The Zand tribe () is a Laki-speaking Kurdish tribe mainly populating the countryside of Khanaqin in Iraq and in the provinces of Kurdistan and Hamadan in Iran.

Origins According to John R. Perry, some Zand communities spoke Kurdish while others spoke Luri, and the Zand tribe was variously considered Kurdish or Lur, and that "the reason for this confusion is evidently the position of the Zand home, at the eastern limit of the line through Kermanshah that traditionally divides Luristan from Kurdistan and where in practice Kurdish and Luri customs and dialects are intermingled. The narrative sources clearly imply, however, that the Zands regarded themselves, or at least were regarded, as quite distinct from their neighbors the Fayli Lurs on the one hand and the Kurds of Ardalan on the other. The Lak tribes, whose dialect shows characteristics of Kurdish rather than Luri, were apparently immigrants into this northernmost zone of Luristan, or were settled there by Shah 'Abbas. In the later Safavid Period, the Zands are mentioned together with the Laks as Lurs."Karim Khan Zand: A History of Iran, 1747-1779, John R. Perry, 2015, pp. 17, . The Cambridge History of Iran described the Zand tribe as a "minor pastoral people wintering on the Hamadan plains, centred on the villages of Pari and Kamazan in the vicinity of Malayir, they have been variously classified as Lurs and as Kurds: both Luri and Kurdish-speaking groups bearing the name of Zand have been noted in recent times, but the bulk of the evidence points to their being one of the northern Lur or Lak tribes, who may originally have been immigrants of Kurdish origin. They are, in any case, distinct from the Faili Lurs of Khurramabad."The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 7, From Nadir Shah to the Islamic Republic, Peter Avery, Gavin Hambly, Charles Melville, pp. 64, According to Kaveh Farrokh, "the ethnicity of the Zands has been variously ascribed to both Lurs and Kurds as the name Zand has appeared in both of the west Iranic peoples. In general, they are agreed to be Lak, or northern Lurs, most likely of Kurdish origin, distinct from Khorramabad's Faili Lurs."Iran at War: 1500-1988, Kaveh Farrokh, 2011, pp. 130,

Richard Foltz described the Zands as being of Lur or possibly Kurdish origin.Iran in World History, Richard C. Foltz, 2016, pp. 83, Michael Axworthy wrote that the "small Zand tribe" were "originally from Lorestan (though perhaps ultimately of Kurdish origin)".Iran, Empire of the Mind: A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day, Michael Axworthy, 2008, pp. 167-168, ISBN 9780141036298. Parviz Kambin described the Zand as "a Kurdish tribe that resided in northern Luristan Province."A History of the Iranian Plateau: Rise and Fall of an Empire, Dr. Parviz Kambin, 2011, pp. 35, ISBN 9781462035465. Saïd Amir Arjomand referred to them as the "Zand clan of the Lor tribal confederation".Persianate Historical Sociology: Collected Essays, Saïd Amir Arjomand, 2025, pp. 322, ISBN 9789004742550. Ainslie Embree described the Zand tribe as "seminomads of the Lakk people, related to both the Lurs and the Kurds."Encyclopedia of Asian History: Volume 4, Ainslie Thomas Embree, 1988, pp. 290. Beatrice Forbes Manz wrote that they originated from the region "on the Luri-Kurdish border".Nomads in the Middle East, Beatrice Forbes Manz, 2021, pp. 189, ISBN 9780521816298.

Elton L. Daniel wrote that the Zand tribe had "obscure but Iranian origin".The History of Iran, Elton L. Daniel, 2012, pp. 99, ISBN 9780313375101. Other scholars described the origin of the Zand tribe as "Lur-Kurdish",A Modern History of the Kurds, David McDowall, 2021, pp. 33, ISBN 9780755600779. "from the Luristan-Kurdistan frontier",The Islamic World in Decline: From the Treaty of Karlowitz to the Disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, Martin Sicker, 2001, pp. 66, ISBN 9780275968915. and "associated with either" the Kurds or Lurs.Fragile Resistance: Social Transformation In Iran From 1500 To The Revolution, John Foran, 1993, pp. 84, ISBN 9780813384788. According to Sheerin Ardalan, the Zand were often mentioned as Kurds by various Kurdish authors, European travelers, Ottoman and Persian historians, although they were later mentioned as Lurs, including by Rostam al-Hokama, which became the dominant tradition in historiography despite not being fully accurate.Les Kurdes Ardalân: entre la Perse et l'empire ottoman, Sheerin Ardalan, 2004, pp. 64, ISBN 9782705337476.

History The Sharafnama mentioned the Zand tribe, alongside the Laks, as minor Kurdish tribes who were Persian subjects.Minorsky, Vladimir (2012). "Lak". Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second ed.). Brill Publishers. Zayn al-Abidin Shirvani listed the Lak tribes as Zand, Mafi, Bajalan, and Zandi-yi Kala, which was said to be the tribe of Karim Khan Zand. Others claimed Karim Khan belonged to the Bagala clan of the Zand tribe.

According to Tarikh-e Gitigusha, Nader Shah Afshar deported the Zand tribe to the Gaz valley in Khorasan after hearing of their bravery.Chinese, Kurds, Iranians and the Silk Road: A Historical Perspective, Shabnam Dadparvar, Ismail Shams, 2025, pp. 103, Nader Shah deported around 6,000 families of the Shaqaqi tribe, who were used against the Afghans, alongside 300 families of the Zand tribe, to Khorasan. After the death of Nader Shah, the Zand tribe returned to their homeland while Karim Khan Zand established his power.The Yaresan, M. Reza Hamzeh'ee, 2021, pp. 62-63, The Zand tribe were mainly concentrated in Pari and Kamazan, two villages near Malayer. The wives of Karim Khan and his troops often fought beside their husbands in battle against the Afghans, and the Afghans made a point to heap scorn upon the victorious Zand units by accusing their men of "hiding behind their women’s skirts."Iran at War: 1500-1988, Kaveh Farrokh, 2011, pp. 130, During another battle, against the Afshars of Urmia, women of the Zand tribe helped free their husbands from chains and also fought.The Heavenly Rose-garden: A History of Shirvan & Daghestan Abbas-Kuli-aga Bakikhanov, Willem M. Floor, 2009, pp. 136-137, The Zand tribe also had a conflict with the Qajar tribe over the Iranian monarchy.The Impact of the West on Iranian Social History, Nikki R. Keddie, 1955, pp. 39.

After the Qajar dynasty came to power, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar tried to exterminate the Zand tribe and anyone associated with it.The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development, Wadie Jwaideh, 2006, pp. 18, خاستگاه خيزش: سرآغازى بر جامعه‌شناسى توسعه و جنبش‌هاى اجتماعى در ايران، محمدرضا همزه‌ای، 2005, pp. 182, Kurden und Kurdentum: Zeitgeschichte eines Volkes und seiner Nationalbewegungen, Erhard Franz, 1986, pp. 196, . He began a long military campaign against the Zand tribe, especially royal heirs, and anyone else who sheltered them.The Lion and the Sun: Environmental History and the Formation of Modern Iran, James M. Gustafson, 2025, pp. 51, In 2025, the Qajar campaigns against the Zand tribe were described as "shocking for its violence and destruction even by the standards of the day."The Lion and the Sun: Environmental History and the Formation of Modern Iran, James M. Gustafson, 2025, pp. 53, When the Zand tribe were massacred at the beginning of Qajar rule, many of them fled to Kurdistan.ايلها (ايلات) و عشاير كردستان، عبدالحمید حیرت سجادی، 2002, pp. 113-114, There were various groups claiming descent from the Zands. Lur groups said to be of Zand origin were noted by Rabino, Schindler, and Beer, while Kurdish groups said to be of Zand origin were noted by Edmonds, Nikitine, and Zaki.Karim Khan Zand: A History of Iran, 1747-1779, John R. Perry, 2015, pp. 17-18, Pierre Oberling noted eight villages in Bamposht, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, inhabited by Balochi-speaking Zands who descended from the soldiers accompanying Lotf Ali Khan on his flight to Bam. There were also some Qashqai tribes of Zand descent. In Fars province, the Bayati music system was known as Bayat-e Tork or Bayat-e Zand.

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