AFGHANISTAN

The Barakzai Dynasty
GENEALOGY
1929 - 1933 H.M. Shah-i-Shahid al-Ghazi Muhammad Nadir Shah, King of the God granted Kingdom of Afghanistan and its dependencies. b. at Dehra Dun, India, 9th April 1883, second son of Colonel Sardar Muhammad Yusuf Khan, of the Telai family, by his wife, Shahzadi Sharaf Sultana Hukumat Begum, daughter of Shahzada ‘Ali Ahmad Khan Bahadur, of the Durrani dynasty, educ. privately in India. Returned to Afghanistan and entered the Afghan Army, Col Household Cavalry Regt 1901-1905, prom Brig-Gen 1906, GOC Southern Provinces 1908-1911, prom Maj-Gen 1909, GOC Kabul 1911-1913, prom Lieut-Gen 1912, C-in-C 1913-1919, prom Gen 1914, Cdr at Khost during the Third Afghan War 1919, Minister for War 1919-1922 and 1922-1924, ADC to King Amanu'llah 1924, Envoy Extr and Minister Plenipotentiary to France 1924-1926. Returned to Afghanistan in 1929 and took charge of the Royalist forces. Proclaimed as King of Afghanistan, at Kabul, 16th October 1929 (confirmed by a Loya Jurga in September 1930). Installed at the Salamkhana-i-Khas, Arg-i-Shahi, Kabul, 17th October 1929. Founder of the Nishan-i-Salar (the Order of the Leader) in five classes in 1932. Rcvd: the Collar of the Order of the Supreme Sun (1921), and the Orders of the Leader 1st class (1919), and Independence 1st class (1924), the Grand Collar of the Order of the Crown of Iran, and GO of the Order of the Legion of Honour of France (1926). m. as his only wife, H.M. Queen Mah Parwar Begum (d. at Tehran, Persia, 13th December 1941), third daughter of H.E. Sardar Muhammad Asif Khan, by his second wife, Murwarid Begum, a Babakar Khel. He d. from wounds received from an assassin's bullets, at the Dilkusha Palace, Kabul, 8th November 1933 (bur. there at the King Nadir Shah Mausoleum), having had issue, two sons and five daughters:
1933 - [2007] H.M. al-Mutawakkil ‘ala Allah, Pairaw ud-din-i-Matin-i-Islam, Baba-i-millat-i-Afghan Muhammad Zahir Shah, King of the God granted Kingdom of Afghanistan and its dependencies, Royal Victorian Chain (7.12.1971). b. at Kabul, 15th October 1914, second son of H.M. Shah-i-Shahid al-Ghazi Muhammad Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan, by his wife, H.M. Queen Mah Parwar Begum, educ. Habiba Coll and Istiqlal Sch, Kabul, at Lyceé Janson de Sailly, Lyceé Michelet, and Coll de Montpellier, France, and the Infantry Officers' Sch, Kabul. PC 1932, actg Minister for War 1932-1933, and actg. Minister for Education 1933. Succeeded on the death of his father, 8th November 1933. Installed at the Salamkhana-i-Khas, Arg-i-Shahi, Kabul, 8th November 1933. Deposed by his cousin, the Prime Minister Sardar Muhammad Daud, while absent in Europe for medical treatment, 17th July 1973. He remained in exile in Italy and abdicated his regal rights to avoid bloodshed in Afghanistan, 24th August 1973. Returned to Kabul following the expulsion of the Taliban and granted the personal title of Baba-i-millat-i-Afghan (or father of the Afghan nation) by the National Loya Jurga, 15th June 2002 (confirmed by the constitution). Took up permanent residence at the Arg in Kabul, 4th August 2002. Rcvd: Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi of Iran (x.3.1950), the Collars of the Orders of Muhammad ‘Ali (7.1.1947), and the Nile of Egypt (22.10.1960), Husain ibn Ali of the Jordan, and the Chrysanthemum of Japan (14.4.1969), GC of the Orders of the Legion of Honour of France (1.1.1950), Redeemer of Greece, Leopold of Belgium (mil), Merit of of the Federal Republic of Germany (special class) (7.8.1963), Merit of the Republic Italy with collar (1972), and the Cedars of the Lebanon, the Orders of the White Lion 1st class with collar of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavian Grand Star (1.11.1960), the Order of Pakistan (Nishan-i-Pakistan) (1.2.1958), the Grand Orders of the Hashimites of Iraq, and Mughanwa of Korea. m. 16th November 1930 (nikah) and at Qawmi Bagh, Kabul, 7th November 1931 (zifaf), as his only wife, H.M. Queen Humaira Begum (b. 1918; d. at Rome, Italy, 26th June 2002, bur. King Nadir Shah Mausoleum, Tapa Maranjan, Kabul), rcvd: the Order of the Supreme Sun (8.11.1933), GC of the Orders of Merit of of the Federal Republic of Germany (7.8.1963), the Precious Crown of Japan (14.4.1969), and the Order of Pleides of Iran, eldest daughter of his maternal uncle, Colonel H.H. Sardar Ahmad Shah Khan, sometime Minister of the Royal Court, by his first wife Zarin Begum, eldest daughter of General H.E. Loinab Khushdil Khan, sometime Governor of Kabul and Kandahar. He d. at the Arg-i-Shahi, Kabul, 27th July 2007 (bur. there at the King Nadir Shah Mausoleum, Tapa Maranjan), having had issue, five sons and two daughters:
[2007 - 2024] H.R.H. Crown Prince Ahmad Shah Khan [Ahmad Shah Zaher], Head of the Royal House of Afghanistan. b. at the Dilkusha Palace, Arg-i-Shahi, Kabul, 23rd September 1934, second and eldest surviving son of H.M. al-Mutawakkil ‘ala Allah, Pairaw ud-din-i-Matin-i-Islam, Baba-i-millat-i-Afghan Muhammad Zahir Shah, King of the God granted Kingdom of Afghanistan and its dependencies, by his wife, H.M. Queen Humaira, educ. Istiqlal High Sch, and the Coll of Military Science, Kabul, Oxford Univ, and Inst d’études politiques de Paris (IEP), France. Cmsnd as 2nd-Lieut Afghan Army 1956. He served as Regent several times during his father’s absences abroad. Joined Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul. Hon Presdt Afghan Red Crescent Soc (ARCS). Detained by Presdt Daud during his coup d’etat 17th July 1973, but subsequently permitted to leave the country with 13 other members of the Royal Family and join the King in Rome, Italy. Author and poet settled in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Joint Special Representative from King Zahir Shah for negotiations with the Soviet authorities 1983. Accompanied his father on his return to Kabul 4th August 2002. Succeeded on the death of his father as Head of the Royal House of Afghanistan, 27th July 2007. Rcvd: the Order of the Supreme Sun, Sadaqat Faithful Service Medal 1st class, and Warita Medal 1st class, the Order of the Benevolent Ruler (Ojaswi Rajanya) of Nepal (1969), GC of the Orders of Pahlavi of Iran (7.11.1965), Merit of of the Federal Republic of Germany (15.3.1967), Chrysanthemum of Japan (18.5.1970), Renaissance of Jordan, etc. m. at the Chilstoon Palace, Kabul, 22nd November 1961, H.R.H. Princess Khatul Begum [Khatol Zekria Zaher] (b. at Kabul, December 1942), educ. Zarghoona Girls Sch, Kabul, First Vice-Presdt Cttee of Women’s Volunteers 1964-1973, rcvd: the Order of the Pleiades 2nd class of Iran (7.11.1965), GC of the Order of the Precious Crown of Japan (18.5.1970), etc, daughter of Sardar Muhammad Umar Khan Zekria, by his wife, H.R.H Princess Sultana Begum, fourth daughter of H.M. Shah-i-Shahid al-Ghazi Muhammad Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan. He d. at Alexandria, Virginia, USA, 4th June 2024 (bur. Al-Firdaus Memorial Gardens (AFMG), Frederick, Maryland), having had issue, two sons and one daughter:
Copyright© Christopher Buyers, October 2001 - June 2024