Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Durrani Empire (A page from History)

Durrani Empire (A page from History)




The Durrani Empire was a large state that included modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Khorasan province of Iran and a section of western India.[1][2][3] The empire was founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, with its capital at Kandahar. After the death of Ahmad Shah in 1773, kingdom was passed onto his sons followed by his descendants. Ahmad Shah and his descendants were from the Sadozai line of the Abdali (later called Durrani) Pashtuns, making them the second Pashtun rulers of Kandahar, after the Ghilzais.[4]
The Durrani Empire is often considered the origin of the state of Afghanistan.[5][6][7] Even before the death of Nadir Shah of Persia, tribes in Afghanistan had been growing stronger and were beginning to take advantage of the waning power of their distant rulers.[8]

Hidustan (INDIA) 1700-1792
Reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747-1772)


Ahmad Shah Durrani

Nadir Shah's rule ended in June 1747, when he was assassinated. The assassination was likely enough planned by his nephew Ali Qoli, though there is little factual evidence to support this theory. Nonetheless, when the chiefs of the Afghans met later the same year near Kandahar at a Loya jirga (council) to choose a new ruler for the Abdali confederation, Ahmad Shah Abdali was chosen. Despite being younger than other claimants, Ahmad had several overriding factors in his favor:

Ahmed Shah

He was a direct descendant of Sado, patriarch of the Sadozai clan, the most prominent tribe amongst the Pashtun peoples at the time;


He was unquestionably a charismatic leader and seasoned warrior who had at his disposal a trained, mobile force of several thousand cavalrymen;
Not least, he possessed a substantial part of Nadir Shah's treasury.
One of Ahmad Shah's first acts as chief was to adopt the title "Durr-i-Durrani" ("pearl of pearls" or "pearl of the age"). The name may have been suggested, as some claim, from a dream dreamt by Ahmad Shah, or as others claim, from the pearl earrings worn by the royal guard of Nadir Shah. The Abdali Pashtuns were known thereafter as the Durrani, and the name of the Abdali confederation was changed to Durrani.

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