Latest / The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History
The Safavid Siege of Kandahar 1638: A Timurid Comeback
In 1638, the walls of Kandahar witnessed one of the most dramatic reversals in Safavid-Mughal rivalry. After losing the fortress to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, the Safavids under Shah Safi I—grandson of Shah Abbas—launched a massive counter-siege. This episode focuses on the strategic brilliance of the Safavid commander Ali Mardan Khan, a former Mughal governor who defected and orchestrated the siege from within. We explore the use of heavy artillery (tupchi), the role of the Qizilbash and gholam troops, the fortified geography of Loy Kandahar and the Arghandab River, and how a…
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