The two branches of the Barakzai dynasty (, "sons of Barak") ruled modern day

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 ...

from 1823 to 1973 when the monarchy ended under

Musahiban The Musahiban (mus-hi-been; the name derives from Persian ''Muṣāḥib'', meaning "courtier" or "aide de camp") are a Mohammadzai family who founded the Afghan Barakzai dynasty, and members of the royal lineage that ruled Afghanistan as emir, k ...

Mohammed 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 ...

. The Barakzai dynasty was established by Dost Mohammad Khan after the Durrani dynasty of Ahmad Shah Durrani was removed from power. At the start of Barakzai rule in March 1823, the Afghans lost their former stronghold of

Peshawar Valley The Valley of Peshawar ( ps, د لوی پېښور وادي; ur, وادئ پشاور), or Peshawar Basin, historically known as the Gandhara Valley, is a broad area situated in the central part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The va ...

to the

Sikh Khalsa Army The Sikh Khalsa Army (), also known as Khalsaji or simply Sikh Army, was the military force of the Sikh Empire. With its roots in the Khalsa founded by Guru Gobind Singh, the army was later modernised on Franco-British principles by Maharaja Ran ...

of Ranjit Singh at the

Battle of Nowshera The Battle of Nowshera ( ps, د نوښار جګړه; pa, ਨੌਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਦੀ ਲੜਾਈ) was fought in Nowshera in March 1823 between the Yusufzai Afghans, supported by the Peshawar sardars, alongside Azim Khan Barakzai, the Afgha ...

. The Afghan forces in the battle were supported by

Azim Khan Sardar Mohammad Azim Khan Barakzai ( ps, عظیم خان) was a Pashtun noble who served as Afghan governor of Kashmir (1812–1819). He was the second son of the Barakzai chief Payinda Sarfaraz Khan, while his elder brother Fateh Khan was king ...

, half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan. During the Barakzai era, Afghanistan saw much of its territory lost to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in the south and east,

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in the west, and Russia in the north. There were also many conflicts within Afghanistan, including the three major Anglo-Afghan wars and the 1928–29 civil war.

History and background

The Barakzai dynasty was the line of rulers in Afghanistan in the 19th and 20th centuries. Following the fall of the Durrani Empire in 1823, chaos reigned in the domains of Ahmad Shah Durrani's Afghan Empire as various sons of Timur Shah struggled for supremacy. The Afghan Empire ceased to exist as a single

nation state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may i ...

, disintegrating for a brief time into a fragmented collection of small units. Dost Mohammad Khan gained preeminence alongside his brother, Sultan Mohammad Khan in 1823. Dost Mohammad Khan would found the Barakzai dynasty in about 1837. Thereafter, his descendants ruled in direct succession until 1929, when King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi Amanullah Khan ( Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1 ...

abdicated and his cousin Mohammed Nadir Shah was elected king. The most prominent & powerful sub-clan of the Barakzai Pashtun tribe is the Mohammadzai, of which the 1823–1973 Afghanistan ruling dynasty comes.

Mohammadzai

Mohammadzai are the most prominent & powerful sub-tribe of Barakzai, they belong to the branch of the Durrani confederacy, and are primarily centered around

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

. They can also be found in other provinces throughout Afghanistan as well across the border in the Pakistan's

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

Province. Payendah Khel are descendants of Payendah Khan, head of the Mohammadzai branch of the Barakzai tribe during the reigns of Timur Shah Durrani and

Zaman Shah Durrani Zaman Shah Durrani, or Zaman Shah Abdali ( Persian: ; 1767 – 1844), was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1793 until 1801. He was the grandson of Ahmad Shah Durrani and the fifth son of Timur Shah Durrani. An ethnic Pashtun, Zaman Shah became the ...

, who became rulers of Afghanistan with the decline of the

Sadduzai Popalzai or Popalzay ( ps, پوپلزی), also known as Popal, are Durrani (formerly called Abdali or Bor Tareen) Pashtuns of Afghanistan. The Popalzai are part of the Zirak confederation of Pashtun tribes. The origin of the Abdali forefathers ...

or Telai are the descendants of Sultan Mohammad Khan "Telai", ruler of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, brother of Dost Muhammad Khan. The family of Nadir and Zahir Shah were closely related to

through marriages. Hazrat Ishaan Cadet Branch or Sayyid Mir Muhammad Jan Cadet Branch is an influential cadet branch of the Musahiban that derives its name from their ancestor the Afghan

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

and Sayyid ul Sadaat and head of the Qadiri-Naqshbandi Sufi Order Sayyid Mir Muhammad Jan, the hereditary successor of

Bahauddin Naqshband Baha' al-Din Naqshband ( fa, بهاءالدین محمد نقشبند; 1318–1389) was the eponymous founder of what would become one of the largest Sufi Sunni orders, the Naqshbandi. Background Baha al-Din was born in March 1318 in the vill ...

through Hazrat Ishaan. It is a cadet branch whose family had influence in the establishment of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and is mainly consisting of the children of H.R.H. Prince (Sardar) Abdul Khalek Khan who was a religious devotee (Murid) of Sayyid Mir Muhammad Jan, marrying his daughter Sayyida Rahima. Prince Abdul Khalek was as a great grandson of the Afghan King Sultan Mohammed Khan Telai a Sardar (Prince) by birth and served as Afghan Ambassador to the United Nations under his cousin Zahir Shah´s rule and Chief of Staff under his cousin Daoud Khan´s

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

and is considered as the "Afghan Pioneer of Natural Science" as first Afghan

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

. His 7th grandson

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

Raphael Dakik (b.1998) is an International Lawyer, Diplomat and Lobbyist, regarded as the 54th successor of

Prophet Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

in the Naqshbandi line of Imamate, bearing the title "Rafi Ishaan" with significant influence in the Pakistani

Oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...

. One well known disciple (Murid) of the Hazrat Ishaan cadet branch was

Muhammad Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philos ...

, who was a contemporary disciple of Sayyid Mir Muhammad Jan´s uncle

Sayyid Mir Jan Sayyid ul Sadaat Sayyid Mir Jan Shah Saheb ibn Hasan Kabuli-Naqshbandi al Hasani wal-Husseini ( ar, سيد مير جان شاه صاحب ابن حسن كابلى-نقشبندى) (born in Kabul, Afghanistan in year 1800, died in year 1901 in Lahor ...

List of Barakzai rulers

* Sultan Mohammad Khan (1823-1826) * Dost Mohammad Khan (1826 – 6 August 1839) *Rahmdil Khan – Ruler of Qandahar *Kohan Dil Khan – Ruler of Qandahar *Pur Dil Khan – Ruler of Qandahar * Akbar Khan (5 April 1842 – 1843) * Dost Mohammad Khan (1843 – 9 June 1863) * Sher Ali Khan (12 June 1863 – 5 May 1866) * Mohammad Afzal Khan (5 May 1866 – 7 October 1867) *

Mohammad Azam Khan Mohammad Azam Khan (1820-1870; Persian: ) was the Emir of Afghanistan from October 7, 1867 to August 21, 1868. He was born in 1820 and was the fifth son of Dost Mohammed Khan. Azam Khan succeeded his brother Mohammad Afzal Khan after the latter ...

(7 October 1867 – 21 August 1868) * Sher Ali Khan (21 August 1868 – 21 February 1879) *

Mohammad Yaqub Khan Mohammad Yaqub Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1849November 15, 1923) was Emir of Afghanistan from February 21 to October 12, 1879. He was the son of the previous ruler, Sher Ali Khan. Mohammad Yaqub Khan was appointed as the governor of Herat province in ...

(21 February 1879 – 28 October 1879) * Abdur Rahman Khan (11 August 1880 – 3 October 1901) *

Habibullah Khan Habibullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 3 June 1872 – 20 February 1919) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until his death in 1919. He was the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 1901 ...

(3 October 1901 – 20 February 1919) *

(28 February 1919 – 14 January 1929) * Inayatullah Khan (14 January 1929 – 17 January 1929) * Mohammed Nadir Shah (17 October 1929 – 8 November 1933) *

(8 November 1933 – 17 July 1973)

Heads of the House of Barakzai since 1973

(17 July 1973 – 23 July 2007) ( Mohammed Daoud Khan renounced his royal title after taking power in 1973) *

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

Ahmad Shah Khan (23 July 2007 – Present)

Languages

The principal language of the Barakzai is

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...

. Formerly,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

was used as the language for records and correspondence; until the late nineteenth century tombstones were also inscribed in Persian. The language of the Barakzai tribes in Pishin,

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of ...

, Gulistan and Dukki (District. Loralai) is just like the language spoken in

. Those who have settled away from Pishin speak local languages (Pushto), such as Multani or Saraiki in

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

, Hindko in Hazara,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Bhopal and Sindhi in Sindh. Barakzai, a dialect of

, is the language spoken by Harnai Barakzai.page 64 India and Central Asia By J. N. Roy, J.N. Roy And B.B. Kumar, Astha Bharati (Organization)

References

External links

Khyber.org: Encyclopaedia Iranica − Barakzai Dynasty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barakzai Dynasty Former monarchies of Asia Modern history of Afghanistan Pashtun dynasties Sunni dynasties Heads of state of Afghanistan . Emirate of Afghanistan . Kingdom of Afghanistan Afghan culture Pashtun culture Durrani Pashtun tribes Sarbani Pashtun tribes Groups claiming Israelite descent Surnames . . 1823 establishments in Afghanistan 1973 disestablishments in Afghanistan