Sayed Murad Khan Zand, was a Shah of Persia who reigned from January 23, 1789 until May 10, 1789. He was the eighth king of the Zand dynasty. His brief reign is indicative of the ruthless and brutal struggle for power that prevailed among members of the Zand family following the death of Karim Khan Zand in 1779. Sayed Murad Khan was a member of the court of his predecessor, Jafar Khan, in the Zand capital of Shiraz. It was apparently Jafar Khan's treatment of Sayed Murad Khan that led the latter to plot the king's overthrow. Sayed Murad Khan had been governor of Shiraz but was later confined with his family and, according to one account beaten on Jafar Khan's orders in an effort to force him to divulge his wealth.[1]
In 1789 a group of individuals, led by Sayed Murad Khan conspired to poison Jafar Khan. A female slave was employed to carry out their wishes. Sayed Murad Khan and his followers overcame the weakened shah, killing him and throwing his head from the citadel.
After the murder of Jafar Khan, Sayed Murad became the king of Persia. Jafar Khan's son, Lotf Ali Khan, then marched to Shiraz, where he was popular among the people. Sayed Murad Khan held out for a short while in the city's citadel, but after reigning for less than 4 months he was forced to surrender and was executed. Lotf Ali Khan succeeded him on May 10, 1789.
Perry, John R., Karim Khan Zand A History of Iran 1747-1779, ISBN 0-226-66098-2, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1979, pg. 299
Malcolm, John, "The History of Persia Volume II Part1", 1829 (Reprinted 2004 by Elibron Classics)
Waring, Edward Scott, "A Tour to Sheeraz by the Route of Kazroon and Feerozabad", ISBN 1-4021-4338-9, Elibron Classics, 2005.
| Preceded by Jafar Khan Zand |
King of Persia 1789 |
Succeeded by Lotf Ali Khan Zand |