The Order of the Durrani Empire ''(Nishan-i-Daulat-i-Durrani)'' was awarded to British field officers and above during the
First Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking si ...
by
Shah Shujah Durrani
''Padshah Sultan'' Shah Shuja Durrani (Pashto/Dari: ; November 1785 – 5 April 1842) was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1803 to 1809. He then ruled from 1839 until his death in 1842. Son of Timur Shah Durrani, Shuja Shah was of the Sadduzai ...
of
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 ...
in gratitude for his restoration to the throne.
The first investiture of the order was held at a grand
durbar
Durbar can refer to:
* Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs
* Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria
* Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...
in the courtyard of the Harem Serai of the
Bala Hissar,
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, on the evening of 17 September 1839. At the time there were not enough decorations prepared but on the day those who were not on duty were presented before the king.
[p. 21 ''The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany'', Volume 31, 1840] The result was that there are numerous variations in the stars and medals as many were subsequently made in India and Europe, particularly in the number of pearls on the order.
There were three classes to the order as to emulate the three classes of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...
. The first and second classes had both a star and a medal while the third consisted of a medal only. The medal of all three classes had the red/green ribbon of the
Ghuznee Medal
The Ghuznee Medal is a British campaign medal awarded for participation in the storming of the fortress of Ghuznee in Afghanistan, on 21 to 23 July 1839 by troops of the British and Indian Armies. This action, the Battle of Ghazni, took place du ...
.
1st Class
Medal: A gold Maltese cross with eight points terminating in a gold bead on two crossed swords. In the centre is a green flower on a blue enamel ground with the words "durr-i-durran" in Persian script, meaning "pearl of the age", the name attributed to the
Durrani
The Durrānī ( ps, دراني, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan ( Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, Pakistan, but ...
dynasty. The enamel centre is encircled by pearls.
Star: A silver star with a smaller Maltese cross in gold overlaid in the same style as the medal with the addition of a diamond on each arm of the gold cross. There are 17 pearls circling the enamel work.
2nd Class
Medal: As the 1st class but with 20 pearls encircling the centre.
Star: A silver star shaped like a Maltese cross with the gold medal overlaid as above but with 18 pearls.
3rd Class
Medal: As the 1st class but with 14 pearls encircling the centre.
Recipients
This is not an exhaustive list
1st Class
#Lieut. Col.
Sir Alexander Burnes
Captain Sir Alexander Burnes (16 May 1805 – 2 November 1841) was a Scottish explorer, military officer, and diplomat associated with the Great Game. He was nicknamed Bokhara Burnes for his role in establishing contact with and expl ...
#Lieut. General
Sir Willoughby Cotton
#
Lord Auckland
Baron Auckland is a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in 1789 when the prominent politician and financial expert William Eden was made Baron Auckland in the Peerage of Ireland. In ...
#Lieut. General
Sir John Keane
#
Sir William Hay Macnaghten
#Lieut. Col.
Sir Claude Martin Wade
#Major General Sir
Thomas Willshire
2nd Class
#Lieut. Col. Robert Arnold
#Lieut. Col. JG Beaumgardt
#Major A Campbell
#Major Patrick Craigie
#Major William Garden
#Lieut. Col. Keith
#Lieut. Col. Macdonald
#Major General
Sir James Outram
Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet (29 January 1803 – 11 March 1863) was a British general who fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Early life
James Outram was the son of Benjamin Outram of Butterley Hall, Butterley, Derbysh ...
#Major General James Parsons
#Major Alexander Peat
#Major General
Abraham Roberts
#Major General
Sir Robert Henry Sale
#Lieut. Col. J Scott
#Major General Edward Simpson
#Lieut. Col. Stephenson
#General Sir
Joseph Thackwell
#Lieut. Col. George Thomson
#Major Elliot D'Arcy Todd
#
Lieut. Col. Hugh Wheeler
3rd Class
#Major General
Augustus Abbott
Major-General Augustus Abbott (7 January 1804 – 25 February 1867) was an army officer in the British East India Company. He was the eldest of several prominent brothers. He served in various military campaigns including the First Anglo-Afghan Wa ...
#Major William Alexander
#Captain William Anderson
#Superintending Surgeon
James Atkinson
#Captain JDD Bean
#Colonel David Birrell
#Lieut. Col. Bulstrode Bygrave
#Lieut. Col. Neil Campbell
#Lieut. Col. Charles Carmichael Smyth
#Lieut. Col. Richard Carruthers
#Major General John Christie
#Major CJ Connyngham
#Captain Edward Barry Conolly
#Lieut. Col. Croker
#Lieut. Col. David Cuninghame
#Lieut. Col. Charles Robert Cureton
#Lieut. Col. Daly
#Captain David Davidson
#Lieut. Col. William Dennie
#Major Deshon
#Major General Thomas Douglas
#Superintending Surgeon J Forsyth
#Major J Fraser
#Captain H Garbett
#Major C Griffiths
#Major Crawford Hagart
#Major Henry Hancock
#Major John Hay
#Lieut. Col. John Herring
#Captain Hugh Johnson
#General
Sir George St Patrick Lawrence
#Major Robert Leech
#Mr PB Lord
#Lieutenant
Frederick Mackeson
Lieutenant colonel Frederick Mackeson CB (2 September 1807 – 14 September 1853) was an East India Company officer operating in the North West Frontier of British India and one of Henry Lawrence's "Young Men".
Life
He was born in Hythe, Kent ...
#Lieut. Col. James Maclaren
#Lieut. Col. McDowell
#Lieut. Col. GHM McGregor
#Captain James McGregor
#Major Thomas McSherry
#Colonel
Thomas Monteath
#Lieut. Col. Joseph Orchard
#Lieut. Col.
John Pennycuick
#Lieut. Col. William Persse
#Lieut. Col. Peter Pew
#Major Edward Pottinger
#Lieut. Col. Sir HC Rawlinson
#Captain James Nathaniel Rind
#Lieut. Col. Henry Salter
#Captain Edward Sanders
#Lieut. Col. Bentham Sandwith
#General Sir Richmond Shakespeare
#Lieut. Col. LR Stacy
#Lieut. Col. Foster Stalker
#Major Robert Thomas
#Major John Thompson
#Lieut. Col. Tronson
#Captain Hamilton Wade
#Captain A Wall
#
Major General George Warren
#Lieut. Col. John Weston
#Lieut. Col. CB Wheeler
#Captain Foster Wheler
#Colonel GP Wymer
#Captain AGFJ Younghusband
References
{{reflist
First Anglo-Afghan War
Orders, decorations, and medals of Afghanistan
Awards established in 1839
Campaign medals