Shamshadil

Shamshadil (also spelled Shams al-Din or Shamshadin) was a sultanate (a semi-autonomous district governed by a military commander) in the South Caucasus established in 1747. It was located in what is now northeastern Armenia and northwestern Azerbaijan.

== Background == During the Safavid period, Shamshadil was part of the Karabakh province, which was governed by the Ziyadoghlu branch of the Qajar tribe. After Nader repelled the Ottomans from the area in 1735, he appointed Ughurlu Khan Ziyadoghlu Qajar as its khan. The latter was later the only khan who did not support Nader when he petitioned to become shah (king) of Iran at the assembly at the Mughan plain. This made Nader Shah split the Karabakh province in order to curtail the power of the Qajars. The Zangezur district was given to the beglerbegi (governor-general) of Tabriz; the autonomy of the Armenian Melikdoms was restored, and Borchalu, the Kazakh sultanate and Shamshadil were given to the Georgian king Teimuraz II of Kakheti (). Ughurlu Khan was thus only left with Ganja and its surroundings.