Their summer pastures were on the Zagros hills north of Kermanshah, while their winter grounds were on the Hamadan plains close to Malayer.

[8] Before his death, Ali-Morad was in negotiations with the Russian Empire, willing to give them the Iranian-claimed regions north of the Aras River in exchange for acknowledgment and help so that he could stop the Qajars.

[9] In 1781 (between 25 May and 22 June) Ali-Morad issued a farman (royal edict) in Persian that granted the Christians of Iran freedom of religion as long as they remained loyal to the Zand dynasty.

The identity of this individual is unclear, however it is conceivable that it could be the same person as Giovanni d'Arutiun, an Armenian Catholic missionary who operated in New Julfa in Isfahan at minimum from 1773 to 1788.

The farman states that the Carmelites, Dominicans, Jesuits, Capuchins, and Augustinians could reside wherever in Iran, including Azerbaijan, Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, Karabakh, Nakhichevan, Shiraz and Shirvan, and could both educate and coexist with the Armenian population.

The edict further instructs the beglarbegs (governors) to make it easier for the Christian priests to travel and live freely and to ensure that their business operations are not interfered with.