Gholam Serwar Nasher (also known as Ghulam Sarwar Nashir; 1922–1984) was the last ruling Khan of the Nasher and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of Spinzar Cotton Company in

Kunduz , native_name_lang = prs , other_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Kunduz River valley.jpg , imagesize = 300 , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_ ...

, the most profitable company and one of the largest companies in pre-war

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Life

Nashir was born in Qarabagh, Afghanistan to Mohammad Alam Khan Nasher, brother to

Sher Khan Nasher Sher Khan Nashir (also: Nasher) was the hereditary Grand Khan (Loy Khan) of the Nashir clan of the Kharoti (Ghilji) tribe and governor (Wali) of Northern Afghanistan in the 1930s, known as the "father of Kunduz. He was apparently poisoned by the K ...

, to an ethnic

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

Ghilzai family of Khans. Nashir led the Spinzar Cotton Company in Kunduz, exporting cotton overseas, producing cotton seed oil, soap and porcelain. He built hotels under the Spinzar brand in Kunduz, Kabul and other northern cities, employing over 20,000 people including woman working in the porcelain factory.Reuter, Christoph: Power Plays in Afghanistan: Laying the Groundwork for Civil War, 49/2011 (5 December 2011) of DER SPIEGEL
/ref> He opened factories in the north, providing free housing for the employees, hospital, the only girls school in the city of Kunduz, sport clubs, and hotels. Nashir founded the ''Nashir Library and Museum''. During his khanat,

Kunduz , native_name_lang = prs , other_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Kunduz River valley.jpg , imagesize = 300 , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_ ...

become the richest

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the pre-war country, Spinzar being Afghanistan's most profitable company. Nasher was awarded "The Order of the Golden House" by King

Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: , 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. Serving for 40 years, Zahir was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan s ...

and "The Order of the Sacred Treasure" by the Emperor of Japan, in 1971.

Death

He died in exile in Germany in 1984 at the age of 62. He was survived by two wives, nine children and eight grandchildren.

Discovery of Ai-Khanoum

On a hunting trip, Nashir discovered ancient artefacts of Ai Khanom and invited Princeton-archaeologist

Daniel Schlumberger Daniel Théodore Schlumberger (19 December 1904 – 21 October 1972) was a French archaeologist and Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Strasbourg and later Princeton University. Biography After having been invited by ...

with his team to examine

Ai-Khanoum Ai-Khanoum (, meaning ''Lady Moon''; uz, Oyxonim) is the archaeological site of a Hellenistic city in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The city, whose original name is unknown, was probably founded by an early ruler of the Seleucid Empire and se ...

.Bernard, Paul: Aï Khanoum en Afghanistan hier (1964-1978) et aujourd'hui (2001), p. 971 www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/crai_0065-0536_2001_num_145_2_16315?_Prescripts_Search_tabs1=standard& It was soon found to be a major city of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and was extensively studied before the outbreak of the Soviet-Afghan War in 1979, during which it was comprehensively looted. Artefacts from the ruins have been exhibited worldwide.

Life

Death

Discovery of Ai-Khanoum

References

Further reading