Treaty of Ahmet Pasha

The Treaty of Ahmet Pasha (Persian:عهدنامه احمد پاشا, Turkish: Ahmet Paşa Antlaşması) was a treaty signed on 10 January 1732 between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia.

Background

In the 17th century, a stalemate between the Ottoman and Safavid empires had been reached by the treaties of Serav and Zuhab. However, during the short rule of Afghanistan based Hotaki dynasty, chaos in Iran resulted in clashes along frontiers, especially in Caucasus. Meanwhile, Peter I of Russia began to occupy the Iranian territories in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, gains which were confirmed by the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1723). Fearing a Russian-controlled Caucasus, the Ottomans decided to capture Tbilisi to balance the Russian advance. But this operation resulted in a long Ottoman Safavid war.

War

Between 1723 and 1730, the Ottomans were able to control South Caucasus by capturing Yerevan and Ganja in addition to Tbilisi. In the southern fronts (i.e., Western Iran), Ottomans captured Tabriz, Urmia, Khorramabad,^[1] Kermanshah and Hamedān. In 1724, the Ottomans and Russians had agreed, by the Treaty of Constantinople (1724), to further divide the aforementioned Iranian territories between the two of them. But after Tahmasp II of Safavids began controlling Iran, the Ottoman advance was checked. Tired of war, both sides decided to end the war. Ahmet Pasha (Ottoman) and Mehmet Rıza Kulu (Persian) signed the treaty.^[2][3]

Terms of treaty

The terms of the treaty were:

1. Ottoman Empire kept its gains in Caucasus,^[4]
2. Ottoman gains in West Iran (except Hamadan,^[5][6] and Kermanshah^[7]) were conceded to Persia, and
3. Aras River became the new border line in South Caucasus.

Aftermath

The treaty proved to be an armistice rather than a permanent treaty. Because, neither Ottoman sultan Mahmut I approved the loss of Tabriz (needs explanation, see Hamadan above) nor Nader Shah, then the commander in chief of the Persian army, the losses in Caucasus. During Nader Shah's reign, Afsharid Persia was able to regain its losses.

See also

• Ottoman Persian Wars
• Treaty of Kerden
• Treaty of Constantinople (1724)

References

1. Somel, Selcuk Aksin (2003). Historical Dictionary of the Ottoman Empire. Scarecrow Press. p. xlvi. ISBN 978-0810866065.
2. Prof.Yaşar Yücel-Prof Ali Sevim:Türkiye tarihi vol.III, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, 1991, pp. 282-290.
3. Prof.Yaşar Yücel-Prof Ali Sevim:Türkiye tarihi vol.IV, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, 1991, pp. 3-4.
4. On line document (in Turkish)
5. Erewantsʻi, Abraham; Bournoutian, George (1999). History of the wars: (1721-1736). Mazda Publishers. p. 2. ISBN 978-1568590851. (...) against Nader's advice, Shah Tahmasp marched against the Turks to force their withdrawal from Transcaucasia. The Ottomans routed the Persian forces in 1731, and in January 1732, the Shah concluded an agreement that left eastern Armenia, eastern Georgia, Shirvan, and Hamadan in Turkish hands.
6. A ́goston, Ga ́bor; Masters, Bruce Alan (2010). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Infobase Publishing. pp. 415–416. ISBN 978-1438110257. But while Nadir pursued conquests in the east, Shah Tahmasp reopened hostilities with the Ottomans in an effort to regain his lost territories. He was defeated and agreed to a treaty that restored Tabriz but left Kermanshah and Hamadan in Ottoman hands. Nadir was incensed at the treaty (...)
7. A ́goston, Ga ́bor; Masters, Bruce Alan (2010). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Infobase Publishing. pp. 415–416. ISBN 978-1438110257. But while Nadir pursued conquests in the east, Shah Tahmasp reopened hostilities with the Ottomans in an effort to regain his lost territories. He was defeated and agreed to a treaty that restored Tabriz but left Kermanshah and Hamadan in Ottoman hands. Nadir was incensed at the treaty (...)

Sources

• Somel, Selcuk Aksin (2010). The A to Z of the Ottoman Empire. Rowman & Littlefield. p. liii. ISBN 978-0810875791.