Mughal–Safavid War (1649–53)
| Mughal–Safavid War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mughal–Persian Wars | |||||||||
 The Surrender of Kandahar, a miniature painting from the Padshahnama depicting Persians surrendering keys to the city to Kilij Khan in 1638. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Safavid Empire Khanate of Bukhara
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Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Abbas II of Persia Mehrā Khan Autar Khan Abdul Aziz |
Shah Jahan Kilij Khan Murad Baksh Dara Shikoh Aurangzeb |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 40,000 10,000 12,000 Zamburak |
80,000 18,000 Sowars 110 cannons |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 5,000 | 17,000 | ||||||||
Safavid victory
The Mughal–Safavid War of 1649–1653 was fought between the Mughal and Safavid empires in the territory of modern Afghanistan. The war began after a Persian army, while the Mughals were at war with the Janid Uzbeks, captured the fortress city of Kandahar and other strategic cities that controlled the region. The Mughals attempted unsuccessfully to regain the city.
The Safavids had territorial claims over Kandahar since the reign of Shah Tahmasp. The overthrow of Humayun, the Mughal Emperor, is known to have gained the support of Shah Tahmasp in return for his permission to allow the Safavids to capture Kandahar. Subsequently, conflicts emerged in the region during the reign of another Mughal emperor, Jahangir, because most of the populace opposed Safavid rule and often served in the Mughal Army.
The reign of Shah Jahan over the Mughal Empire was marked in the northwest by a continuous struggle against the powerful Persians for what is now Afghanistan. In 1639, the armies of Shah Safi of Persia captured Bamyan and it appeared that they would attack Kandahar next. Shah Jahan, assisted by Kamran Khan and Malik Maghdood, had marched on Kandahar and negotiated the surrender from the Persian commander, Ali Mardan Khan, in 1638. He expected the Persians to attempt to regain the city soon and so he ordered that the wall be repaired rapidly while a large Mughal army based in Kabul protected the area. When no Persian attack came, in 1646 the Emperor sent his son, Murad Baksh, to invade Uzbek-controlled Badakhshan. In the following year, Aurangzeb, another son, routed an Uzbek force outside of Balkh and captured the city. Though victorious in the field, the Mughals were unable to secure the conquered territories and Shah Jahan was forced to recall his armies from Badakhshan.
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