Azad Shah Afghan also known as Azad Khan Afghan (Pashto: آزاد خان افغان) and often called Azad Shah (Pashto: آزاد شاه) or Azad Khan (Pashto: آزاد خان), was the founder and first ruler of Azad Dynasty, which ruled southern Caucasus

Caucasus

The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...

, Persia, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

, Kurdistan, Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

, Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

 and south-western Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...

 from 1750 to 1781 A.D.

Early life

Azad Shah Afghan was born in Andar city, Andar district

Andar District

Andar is one of the eastern districts of Ghazni Province in Afghanistan. The population has been estimated at 106,000, all Pashtun. The district center is Miray....

 of Ghazni province

Ghazni Province

Ghazni is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Babur records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City...

, Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 as Azad Khan. Azad Shah is from Sulaimankhel

Suleiman Khel

The Suleiman Khel are a Pashtun sub-tribe of the Ghilzai confederation. In the early 20th century, the tribe was recognised as generally pastoral.In 1924, the Suleiman Khel joined in the Khost Rebellion initiated by the Mangal tribe....

 clan of Hotak

Hotak

Hotak is an Afghan royal family name among the Pashtun people.The Hotaki started long ago as a rich and well known political family. The first king to take power in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was Mirwais Hotak . After his death many different Hotakis took the power of the throne, such as Mahmud...

 sub-tribe of Ghilzai

Ghilzai

Ghilzai are the largest Pashtun tribal confederacy found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are also known historically as Ghilji, Khilji, Ghalji, Ghilzye, and possibly Gharzai...

 tribe.

Adult life

Azad Khan was an Army General during the time of Nadir Shah Afshar in Western Persia and Azarbaijan. He commanded an army of about 12,000 Ghilzai Pashtuns. Nadir Shah Afshar was murdered by his guards in Fateh Abad Khabushan, Iran in 1747 A.D., leading to an internal power struggle among his generals. Azad Khan Afghan was able to seize the power in Western parts of the Nadir empire in 1750 A.D., including Isfahan. Azad Khan became Shah

Shah

Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...

 (Azad Shah) and ruled a vast empire including the Southern Caucasus, Kurdistan, Northern Persia and South-Western Turkmenistan. Azad Khan's reign as a ruler lasted from 1750 to 1781 A.D. Azad Khan seized power of the Safawid Empire twice (in 1750 A.D. & 1755 A.D.) and claimed ruler and kingship of their throne in the capital of Isfahan.
Azad Khan appoints Abdal Khan as Zabit (tax collector) of Cahar Mahall districts in place of 'Askar Khan Bayg' on June 28th 1754.

Books

• Azad Khan Afghan, Shah of Iran and Ruler of Azerbaijan and Kurdistan by: Architect M. Najim Azadzoi, 298 pages, published by Maiwand Press in Kabul, Afghanistan in May, 2011.

External links

• Hukm by Azad Khan Afghan (assignment by Azad Khan Afghan), original assignment and English translation.