Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan | |||||
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Ayub Khan | |||||
Successor | Habibullah Khan | ||||
Born | 1840–1844 Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||
Died | 1 October 1901 (aged c. 56–61) Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||
Burial | 1901 Palace at Zarnegar Park, Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||
Spouse | Babo Jan | ||||
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Dynasty | Barakzai dynasty | ||||
Father | Mohammad Afzal Khan |
History of Afghanistan | |
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Timeline | |
410–557 | |
Nezak Huns | 484–711 |
Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan was the one and only son of
The nickname, The Iron Amir, is also associated due to his victory over a number of rebellions by various tribes who were led by his relatives.[6] One source says that during his reign there were over 40 rebellions throughout his rule.[7] Abdur Rahman Khan's rule was termed by one British official as a "reign of terror", as he was considered despotic and had up to 100,000 people judicially executed during his 21 years as Emir.[8] Thousands more starved to death, caught deadly diseases and died, were massacred by his army, or were killed during his forceful migrations of tribes.[8] However, he was perhaps the greatest military genius Afghanistan ever produced.[8]
Early life
Abdur Rahman Khan was a Pashtun, born in Kabul in 1844. He spent most of his youth in Balkh with his father, Mohammad Afzal Khan. Abdul Rahman learned conventional warfare tactics from the British soldier William Campbell.[9]
Background and early career
Before his death in
Described by the American scholar and explorer
The Amir had scarcely suppressed it by winning a desperate battle when Abdur Rahman's reappearance in the north was a signal for a mutiny by troops stationed in those parts and a gathering of armed bands to his standard. After some delay and desultory fighting, he and his uncle, Azam Khan, occupied Kabul in March 1866. The Amir Sher Ali marched up against them from Kandahar; but in the battle that ensued at Sheikhabad on 10 May, he was deserted by a large body of his troops, and after his signal defeat Abdur Rahman released his father, Afzal Khan, from prison in Ghazni, and installed him upon the throne as Amir of Afghanistan. Notwithstanding the new Amir's incapacity, and some jealousy between the real leaders, Abdur Rahman and his uncle, they again routed Sher Ali's forces and occupied Kandahar in 1867. When Afzal Khan died at the end of the year, Azam Khan became the new ruler, with Abdur Rahman installed as governor in the northern province. But towards the end of 1868, Sher Ali's return and a general rising in his favor resulted in Abdur Rahman and Azam Khan's defeat at Tinah Khan on 3 January 1869. Both sought refuge to the east in Central Asia, where Abdur Rahman placed himself under Russian protection at Samarkand.[13] Azam died in Kabul in October 1869.[10]
Exile and return to power
Upon the death of Sher Ali Khan, Abdur Rahman Khan, serving exile in Turkestan, requested from the Russians to enter Afghanistan as a claimant of the throne. This request was denied. However, following Yaqub Khan's abdication, as well as the British occupation of Kabul, the Russians allowed Abdur Rahman Khan to re-enter Afghanistan. Abdur Rahman made way for Badakhshan, whose ruler he had marriage ties with. While on route, he did a pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Ahrar, taking his banner after claiming he had a vision that ensured victory. The ruler of Badakhshan did not permit Abdur Rahman to ford the Amu Darya, to which Abdur Rahman did so further downstream. He then crossed a mountain pass while it snowed, arriving at Rostaq, where its garrison defected. With the fall of Rostaq, Abdur Rahman met the Mir of Badakhshan in battle, forcing him to flee to Chitral while Abdur Rahman annexed Badakhshan.[14]
Abdur Rahman requested from Sultan Murad of Kunduz for military access so he could advance on Kabul. This request was denied. However, Ghulam Haidar Khan, Yaqub's governor of Balkh, attacked Kunduz, occupying it, and forcing Sultan Murad to flee to Fayzabad. Sultan Murad then alligned with Abdur Rahman, and encouraged rebellion against Ghulam Haidar, with the commander of Takhtapul declaring for Abdur Rahman. Ghulam Haidar fled across the Amu Darya, leaving the entirety of Afghan Turkestan under Abdur Rahman's control.[15]
The British, eyeing for a suitable candidate to be the ruler of Afghanistan, scouted Abdur Rahman Khan, and began negotiating with him. Abdur Rahman was reluctant to accept such a proposal, as he considered himself an opponent of the British, with his own men wishing for Jihad against them. While negotiations continued, the British considered numerous political solutions, including dividing Afghanistan into numerous kingdoms.[16][17] The British were seeking to a quick conclusion to the war due to the resignation of Lytton, with his successor, the Marquis of Ripon, wishing to withdraw all British troops from Afghanistan as quickly as possible. With this, the British no longer wished to uphold a British envoy in Afghanistan. However, both sides continued to differ, with the British wishing to keep Kandahar under their control with Sardar Sher Ali as governor, while Abdur Rahman saw it imperative as apart of Afghanistan.[18]
Believing that the British might withdraw, Abdur Rahman Khan arrived in Charikar sometime in July 1880, where religious leaders from regions such as Panjshir, Kohistan, and Tagab welcomed his arrival. On 19 July, the British informed Abdur Rahman that they were prepared to recognize him as the ruler of Afghanistan, inviting him to Kabul for a ceremony. Abdur Rahman called a Jirga, with many tribal leaders declaring for him, while Abdur Rahman was declared the Amir of Kabul.[18]
Griffin described Abdur Rahman as a man of middle height, with an exceedingly intelligent face and frank and courteous manners, shrewd and able in conversation on the business in hand.[10]
Reign
At the durbar on 22 July 1880, Abdur Rahman was officially recognized as Amir, granted assistance in arms and money, and promised, in case of unprovoked foreign aggression, such further aid as might be necessary to repel it, provided that he align his foreign policy with the British. The British evacuation of Afghanistan was settled on the terms proposed, and in 1881, the British troops also handed over Kandahar to the new Amir.[19][10]
However,
In 1885, at the moment when the Amir was in conference with the British
His interest lay in keeping powerful neighbours, whether friends or foes, outside his kingdom. He knew this to be the only policy that would be supported by the Afghan nation; and although for some time a rupture with Russia seemed imminent, while the Government of India made ready for that contingency, the Amir's reserved and circumspect tone in the consultations with him helped to turn the balance between peace and war, and substantially conduced towards a pacific solution. Abdur Rahman left on those who met him in India the impression of a clear-headed man of action, with great self-reliance and hardihood, not without indications of the implacable severity that too often marked his administration. His investment with the insignia of the highest grade of the Order of the Star of India appeared to give him much pleasure.[2]
His adventurous life, his forcible character, the position of his state as a barrier between the Indian and the Russian empires, and the skill with which he held the balance in dealing with them, combined to make him a prominent figure in contemporary Asian politics and will mark his reign as an epoch in the history of Afghanistan. The Amir received an annual
He also built himself several summer and guest houses, including the Bagh-e Bala Palace and Chihil Sutun Palace in Kabul, and the Jahan Nama Palace in Kholm.[22]
The Amir found himself unable, by reason of
Durand Line
In 1893, Mortimer Durand was deputed to Kabul by the government of British India for this purpose of settling an exchange of territory required by the demarcation of the boundary between northeastern Afghanistan and the Russian possessions, and in order to discuss with Amir Abdur Rahman Khan other pending questions. Abdur Rahman Khan showed his usual ability in diplomatic argument, his tenacity where his own views or claims were in debate, with a sure underlying insight into the real situation.
In the agreement that followed relations between the British Indian and Afghan governments, as previously arranged, were confirmed; and an understanding was reached upon the important and difficult subject of the border line of Afghanistan on the east, towards India. A Royal Commission was set up to determine the boundary between Afghanistan and British-governed India, and was tasked to negotiate terms for agreeing to the
In 1893, Mortimer Durand negotiated with Abdur Rahman Khan the Durand Line Treaty for the demarcation of the frontier between Afghanistan, the
The Durand Line was once again recognised as international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan by
Dictatorship and the "Iron Amir"
Abdur Rahman Khan's government was a military despotism resting upon a well-appointed army; it was administered through officials absolutely subservient to an inflexible will and controlled by a widespread system of espionage; while the exercise of his personal authority was too often stained by acts of unnecessary cruelty.[2] He held open courts for the receipt of petitioners and the dispensation of justice; and in the disposal of business he was indefatigable.[27]
In the 1880s, the "Iron Emir" decided to strategically displace some members of different ethnic groups in order to bring better security. For example, he "uprooted troublesome Durrani and Ghilzai Pashtun tribes and transported them to Uzbek and Tajik populated areas in the north, where they could spy on local Dari-speaking, non-Pashtun ethnic groups and act as a screen against further Russian encroachments on Afghan territory."[28] From the end of 1888, the Amir spent eighteen months in his northern provinces bordering upon the Oxus, where he was engaged in pacifying the country that had been disturbed by revolts, and in punishing with a heavy hand all who were known or suspected to have taken any part in rebellion.[2]
In 1895–1896, Abdur Rahman directed the invasion of
Chitral, Yarkand and Ferghana became shelters for refugees in 1887 and 1883 from Badakhshan who fled from the campaigns of Abdul Rahman.[30]
Hazara genocide
In the early 1890s
Death and descendants
Abdur Rahman died on 1 October 1901, inside his summer palace, being succeeded by his son Habibullah Khan who is the father of Amanullah Khan.
Today, his descendants can be found in many places outside Afghanistan, such as in America, France, Germany, and even in Scandinavian countries such as Denmark. His two eldest sons, Habibullah Khan and Nasrullah Khan, were born at Samarkand. His youngest son, Mahomed Omar Jan, was born in 1889 of an Afghan mother, connected by descent with the Barakzai family. One of the Amir’s grandchildren, Azizullah Khan Ziai was the ambassador of Iran from 1930-1932, he was the son of Nasrullah Khan.[2]
Legacy
Afghan society has mixed feelings about his rule. A majority of
To some historians he is called a tyrant, to other people he is a hero. But what did Abdul Rahman give us? He united Afghanistan under one king and one flag.
—HRH Prince Abdul Ali Seraj (1945–2018), great-grandson of Abdur Rahman[38]
Honours and awards
- Honorary Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, 11 April 1885[39]
- Honorary Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (civil division), 29 December 1893[40]
Writings
- Pandnamah-i dunya va din (Advice on the worldly life and religion), 1883. Autobiography.
- Risalah-i Khirad’namah-i Amiri (Epistle of princely wisdom), 1886. On the notion of aql or intellect in Islam.
- Risalah-i najiyah, 1889. On the importance of Qur’an and hadith.
- Taj al-Tavarikh (Crown of histories), 1904, Autobiography in 2 volumes.
In popular culture
- In the film Kesari, Abdur Rahman is briefly mentioned.
See also
- European influence in Afghanistan
- Lillias Hamilton (court physician to Abdur Rahman Khan in the 1890s)
- List of heads of state of Afghanistan
- Pashtun colonization of northern Afghanistan
Notes
- ISBN 978-1-5864-8781-2. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Chisholm 1911, p. 38.
- ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 2
- ^ a b c "Why the Durand Line matters". The Diplomat. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014.
- S2CID 162273503. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Khān". Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-90-04-15185-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-10399-3.
- ISBN 0-691-03006-5.
Born in Kabul in 1844, Abdur Rahman Khan spent most of his youth in Balkh with his farther, Mohammad Afzal Khan. Abdur Rahman learned conventional warfare tactics from the British soldier of fortune, William Campbell.
- ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911, p. 37.
- ISBN 1-85743-133-2.
- ^ Eugene Schuyler, Turkistan: notes of a journey in Russian Turkistan, Kokand, Bukhara, and Kuldja, F.A. Praeger (1966), p. 136
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
- ^ Lee 2019, p. 376.
- ^ Lee 2019, p. 377.
- ^ Wilkinson-Latham 1977, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Barthorp 2002, pp. 81–85.
- ^ a b Lee 2019, p. 378-379.
- OCLC 861259978.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, pp. 37–38.
- ^ "Worthy Advice in the Affairs of the World and Religion: The Autobiography of Emir Abdur Rahman Khan". World Digital Library. 1885. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- OCLC 33665005.
- ^ "Why Afghanistan's independence day remains problematic". TRT world. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019.
- ISBN 9781850438571.
- ISBN 9781850656838.
- ISBN 9781107112070.
- ^ Rajput, Madhu. "Abdur Rahman Khan (Afganistan)" (PDF). University of Lucknow. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-5864-8781-2. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ Hasan Kawun Kakar, Government and Society in Afghanistan: the Reign of 'Abd al-Rahman Khan, University of Texas Press (1979), pp. 176–177
- ISBN 978-1-84511-283-7.
- ^ Lee 2019, p. 399.
- ^ "Hazāra ii. History". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ISBN 978-9936801509.
- ^ "Ancient Buddhas Will Not Be Rebuilt – UNESCO". Ipsnews.net. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ "Abdur Rahman Khan, Emir of Afghanistan – National Portrait Gallery".
- ^ "Abdur Rahman Khan "The Iron Amir" – 1880–1901".
- ISBN 978-90-04-10399-3.
- ^ "Afghan "prince" who would be tribal president". Reuters. 6 March 2009.
- ^ Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) The Knights of England, I, London, p. 312
- ^ Shaw, p. 214
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abdur Rahman Khan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 37–38. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Barthorp, Michael (2002). Afghan Wars and the North-West Frontier 1839–1947. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-36294-8.
- Wilkinson-Latham, Robert (1977). North-West Frontier 1837–1947. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-275-9.
- Lee, Jonathan (2019). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. p. 399. ISBN 978-1789140101.
Further reading
- Embree, Ainslie T. ed. Encyclopedia of Asian history (4 vol. 1988) 1:5.
External links
- Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. .