- 45 - Shiraz. They were both competing against one another who would be the next King of Persia. The scales were tilting in favour of Ja‘far Khan as he had taken control of all the treasuries belonging to Ali Murad Khan Zand. He also possessed leadership qualities. Sayed Murad bin Khuda Murad Khan Zand, on the other hand, had taken over Shiraz and declared himself king. This caused a total outrage as he was considered a usurper of the Persian throne. It was even said that his own supporters would surrender him to Ja‘far Khan upon his arrival to Shiraz. However, after Ja‘far Khan took control of Isfahan, he did not head immediately to Shiraz. Instead, he remained in Isfahan taking care of the situation there and commissioned his son, Lotf Ali Khan Zand to handle the Shiraz affair. In response, Lotf Ali Khan Zand led an army of 6,000 men and marched to Shiraz. The eldest son of Ali Murad Khan Zand, however, remained in Isfahan, and it was not known whether he was in captivity or free.(1) Mohammad Khan Qajar fought in Mazandran and took it over. The self-proclaimed King of Persia,
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