Treaty of Kerden


Treaty of Kerden was signed between Ottoman Empire and Afsharid Iran on 4 September 1746. It concluded the Ottoman-Persian War of 1743-1746.

Background

During the last years of the Safavid dynasty in Iran, Ottomans were able to annex most of Caucasus and west Iran, due to hereditary strife, civil unrest and total chaos. Meanwhile, Afghans were able to annex a part of Khorasan. The shah had to appoint Nadir, an Iranian Afshar Turkoman warlord, as his commander in chief. Under Nadir’s brilliant commandship, Iran was able to regain most of her losses. After the victories, it was an easy matter for Nadir to seize the throne. In 1736, Nadir Shah founded the Afsharid dynasty
Nadir Shah was planning to found another great Persian empire, stretching from the Indus to the Bosphorus, like in ancient times. After reconquering former territories of Iran, he further tried to annex the eastern territories of the Ottoman Empire. He also proposed to reconcile the two sects of Islam. He planned to force Ottomans, then the champion of Sunnis, to accept Shia as a fifth legal sect of Islam.

The terms of the treaty

The treaty was signed in Kerden. The representatives were Hasan Ali Haji and Mustafa Nazif
  1. The boundary line between the two countries was the same boundary line drawn roughly a century earlier according to the Treaty of Zuhab of 1639.
  2. The Ottomans agreed to stop opposing the Afsharid dynasty as the rulers of Iran.
  3. The Ottomans also agreed to allow the Iranian hajis to Mecca
  4. Exchange of consulates were permitted in both countries.
  5. Both sides agreed to liberate the prisoners of war.
  6. the Ottomans declared Shia as the fifth legal sect of Islam