1887.] 
E. E. Oliver— The Safwi Dynasty of Persia. 
53 
To foreign invasions were added still greater domestic difficulties. 
The inhabitants of Qazwin, Khwansar. and other cities revolted 1136 H. 
Qazwin, however, with Kashan, and Qum surrended to Mahmud’s Gene¬ 
ral, though he was less successful in Sijistan. From several quarters at 
once the Af gh ans were driven in on Isfahan, and Mahmud became ap¬ 
prehensive even of the capital. Once alarmed, he adopted a charac¬ 
teristic Af gh an policy. He invited to a feast about 300 of the principal 
Persian Ministers and Lords, and massacred every one. To prevent 
the sons ever revenging their fathers, the next day he slew the male 
children of the nobles to the extent of 200. He dined 3000 of Shah 
Husain’s old guards in the palace square, and not one was permitted to 
leave that dinner alive. He depopulated the city by an order to put to 
death every pensioner who had served the former government, and 
gave over Isfahan to general murder and plunder. To re-people the 
unfortunate capital he invited Kurdish tribes, and he raised new 
levies from Qandahar. With these he captured Gulpaigan, Khwansar. 
Kashan, and certain cities of ’Iraq, and in Fars his general Zabardast 
Khan took Shiraz by assult 1137 H.* Then he fell into a bad way again. 
His cousin Ashraf, whose father he had stabbed, deserted him, and his 
general Amanu-llah was discontented. He lost confidence in his army, 
and his mind became altogether unhinged. He performed “ Tapassa ,” 
a most severe penance, including fourteen days fast in a dark vault, and 
while in this state, hearing that Safi Mirza, a son of Shah Husain had 
fled, he issued an order for the massacre of all the reigning family. 
Thirty-nine princes were said to have then perished, the two 
youngest being accidentally saved by being held in Shah Husain’s own 
arms. Han way says the number was nearly 100, for among all the 
voluptuaries who ever sat on the Persian throne, probably none w 
more extravagant than Shah Husain. Commissioners were constan 
engaged in recruiting for his harem. Hanway tells a great story of the 
“year of virgins,” and insists that as many as thirty cradles in a single 
month were required in the seraglio. To kill off the children of a 
king, with the exception of one or two reserved for succession, was al¬ 
most the rule, so that in the case of so eminent a sire as Shah Husain, 
a wholesale massacre is easily intelligible. 
The close of Mahmud’s career brought with it a terrible Nemesis ; 
in addition to disease, he finally developed outrageous insanity, and 
died, some say finally smothered, a raging maniac, under excruciating 
tortures of mind and body. 
H 
* 13th April, 1724. 
