Battle of Qaradagh
| Battle of Qaradagh | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Baban-Ardalan war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Ardalan supported by:  Qajar Iran | File:The flag of baban.jpg Baban | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | File:The flag of baban.jpg emir Muhammad pasha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~3,500 Qajar and Ardalani soldiers | ~4,000 soldiers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Qaradagh was a military engagement fought between the two Kurdish principalities of Baban and Ardalan, supported by Qajar Iran. During the 1780s, Baban revolted against the influence of both the Ottoman Empire and Qajar Iran, making significant progress in the north. Due to their successes against the two powers, Baban attempted to exert its influence over the regional Kurdish states, ordering the various Kurdish states to pay tribute, with Ardalan being the only state to defy them. This insubordination led to an invasion of Ardalan by Baban, but they were invaded for a secondary reason as well. Since Ardalan was a Qajar ally in the region, Baban saw this as an opportunity to throw Qajar Iran out of the region for good. Due to the military disparity between the two states, Ardalan requested Qajar Iran for military aid, to which they readily agreed. After a long battle, the Qajar-Ardalani force was defeated, forcing the withdrawal of the enemy to Persia proper. This battle would indirectly influence the organization and strength of the Babani army, arming themselves with European firearms and cavalry, becoming a regional power in the region.
Background
A deadly war between the two Kurdish emirates, Ardalan and Babans, near Qaradagh, this battle took place during the early Kurdish emirated civil war, but let's return to the battle. The battle was under the command of emir Muhammad pasha, the leader of the Babans. The Babans forces successfully made it to near Qaradagh, after which the Ardalan forces, with the Persian support, faced the Babans forces, and a fierce clash began. After the battle or a deadly clash and the Babans forces again successfully destroyed the Ardalan forces and made them to withdraw their troops and forces to Persian and other Ardalan territory.
The Battle
The Babanese force, primarily composed of armored cavalry, crashed into the lines of the Qajar-Ardalani force, resulting in a brutal melee. After hours of fighting, the Babanese force began to lose heart. Seeing this, Emir Muhammad Pasha charged into the front lines, galvanizing his men and strengthening their collective resolve to continue fighting. With the Babanese forces determined to break the stalemate, they pushed the Qajar-Ardalani force back onto the hill on which Qaradagh was placed. After further fighting, the Qajar-Ardalani force began to withdraw, due to suffering grievous casualties.
Legacy
This battle made other Kurdish Emirates and governors scared because the Babans forces launched campaigns against the Persian and Ottomans. These campaigns were successful for the Babans forces, as they were able to take down other emirates and the Persian and Ottomans were at war with other powerful empires or nations. With the Babans successfully expanding their territory, the Ottomans and Persians did not care about the invading and expanding. The Baban successfully established a strong emirate and significantly expanded its territory.
References
- McDowall, David. A Modern History of the Kurds. I.B. Tauris, 2004.
- Nikitine, Basile. Les Kurdes. Institut Français de Damas, 1956.
- Ghalib, Muhammad Amin Zaki. Tarikh al-Kurd wa Kurdistan (in Arabic). Baghdad, 1931.
- The Kurds: A Concise Handbook. Mehrdad Izady.
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