Key Facts
- Conflict period
- 1732–1733
- Part of
- Ottoman–Persian War (1730–1735)
- Spoils recorded
- 140,000 horses, camels, and mules
- Areas raided
- Kirkuk, Suleimaniyah, Arab Iraq
- Trigger
- Tahmasp II's treaty ceding Caucasus to Ottomans
Strategic Narrative Overview
Nader led Afsarid Persian forces in an invasion of Ottoman Iraq, striking into the region known as Arab Iraq. His forces raided and captured spoils from towns including Kirkuk and Suleimaniyah. The Afsarid chronicler Mohammad Kazem Marvi documented the campaign's material gains in the 'Alam-ara-ye Nadiri, recording the seizure of 140,000 horses, camels, and mules, reflecting significant logistical and economic damage inflicted on Ottoman-held territories.
01 / The Origins
The campaign arose from the failure of Tahmasp II's ill-fated invasion of the Ottoman Caucasus, which reversed Nader's earlier military gains and culminated in a humiliating treaty ceding Caucasian hegemony to Istanbul. Exploiting this diplomatic disaster, Nader used the settlement as political justification to force Tahmasp's abdication, freeing him to resume the war against the Ottomans under his own authority and relaunching offensive operations into Ottoman-held Mesopotamia.
03 / The Outcome
The immediate outcome of the campaign is not fully documented in available sources, but the invasion formed part of the broader Ottoman–Persian War that continued until 1735. Nader's successful prosecution of the campaign consolidated his own political authority within Persia, having displaced Tahmasp II, and demonstrated the offensive capacity of his forces against Ottoman positions in Mesopotamia ahead of the war's eventual conclusion.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Nader Shah (Nader Qoli).
Side B
1 belligerent