Shāh Abdul Azīz Hotak (

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

: ; died 1717) was the second ruler of the

Ghilji The Ghiljī (, ; ) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai and Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtuns, Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settled in other regions throu ...

Hotak dynasty of

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

, in what is today the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. He was crowned in 1715 after the death of his brother, Mirwais Hotak. He was the father of Ashraf Hotak, the fourth ruler of the Hotak dynasty. Abdul Aziz was killed in 1717 by his nephew Mahmud Hotak. The tradition of

parricide Parricide is the deliberate killing of one's own parent, spouse, child, or other close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It is an umbrella term that can be used to ...

continued as Mahmud died at the hands of his cousin and Abdul Azīz's son Ashraf.

Early life

Abdul Aziz was born in a wealthy and politically connected family in the

area. His family had been involved in social and community services for many years. He was the son of Salim Khan and

Nazo Tokhi Nāzo Tokhī (نازو توخۍ), commonly known as Nāzo Anā (, "Nazo the grandmother"), was an Afghans, Afghan poet and writer in the Pashto language. Mother of the famous early-18th century List of monarchs of Afghanistan, Afghan king Mirwais ...

(also known as "Nazo Anaa"), grandson of Karum Khan and great grandson of Ismail Khan, a descendant of Malikyar, the original head of the Hotaki or Hotaks. The Hotaki is an important branch of

, one of the main tribes among the

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

. Hajji Amanullah Hottak reports in his book that the Ghilji tribe were the original residents of Ghor or Gherj. This tribe migrated later to obtain lands in southeastern Afghanistan and then grew in number in this region. Map of Afghanistan during the Safavid and Moghul Empire

Map of Afghanistan during the Safavid and Moghul Empire

In 1707, Kandahar was in a state of chaos due to it being fought over for control by the

Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...

Persian

Safavids The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

and the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Moghuls of India. Mirwais Khan, a Sunni tribal chief whose influence with his fellow-countrymen made him an object of suspicion, was held as a political prisoner by the Safavid governor of the region, Gurgin Khan, and sent to the Safavids' court at

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

. He was later released and even allowed to meet regularly with the Shah, Sultan Husayn. Having ingratiated himself with the Safavid court, Mirwais sought and obtained permission to perform the pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

in the

Ottoman empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He had studied carefully all the military weaknesses of the Safavids while he spent time in their court. In 1709 Mirwais and Abdul Aziz began organising their countrymen in preparation for a major uprising. When a significant number of the Safavid garrison were on an expedition outside the city, followers of Mirwais and Abdul Aziz fell on the remainder and killed the greater number of them, including Gurgin Khan. The Pashtun tribes rankled under the ruling Safavids because of their continued attempts to forcefully convert them from Sunni to Shia Islam. After Gurgin Khan and his escort were killed in April 1709, the Hotak tribe took control of the city and the province. The Pashtun rebels then defeated a large Qizilbash and Persian army, sent to gain control over the area.

Death

Abdul Aziz sided with the Persians and re-entered the suzerainty of

Safavid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

, which proved unpopular with fellow Afghans. Mahmud Hotak, his nephew, seeing that his father, Mirwais Hotak's achievements would be washed away, assembled many of his fathers loyal followers, and entered the royal palace. Mahmud Hotak himself killed Abdul Aziz, and ascended the throne of the Hotaks at the age of 18. Abdul Aziz was buried at a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

next to his brother in the Kokaran section of Kandahar City in Afghanistan.

References

External links

Encyclopædia Britannica Online – Last Afghan empire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotak, Abdul Aziz 17th-century births 1717 deaths 18th-century Afghan monarchs 18th-century murdered monarchs Pashtun people People from Kandahar Emirs of Afghanistan Hotak dynasty People murdered in 1717

Early life

Death

See also

References

External links