TEHRAN - On Monday, Nairobi’s ambassador to Tehran Joshua I. Gatimu toured the mausoleum of Nader Shah Afshar during his visit to Mashhad, northeast Iran.

Gatimu, who was accompanied by some embassy staff, visited the tomb of Colonel Mohammad-Taqi Khan Pessian, who was a 19th-century gendarme, fighter pilot, and warlord, Mehr reported.

Admiring the exquisiteness and grandeur of Nader Shah’s mausoleum, the envoy said: “When I was paying a visit to this historical complex, I felt myself in the time of Nader Shah; some 300 years ago.”

Born Nader Qoli Beg, Nader created an Iranian empire that stretched from the Indus River to the Caucasus Mountains. He is widely considered one of the most powerful rulers in the history of the nation. He assumed power when a period of chaos overwhelmed Iran.

Nader strove to reunite the Persian Empire while repelling invaders. He is sometimes referred to as the Napoleon of Persia or the Second Alexander.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Nader Qoli Beg had an obscure origin in the Turkish Afshar tribe, loyal to the Safavid Shahs of Iran. After serving under a local chief, Nader founded and led a gang of robbers, displaying strong leadership skills.

With the navy he built, Nader Shah was able not only to conquer Bahrain from the Arabs but also to invade and conquer Oman. In February 1739, after conquering several Mughal cities in northern India, he advanced against the main Mughal armies at Karnal, India. He won the battle, invaded Delhi, and returned to Iran with vast amounts of booty, including the fabled Peacock Throne and the Koh-e-Noor Diamond. He then attacked the Uzbeks around the cities of Bukhara and Khiva; his empire had reached its greatest extent and rivaled the territorial extent of the ancient Iranian empires.

AFM