Key Facts
- Duration
- 1754–1755 (approx. 1 year)
- Campaign initiator
- Ahmad Shah Durrani
- Key cities contested
- Tabas, Mashhad, Nishapur
- Preceding conflict
- First Durrani Campaign to Khorasan
Strategic Narrative Overview
Beginning in summer 1754, Afghan forces defeated the governor of Tabas's army, raided surrounding countryside, and compelled smaller cities to submit. The army then marched on Mashhad, conducting a protracted siege that eventually forced the city's capitulation. With Mashhad secured and the Afsharids acknowledging Afghan suzerainty, Durrani forces turned toward Nishapur, besieging and ultimately conquering it to conclude the campaign.
01 / The Origins
Ahmad Shah Durrani launched this second campaign into Khorasan to avenge his earlier defeat during the first Khorasan campaign. His primary targets were the rulers of Nishapur and Mashhad, cities that had resisted Durrani authority. The campaign was motivated by a desire to reassert Afghan dominance over eastern Persia and bring the Afsharid-controlled urban centers firmly under Durrani suzerainty.
03 / The Outcome
The fall of both Mashhad and Nishapur ended the campaign with a decisive Durrani victory. The Afsharid rulers of the region were brought under Afghan suzerainty, consolidating Durrani control over much of Khorasan. This outcome reversed Ahmad Shah's earlier setback and extended the reach of the Durrani Empire into northeastern Persia, establishing Afghan dominance over key cities along the region's major routes.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ahmad Shah Durrani.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.