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Siege of Kars (1744)
The siege of Kars took place in 1744 during the Ottoman–Persian War of 1743–1746. Nader Shah, ruler of Persia, laid siege to the city of Kars on 29 July 1744. The siege was unsuccessful and the Persians retreated on 9 October.
After suffering a major defeat at the siege of Mosul in 1743, the Persian army under the command of Nader Shah agreed to an armistice, negotiated by the governor of Mosul, Abdülcelilzade. This included a prisoner exchange with Hüseyin Pasha. Later, while serving as governor of Baghdad Province, Abdülcelilzade returned control of Kirkuk and Erbil to the Ottoman Empire, which Nader Shah had previously occupied with the consent of Ahmed Pasha. Finally, the siege of Basra was lifted.
During the winter of 1743-1744, Nader Shah faced a number of rebellions, some of which were supported by the Ottomans. In December 1743, Nader successfully suppressed Lezgin attacks from Dagestan, although he encountered internal struggles, such as the Shiraz uprising led by Persian Beylerbeyi Taki Khan and Qajar uprisings in Esterabad. The Ottoman Empire completed its military preparations against Iran with the help of Baghdad Governor Ahmed Pasha’s diversionary tactics against Nader Shah, who managed to suppress them until the Nowruz festival. Additionally, Kars Serasker Nişancı Ahmed Pasha and East Anatolian Serasker Aleppo Governor Kazıkçı Hüseyin Paşa were appointed, alongside Baghdad's Governor Ahmed Pasha.
The commander of the Kars garrison, Nişancı Ahmed Pasha, received orders to assist Iranian prince Safi Mirza, who was vying for the throne. Nader Shah’s primary objective was to neutralize this threat by capturing and blinding Safi Mirza before sending him to Kars. Nader Shah then launched an attack on Kars.
The Iranian army, under the command of Nader Shah, arrived in Kars on 29 July 1744, after crossing the Arpaçay via Tabriz-Nakhchivan. Upon arrival, Nader established his headquarters on a hill south of the city and ordered trenches to be dug around the fortress of Kars. He then sent a letter to the garrison commander, Nişancı Ahmed Pasha, offering surrender, stating that artillery was unnecessary and that cutting off the water supply would be sufficient to capture the castle.
Ahmed Pasha did not respond to the offer. The Persian army took defensive measures, enlarging the lake with water from the Kars River, digging a wide and deep ditch around the perimeter, constructing two-metre-long trenches with cannons, and fortifying the trenches with additional cannons to create a line of defence.
Despite the preparations, the Ottoman garrison's chain of command showed weakness, following the Serasker's orders. A group of disobedient Ottoman soldiers attempted to leave the castle and attack the Iranian army. To organise the situation, Ahmed sent Veli Pasha as commander, but the Ottoman troops failed in their mission and retreated to the castle.
Nader Shah aimed to strengthen the siege by connecting Kars and Erzurum. He moved his headquarters to Kümbet, a village on the Kars-Erzurum road, to block any Ottoman movement and began his attacks. Despite ten military offensives over the course of a month, the Iranian army failed to maintain its position due to heavy losses. The Ottomans, aware of the Persians' shortcomings in siege warfare, exploited their weaknesses. The most significant attack occurred on 25 August, but the Iranians could not breach the castle’s defences.[verification needed] In total, 1,700 Iranian soldiers, two Pashas, and 80 Ottoman soldiers died.
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Siege of Kars (1744)
The siege of Kars took place in 1744 during the Ottoman–Persian War of 1743–1746. Nader Shah, ruler of Persia, laid siege to the city of Kars on 29 July 1744. The siege was unsuccessful and the Persians retreated on 9 October.
After suffering a major defeat at the siege of Mosul in 1743, the Persian army under the command of Nader Shah agreed to an armistice, negotiated by the governor of Mosul, Abdülcelilzade. This included a prisoner exchange with Hüseyin Pasha. Later, while serving as governor of Baghdad Province, Abdülcelilzade returned control of Kirkuk and Erbil to the Ottoman Empire, which Nader Shah had previously occupied with the consent of Ahmed Pasha. Finally, the siege of Basra was lifted.
During the winter of 1743-1744, Nader Shah faced a number of rebellions, some of which were supported by the Ottomans. In December 1743, Nader successfully suppressed Lezgin attacks from Dagestan, although he encountered internal struggles, such as the Shiraz uprising led by Persian Beylerbeyi Taki Khan and Qajar uprisings in Esterabad. The Ottoman Empire completed its military preparations against Iran with the help of Baghdad Governor Ahmed Pasha’s diversionary tactics against Nader Shah, who managed to suppress them until the Nowruz festival. Additionally, Kars Serasker Nişancı Ahmed Pasha and East Anatolian Serasker Aleppo Governor Kazıkçı Hüseyin Paşa were appointed, alongside Baghdad's Governor Ahmed Pasha.
The commander of the Kars garrison, Nişancı Ahmed Pasha, received orders to assist Iranian prince Safi Mirza, who was vying for the throne. Nader Shah’s primary objective was to neutralize this threat by capturing and blinding Safi Mirza before sending him to Kars. Nader Shah then launched an attack on Kars.
The Iranian army, under the command of Nader Shah, arrived in Kars on 29 July 1744, after crossing the Arpaçay via Tabriz-Nakhchivan. Upon arrival, Nader established his headquarters on a hill south of the city and ordered trenches to be dug around the fortress of Kars. He then sent a letter to the garrison commander, Nişancı Ahmed Pasha, offering surrender, stating that artillery was unnecessary and that cutting off the water supply would be sufficient to capture the castle.
Ahmed Pasha did not respond to the offer. The Persian army took defensive measures, enlarging the lake with water from the Kars River, digging a wide and deep ditch around the perimeter, constructing two-metre-long trenches with cannons, and fortifying the trenches with additional cannons to create a line of defence.
Despite the preparations, the Ottoman garrison's chain of command showed weakness, following the Serasker's orders. A group of disobedient Ottoman soldiers attempted to leave the castle and attack the Iranian army. To organise the situation, Ahmed sent Veli Pasha as commander, but the Ottoman troops failed in their mission and retreated to the castle.
Nader Shah aimed to strengthen the siege by connecting Kars and Erzurum. He moved his headquarters to Kümbet, a village on the Kars-Erzurum road, to block any Ottoman movement and began his attacks. Despite ten military offensives over the course of a month, the Iranian army failed to maintain its position due to heavy losses. The Ottomans, aware of the Persians' shortcomings in siege warfare, exploited their weaknesses. The most significant attack occurred on 25 August, but the Iranians could not breach the castle’s defences.[verification needed] In total, 1,700 Iranian soldiers, two Pashas, and 80 Ottoman soldiers died.