dynasty of Kandahar and Persia, 1709–38

Ruler Relationship Reign(s) Regions/city-states governed

Mir Wa’is 1709–15 Kandahar

‘Abd al-‘Aziz brother of Mir Wa’is 1715 Kandahar

Shah Mahmud son of Mir Wa’is 1715–25 Kandahar

1722, takes Isfahan and rules as

Shah of Persia

Ashraf son of ‘Abd al-‘Aziz 1725–9 Isfahan

Shah Husain son of Mir Wa’is 1725–3 8 Kandahar

Giorgi Khan and 1,000 of his Georgian ghulams marched up the Ghazni
road to bring the ‘Abdalis to heel, but when he reached Deh Shaikh he was
confronted with a well-entrenched force of several thousand ‘Abdalis and
Kakars. Giorgi tried to storm the emplacements and sent a request to Mir
Wa’is to provide 3,000 Ghilzais to assist in the assault, but Mir Wa’is’ levies
never arrived. After fighting hard all day the exhausted Georgians failed to
take the Afghan positions and withdrew to their camp to lick their wounds.
Mir Wa’is then sent a message to the ‘Abdalis urging them to join him in
an attack on the Georgian camp, catching them off guard while they were
eating their evening meal. Despite fighting bravely, the Georgians were
slaughtered to the last man: among the slain was Giorgi Khan.
Giorgi Khan left an indelible mark on Afghan national consciousness
and he has been depicted as a brutal and barbaric mercenary. ‘Umar Khel
Khan’s description of him as ‘a beast in the shape of a human being...
sensual, avaricious, vindictive, cruel’ is typical of the kind of invective
levelled against him. 40 Afghans also like punning on the Persian version
of his name, Gurjin, calling him Gurgin Khan, ‘wolf-like’ or ‘poxy, mangy,
scabby’, and on his place of birth, Katli, which in its Persian form, qatli,
can also be read as ‘murderer’ or ‘slaughterer’. In fact Giorgi Khan was no
worse than other governors and rulers of the era. The Saddozai sultans
were equally repressive and Mir Wa’is and the ‘Abdalis had no compunction
massacring the Georgians in cold blood.
After disposing of Giorgi Khan, the combined rebel forces besieged
the Qizilbash regiments who had been left to guard Kandahar. Mir Wa’is,
who had no intention of sharing power with the ‘Abdalis, persuaded Sultan
‘Abd Allah Khan to go to Farah to confront a Persian relief force that
had been sent from Herat. Once Sultan ‘Abd Allah Khan was out of the
way, Mir Wa’is persuaded the Qizilbash to surrender, took possession of
Kandahar and expelled the ‘Abdalis from the town. Mir Wa’is then legit-
imized his rebellion by producing the fatwa he had acquired in Mecca and