Abdur Rahman Khan | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amir Ziya'al-Milat wa al-Din | |||||
![]() Abdur Rahman Khan in 1897 | |||||
Amir of Afghanistan | |||||
Reign | 31 May 1880 – 1 October 1901 | ||||
Predecessor | Ayub Khan | ||||
Successor | Habibullah Khan | ||||
Born | 1840–1844 Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||
Died | 1 October 1901 (aged c. 56–61) Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||
Burial | 1901 Palace at Zarnegar Park, Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||
Spouse | Babo Jan | ||||
| |||||
Dynasty | Barakzai dynasty | ||||
Father | Mohammad Afzal Khan |
History of Afghanistan |
---|
![]() |
Timeline |
Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI (Pashto/Dari: عبدالرحمن خان) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) also known by his epithets, The Iron Amir,[1][2] was Amir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901.[3] He is known for perpetrating the Hazara Genocide, but also uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Agreement with British India.[4]
Abdur Rahman Khan was the one and only son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty. Abdur Rahman Khan re-established the writ of the Afghan government after the disarray that followed the second Anglo-Afghan war.[5] He became known as The Iron Amir because his government was a military despotism. This despotism rested upon a well-appointed army and was administered through officials subservient to an inflexible will and controlled by a widespread system of espionage.[2]
The nickname, The Iron Amir, is also associated due to his victory over a number of rebellions by various tribes who were led by his relatives.[6] One source says that during his reign there were over 40 rebellions against his rule.[7] Abdur Rahman Khan's rule was termed by one British official as a "reign of terror", as he was considered despotic and had up to 100,000 people judicially executed during his 21 years as Emir.[8] Thousands more starved to death, caught deadly diseases and died, were massacred by his army, or were killed during his forceful migrations of tribes.[8] However, he was perhaps the greatest military genius Afghanistan ever produced.[8]
thediplomat
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).