After the British invasion after the killing of Sir Louis Cavagnari during 1879, Yaqub Khan, Yahya Khan and his sons, Princes Mohammad Yusuf Khan and Mohammad Asef Khan, were seized by the British and transferred to the British Raj, where they remained forcibly until the two princes were invited back to Afghanistan by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan during the last year of his reign (1901).
During the reign of Amir Habibullah they received the title of Companions of the King (Musahiban). Zahir Shah was educated in a special class for princes at Elementary Primary built by 1904 of United Kingdom Habibia High School, many subjects were taught in English, and Secondary in went to the Amaniya High School (built during King Amanullah of France, in which many subjects were taught in French.
Mohammed Zahir Shah (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.
He was given the title Father of the Nation, which he held until his death in 2007. ==Family background and early life== Zahir Shah was born on 15 October 1914, in a city quarter called Deh Afghanan in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Nadir Shah assumed the throne after the execution of Habibullah Kalakani on 1 November 1929.
By the end of the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably with the 'Axis powers': Germany, Italy, and Japan. Zahir Shah provided aid, weapons and Afghan fighters to the Uighur and Kirghiz Muslim rebels who had established the First East Turkestan Republic.
He liked photography, chess, and smoking cigars. Zahir Shah was fluent in Pashto, Dari (his mother tongue), and could speak English and perfect French. To his family he was known as Baba. ===Family=== He married his first cousin Humaira Begum (1918–2002) on 7 November 1931 in Kabul.
Mohammed Zahir Shah (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.
Zahir Shah served in the government positions of deputy war minister and minister of education. ==Last king of Afghanistan== Zahir Khan was proclaimed king (shah) on 8 November 1933 at the age of 19, after the assassination of his father Mohammad Nadir Shah.
This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan's relations with the international community as during 1934, Afghanistan joined the League of Nations while also receiving formal recognition from the United States.
The aid was not capable of saving the First East Turkestan Republic, as the Afghan, Uighur and Kirghiz forces were defeated during 1934 by the Chinese Muslim 36th Division (National Revolutionary Army) commanded by General Ma Zhancang at the Battle of Kashgar and Battle of Yarkand.
From 1944 to 1947, Afghanistan experienced a series of revolts by various tribes.
From 1944 to 1947, Afghanistan experienced a series of revolts by various tribes.
In the 1950s, Zahir Shah began modernizing the country, culminating in the creation of a new constitution and a constitutional monarchy system.
However, Mostafa Zaher did not become a candidate. ===Ancestry=== ==Titles and styles== During his reign, His Majesty Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan. ==References== ==External links== C-SPAN: Afghan King & Queen 1963 Visit to U.S.
In a 1969 interview, Zahir Shah said that he is "not a capitalist.
He was prohibited from returning to Afghanistan during the late 1970s by the Soviet-assisted Communist government.
Mohammed Zahir Shah (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.
His long reign was marked by peace in the country that was lost afterwards. While on vacation in Italy, Zahir Shah's regime was overthrown in a "white coup" in 1973 by his cousin and former prime minister, Mohammed Daoud Khan, who established a republic.
The title "AlMutawakkil 'ala Allah", "The leaner on God" is taken from 61. By the time he returned to Afghanistan in 2002, his rule was characterized by a lengthy span of peace. ==Exile== Amid civilian and military discontent over the regime, in 1973 while Zahir Shah was abroad in Italy his cousin Mohammad Daoud Khan staged a non-violent military coup d'état and established a republican government.
In August 1973, Zahir Shah sent a letter from Rome to Khan in Kabul declaring his abdication, saying he respected "the will of my compatriots" after realizing the people of Afghanistan "with absolute majority welcomed a Republican regime". Zahir Shah lived in exile in Italy for twenty-nine years in a villa in the affluent community of Olgiata on Via Cassia, north of Rome, where he spent his time playing golf and chess, as well as tending to his garden.
In 1983 during the Soviet–Afghan War, Zahir Shah was cautiously involved with plans to develop a government in exile.
In May 1990, Zahir Shah issued a long statement through Voice of America and the BBC calling for unity and peace among Afghans, and offering his services.
However, the idea of a revived political role for Zahir Shah was met with hostility by some, notably radical Islamist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In 1991, Zahir Shah survived an attempt on his life by a knife-wielding assassin masquerading as a Portuguese journalist.
In June 1995, Zahir Shah's former envoy Sardar Wali announced at talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, that Zahir Shah was willing to participate in peace talks to end the Afghan Civil War, but no consensus was ever reached. ==Return to Afghanistan== On 18 April 2002, at the age of 87 and four months after the end of Taliban rule, Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan, flown in an Italian military plane, and welcomed at Kabul's airport by Hamid Karzai and other officials.
He remained in exile near Rome until 2002, returning to Afghanistan after the end of the Taliban government.
The title "AlMutawakkil 'ala Allah", "The leaner on God" is taken from 61. By the time he returned to Afghanistan in 2002, his rule was characterized by a lengthy span of peace. ==Exile== Amid civilian and military discontent over the regime, in 1973 while Zahir Shah was abroad in Italy his cousin Mohammad Daoud Khan staged a non-violent military coup d'état and established a republican government.
In June 1995, Zahir Shah's former envoy Sardar Wali announced at talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, that Zahir Shah was willing to participate in peace talks to end the Afghan Civil War, but no consensus was ever reached. ==Return to Afghanistan== On 18 April 2002, at the age of 87 and four months after the end of Taliban rule, Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan, flown in an Italian military plane, and welcomed at Kabul's airport by Hamid Karzai and other officials.
There were proposals for a return to the monarchy – Zahir Shah himself let it be known that he would accept whatever responsibility was given him by the Loya Jirga, which he initiated in June 2002.
In August 2002 he relocated back to his old palace after 29 years. In an October 2002 visit to France, he slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, and on 21 June 2003, while in France for a medical check-up, he broke his femur. On 3 February 2004, Zahir was flown from Kabul to New Delhi, India, for medical treatment after complaining of an intestinal problem.
In August 2002 he relocated back to his old palace after 29 years. In an October 2002 visit to France, he slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, and on 21 June 2003, while in France for a medical check-up, he broke his femur. On 3 February 2004, Zahir was flown from Kabul to New Delhi, India, for medical treatment after complaining of an intestinal problem.
In August 2002 he relocated back to his old palace after 29 years. In an October 2002 visit to France, he slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, and on 21 June 2003, while in France for a medical check-up, he broke his femur. On 3 February 2004, Zahir was flown from Kabul to New Delhi, India, for medical treatment after complaining of an intestinal problem.
On 18 May 2004, he was brought to a hospital in the United Arab Emirates because of nose bleeding caused by heat. Zahir Shah attended the 7 December 2004 swearing-in of Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan.
Mohammed Zahir Shah (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.
He was given the title Father of the Nation, which he held until his death in 2007. ==Family background and early life== Zahir Shah was born on 15 October 1914, in a city quarter called Deh Afghanan in Kabul, Afghanistan.
During January 2007, Zahir was reported to be seriously ill and bedridden. == Death == On 23 July 2007, Zahir Shah died in the compound of the presidential palace in Kabul after prolonged illness.
They had six sons and two daughters: In January 2009 an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included one of his grandsons, Mustafa Zahir, on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan presidential election.
All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .
Page generated on 2021-08-05