Zends

an Iranian-speaking tribe in western and southern Iran and a dynasty.

In the late 1750’s and early 1760’s, Karim Khan, the leader of the Zends, took advantage of the feudal splintering of Iran and subjected almost the entire country to his rule. Feudal discord arose after his death, first among the Zends them-selves and later between the Zends and the Kajars. This strife ended in the victory of the Kajars in 1794. The rulers of the Zend dynasty were Karim Khan (1760–79), Abu al-Fath Khan (1779–82), Ali Murad Khan (1782–85), Jafar Khan (1785–89), and Lutf Ali Khan (1789–94).