Humaira Begum
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Humaira Begum ( fa, حميرا بیگم; 24 July 1918 – 26 June 2002) was the wife and first cousin of King
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 s ...
and the last queen consort 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 ...
.


Marriage

Humaira Begum was the daughter of ''
Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
'' Ahmad Shah
Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...
, brother of the royal consort
Mah Parwar Begum Mah Parwar Begum (died 13 December 1941) was the royal consort of Afghanistan. She belonged to the khel Babakar and was the third daughter of ''Sardar'' Muhammad Asif Khan and of his second wife, Murwarid Begum. She was the only wife of Mohammed ...
and Minister of the Royal Court, and his first wife Zarin
Begum Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It us ...
, who was cousin of 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 1919, ...
and eldest daughter of General H.E. ''Loinab'' Khush Dil Khan, Governor of Kabul and Kandahar. She married her first cousin, the Crown Prince of Afghanistan Mohammed Zahir on 7 November 1931 in
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 ...
. Mohammed Zahir Shah and Humaira Begum had six sons and two daughters: # Princess Bilqis Begum (born 17 April 1932). # Prince
Muhammed Akbar Khan Muhammed Akbar Khan ( ur, محمد اکبر خان), MBE PA-1 (19 April 1897 - 1993) was a Pakistani general and at the time of the independence of Pakistan, he was the most senior Muslim General. He also served as the first Senior Military Se ...
(4 August 1933 – 26 November 1942). # Crown Prince Ahmad Shah (born 23 September 1934). # Princess
Maryam Begum Maryam Begum ( fa, مریم بیگم) was a Safavid princess, who was a daughter of shah Tahmasp I Tahmasp I ( fa, طهماسب, translit=Ṭahmāsb or ; 22 February 1514 – 14 May 1576) was the second shah of Safavid Iran from 1524 to 1576. He ...
(2 November 1936 – 25 December 2021). # Prince Muhammed Nadir Khan (21 May 1941 – 3 April 2022). # Prince Shah Mahmoud Khan (15 November 1946 – 7 December 2002). # Prince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar Khan (born 14 April 1949). # Prince Mir Wais Khan (born 7 January 1957).


Queen of Afghanistan

On 8 November 1933 after the assassination of her father in law
Mohammed Nadir Shah Mohammed Nadir Shah (Persian and ps, محمد نادر شاه – born Mohammed Nadir Khan; 9 April 1883 – 8 November 1933) was King of Afghanistan from 15 October 1929 until his assassination in November 1933. Previously, he served as Minist ...
her husband was proclaimed King and Humaira became Queen of Afghanistan. During the first part of her husband's reign, Queen Humaira did not play a big public role. 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 1919, ...
had been deposed in 1929 because of discontent partially caused by the example of Queen
Soraya Tarzi Soraya Tarzi (Pashto/Dari: ملکه ثريا; November 24, 1899 – April 20, 1968) was the first queen consort of Afghanistan as the wife of King Amanullah Khan. She played a major part in the modernization reforms of Amanullah Khan, particula ...
, who appeared in public with her husband unveiled, and his successor reinstated the veil and gender seclusion and caused a backlash in women's rights.Robin Morgan:
Sisterhood is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology
''
During the 1930s, the royal women continued to dress in Western fashion inside the enclosed royal palace compound of Kabul, but reverted to covering themselves in the traditional veil when they left the royal compound, and no longer showed themselves in public. This changed after the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when modernization reforms were seen as necessary by the government, including reforms in women's position. In 1946, Queen Humaira became the protector of the newly founded ''
Women's Welfare Association {{Short description, Afghani women's organization Muassasa-i Khayriyya-i Zanan ('Women's Welfare Association') or (WWA), also known as the 'Women's Society' and from 1975 called '(Afghan) Women's Institute (WI)', was a women's organization in Afghan ...
'', which was the first-ever Women's Institute in Afghanistan, and signified resuming the women's movement. When
Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammed Daoud Khan ( ps, ), also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan (18 July 1909 – 28 April 1978), was an Afghan politician and general who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 Afghan coup ...
became Prime Minister in 1953, the development toward women's emancipation started to move faster, and the women of the Royal Family, with the Queen as the central figure, were given an important task as role models in this process. They started to attend public functions, initially veiled. In 1959, she supported the call by the Prime minister
Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammed Daoud Khan ( ps, ), also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan (18 July 1909 – 28 April 1978), was an Afghan politician and general who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 Afghan coup ...
for women to voluntary remove their
veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...
by removing her own. This was a big event in the history of women in Afghanistan, and it was also an intentional part of the women's emancipation policy of the Daoud Government at that time.Tamim Ansary (2012
Games without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan
The step was carefully prepared by introducing women workers at the Radio Kabul in 1957, sending women delegates to the Asian Women's Conference in Kairo, and employing forty girls to the government pottery factory in 1958. When this was met with no riots, the government decided it was time for the very controversial step of unveiling. In August 1959 therefore, on the second day of the festival of Jeshyn, Queen Humaira and Princess Bilqis appeared in the royal box at the military parade unveiled, alongside the Prime Minister's wife,
Zamina Begum Zamina Begum (11 January 1917 – 28 April 1978), also known as Zainab Begum, was an Afghan princess. She was the First Lady of Afghanistan in 1973–1978, as the wife of the first President of Afghanistan, ''Sardar'' Mohammed Daoud Khan. Life Sh ...
. This controversial step was met with indignation by the Islamic clergy, and a group of clerics sent a letter of protest to the Prime minister to protest and demand that the words of sharia be respected. The Prime minister answered by inviting them to the capital and present proof to him that the holy scripture indeed demanded the chadri. When the clerics could not find such a passage, the Prime Minister declared that the female members of the Royal Family would no longer wear veils, as the Islamic law did not demand it. While the chadri was never banned, the example of the Queen and the Prime Minister's wife was followed by the wives and daughters of government officials as well as several urban women of the upper- and middle class, with
Kubra Noorzai Kubra Noorzai (1932–1986) was an Afghanistan, Afghan politician. She was the first woman to become a government minister in the country, serving as Ministry of Public Health (Afghanistan), Minister of Public Health between 1965 and 1969. Biogr ...
and
Masuma Esmati-Wardak Masuma Esmati-Wardak was an Afghan writer and politician. She was jointly one of the first women to serve in the Afghan parliament and served as Minister of Education. In 1953 she graduated from Kabul Women's College, and received a degree in bu ...
known as the first pioneers among the common citizens. After this event, Queen Humaira participated in royal representational tasks and attended public functions unveiled. She engaged in charity and visited hospitals and public events.


Exile

On 17 July 1973, while her husband was in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
undergoing eye surgery as well as therapy for
lumbago Low back pain (LBP) or lumbago is a common disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back, in between the lower edge of the ribs and the lower fold of the buttocks. Pain can vary from a dull constant ache to a sudden sharp feeli ...
, his cousin and former Prime Minister
Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammed Daoud Khan ( ps, ), also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan (18 July 1909 – 28 April 1978), was an Afghan politician and general who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 Afghan coup ...
, who had been removed from office by Zahir Shah a decade earlier, staged a ''coup d'état'' and established a republican government. In the August following this coup, Zahir Shah abdicated rather than risk an all-out civil war. Queen Humaira had remained in Afghanistan when her husband departed to Italy for his surgery, and was thus present in Afghanistan during the coup. She was not harmed, but kept in house arrest in her residence, as several other members of the Royal Family, until they were allowed to depart to join Zahir Shah in Italy. Humaira and Zahir Shah spent their twenty-nine years in exile in Italy living in a relatively modest four-bedroom villa in the affluent community of Olgiata on
Via Cassia The ''Via Cassia'' ("way of Cassius") was an important Roman road striking out of the ''Via Flaminia'' near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed throug ...
, north of the city of
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
. The king had never put money into foreign bank accounts, and thus depended on the generosity of friends.


Death

Just weeks before she was to return to Afghanistan and be reunited with her husband who recently had returned, Begum was admitted to hospital with breathing problems and heart trouble and died two days later. Her body was returned to Afghanistan and was greeted at the airport by military personnel, tribal representatives in traditional robes, and cabinet ministers from
Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
's government. Memorial and funeral services were also held for her in two Kabul mosques. Her remains were buried in the Royal Mausoleum in Kabul.


Honours


National honours

* Knight Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Supreme Sun The Order of the Supreme Sun (''Nishan-i-Lmar-i-Ala'') was a decoration of the former Kingdom of Afghanistan. The Order was instituted in 1920 by King Amanullah Khan and discontinued in 1973 upon the abolition of the Afghan monarchy. It was awar ...


Foreign honours

* : Grand Cross of the
Order of the Legion of Honour Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
* : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Special Issue * Iranian Imperial Family: Dame Grand Cordon of the Imperial Order of the Pleiades, 1st Class * : Paulownia Dame Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Ap ...


Ancestry


References


External links


Dinner in honor of King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Humaira Afghan royal consorts Afghan feminists 1918 births 2002 deaths Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Cordons of the Order of the Precious Crown Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Afghan expatriates in Italy Afghan exiles Pashtun women