The Rise and Decline of Iran’s Political and Military Relations with the Khanates of Transoxiana from the Early Qajar Period to the Naseri Era

Motevly, Abdolah; Hasanbeigi, Mohammad

doi:10.61882/islamhistory.1.57.34

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Volume 1, Issue 57 (spring 2025)

islamhistory 2025, 1(57): 34-36

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The Rise and Decline of Iran’s Political and Military Relations with the Khanates of Transoxiana from the Early Qajar Period to the Naseri Era

Abdolah Motevly

, Mohammad Hasanbeigi ^*

Abstract: (232 Views)

The region of Transoxiana, which had historically constituted part of Iran’s geographical and cultural sphere, became—following the Safavid period and the establishment of Uzbek rule and local khanates—a focal point of political and military confrontation with Iran. During the Qajar era, Iran’s relations with the Khanates of Bukhara and Khwarazm increasingly manifested in the form of border conflicts, military incursions, plundering, and the captivity of Shiʿa populations. The central question of this study concerns the primary foundations upon which relations between Iran and the Transoxianan khanates were based during this period. Examination of historical sources indicates that the Qajar approach largely relied on episodic and deterrent measures—such as limited military campaigns and the dispatch of diplomatic envoys—without the support of a coherent military strategy or an integrated diplomatic framework. In contrast, the regional khanates, drawing upon sectarian divisions and economic interests, pursued a hostile policy that resulted in repeated raids into Khorasan and the devastation of cities such as Merv. The outcomes of these confrontations demonstrate that the structural weakness of the Qajar state and its inability to effectively employ political and military instruments, combined with Russian and British interventions, ultimately led to the complete separation of these territories from Iran and their forced incorporation into the Russian Empire.

Keywords: Bukhara, Transoxianan Khanates, Khwarazm, Qajar Dynasty, Political–Military Relations

Full-Text [PDF 1181 kb] (98 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2024/12/30 | Accepted: 2025/03/15

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‎ 10.61882/islamhistory.1.57.34

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Motevly A, Hasanbeigi M. The Rise and Decline of Iran’s Political and Military Relations with the Khanates of Transoxiana from the Early Qajar Period to the Naseri Era. islamhistory 2025; 1 (57) :34-36
URL: http://journal.isihistory.ir/article-1-1534-en.html

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