Abdur Rahman Khan

Abdur Rahman Khan (1844?-1901), emir and founder of modern Afghanistan. He was born in Kābul, Afghanistan, and was a son of Afzul Khan and grandson of Dost Muhammad Khan. Shortly before his death in 1863, Dost Muhammad made his third son, Sher Ali, his successor. A civil war led by Afzul Khan broke out against Sher Ali. Abdur Rahman participated in this war, but after five years of hostilities he was finally forced to seek refuge in Samarquand in 1868.

Abdur Rahman’s eventual rise to power resulted from the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), shortly after which the victorious British recognized Abdur Rahman as emir of Kābul. He then began to expand his power. In 1881 he gained control of Kandahār and Herāt, and by the end of the decade he had won Afghan Turkistan and Kafiristan (now Nuristan). He established a strong national army, an efficient system of tax collection, and a centralized bureaucratic administration. Although the British had insisted on control of Afghan foreign relations according to the treaty which ended the Second Anglo-Afghan War, Abdur Rahman proved himself independent of the British as well as of the Russians. He died in Kābul and was succeeded by his son Habibullah.