Battle of Zava

The Battle of Zava was fought on July 18, 1342 between the armies of the

Sarbadars The Sarbadars (from fa, سربدار ''sarbadār'', "head on gallows"; also known as Sarbedaran ) were a mixture of religious dervishes and secular rulers that came to rule over part of western Khurasan in the midst of the disintegration of t ...

and the Kartids (or

Kart dynasty The Kart dynasty, also known as the Kartids ( fa, آل کرت), was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Tajik origin closely related to the Ghurids, that ruled over a large part of Khorasan during the 13th and 14th centuries. Ruling from their capital ...

). Since their appearance as a political force in Khurasan, the Sarbadars had fought to expand their influence in north-eastern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and defend against the forces of the claiming Ilkhan Togha Temür who sought to regain Khorasan. Mu'izz al-Din Husain, the chief of the Kartids of

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

, recognized Togha Temür's overlordship, and when the Sarbadars secured their hold on Khorasan they sought to eliminate the Kartid threat to the east. The Sarbadars attacked the Kartids' territory in 1342, meeting the Kartid army in Zava (today called Torbat-e Heydarieh) on July 18, 1342. The battle started well for the Sarbadars, but when Hasan Juri was captured and killed, his supporters believed that he had been assassinated by Masud's men and retreated. The retreat of Hasan's followers turned the battle in the Kartids' favor and the Sarbadars had to retreat back to Khorasan. Following the return home, Masud attempted to rule without the support of the

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

es, but his power was decreased. 14th century in Iran Zava Kurt dynasty Zava 1342 in Asia History of Razavi Khorasan Province 1340s in the Middle East {{Battle-stub