Afshar-e-Qasemloo of Bijar

Afshar-e-Qasemloo of Bijar

Tribes of Iran

In the early part of his reign, amongst other smaller tribes and locals, Shah Abbas weakened the Afshar tribe, who were scattered around the south of the Attrak River, and decamped them to the territory of Azarbayjan. Here, they dispersed within the limits of Bijar to Zanjan, and were famously called 'Afshar-e-Qasemloo'.

This coincided with the period when the Afshars were also present in such areas as Khuzestan and Kohkiluyeh. It was in this period that the tribe formed the seat of power in the territory that it inhabited. The census taken of these tribes in the year 1128 AH, revealed that approximately 110,000 persons of these tribes were engaged in the government army, but were not on the pay-roll. Their honorary services were taken advantage of in the infantry division whenever there was war.