Narrative Study of the Return of Lotf Ali Khan Zand’s Companions to Mulk Bakhleh

Since historical sources cannot cover all the events and incidents of the Zand period, resorting to archeological proofs, popular culture, and common narrations could remove some of the ambiguities in relations to this era to a large extent. Some historical sources indicate that Mohammad Karim Khan, the founder of the Zand Dynasty, had four sons and three daughters. Some of them have also referred to five sons without referring to any other children and their destiny. Moreover, no reference has been to any of Lotf Ali Khan’s companions on his way from Kerman to Bam except for Jahangir Sistani as his last companion. The people of the village of Bakhleh in Hersin have a story indicating that their ancestors were the last companions of Lotf Ali Khan, who, after suspecting the support of the ruler of Bam, left it towards Lakestan. The gravestones of the village of Bakhleh, in addition to confirming the mentioned story, clarify the identity of the people who, until the last moments of the downfall of the Zand Dynasty, fought alongside Lotf Ali Khan, while no reference has been made to their names in historical sources. The present paper is intended to reconstruct a part of the history of Zand period based on examining the existing narrative, the writings on some gravestones, and the related historical sources.