In April 1747, in conjunction with the rebels of Sistan, Ali-qoli khan occupied Herat and induced the Kurds to enter into a rebellion.

[7] In Mashhad, its civil governor and superintendent of the Imam Reza Shrine, Mir Sayyed Mohammad drove the Afghans out of the city, securing it for Nader Shah's nephew Ali-qoli Khan, who may have had a hand in his uncle's murder.

[10][9] On 6 July 1747, Ali-qoli Khan ascended the throne and assumed the regnal name of Soltan Ali Adel Shah.

[10][9] Around the same time, he sent a small force to capture Kalat; the fortress was nearly impenetrable, however, the army eventually breached it by using an abandoned ladder on the edge one of the towers, which demonstrates that they had help from the inside.

[12] Preferring to revel in Mashhad, Adel Shah appointed his younger brother Ebrahim Mirza as the governor of Isfahan and its surroundings.

[9][14] Soon thereafter, Ebrahim declared independence and joined forces with his cousin Amir Aslan Khan Afshar, the governor of Azerbaijan.

Adel Shah eventually marched towards his brother, but lost a substantial amount of his men due to desertion, and was consequently defeated (in June 1748) and fled to the town of Tehran.