How a numerically inferior Afghan army humiliated the mighty Ottoman Empire in 1726
In short: In 1726, the Ottoman Empire launched a massive invasion of Persia to restore the fallen Safavid dynasty. Despite fielding a force of up to 300,000 men against a mere 12,000 to 17,000 Afghans, the Ottomans suffered a crushing defeat, forced into a humiliating retreat by internal dissent and religious solidarity.
The conflict arose as the Ottoman and Russian empires carved up the collapsing Safavid state. The Afghan Hotak dynasty, which had seized power in Persia, demanded the Ottomans withdraw from their annexed territories. Ahmad Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Baghdad, responded with an insulting letter and a massive military mobilization. He aimed to reinstate the Safavid ruler as a vassal, but his campaign was doomed by a fundamental ideological misalignment. Both the Ottomans and the Afghans were Sunni, and many Ottoman soldiers felt deep moral conflict about fighting their fellow coreligionists.
This internal friction proved fatal to the Ottoman effort. As Ahmad Pasha advanced toward the Afghan lines, his army was plagued by defections, including 20,000 Kurdish troops who abandoned the Ottoman camp for the Afghan side. Afghan clerics even infiltrated the Ottoman lines to berate the Pasha for his alliance with the Russians and his aggression against Sunni kin. Rumors of supernatural intervention, such as flying snakes or divine fire, spread through the demoralized Ottoman ranks, further eroding their will to fight.
When the armies finally clashed at Khorramabad, the Ottoman forces refused to advance. Despite Ahmad Pasha’s attempts to force the issue, his army collapsed into disorder. The Ottomans were forced to retreat to Baghdad, abandoning their entire artillery and baggage train. The defeat was so total that the Ottomans eventually signed a peace treaty recognizing Ashraf Hotak as the legitimate Shah of Persia. This victory, while a triumph for Ashraf’s prestige, ultimately failed to secure his long-term rule, as internal revolts and the eventual rise of Nader Shah led to the liberation of Isfahan in 1729.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ottoman–Hotaki War (1726–1727)
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