Chronological History of AfghanistanPart III (1747
- 1978)
1747-1773
* Rule of Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani).
* Ahmad Shah consolidates and enlarges Afghanistan.
He defeats the Moghuls in the west of the Indus, and
he takes Herat away from the Persians. Ahmad Shah
Durrani's empire extended from Central Asia to Delhi,
from Kashmir to the Arabian sea. It became the greatest
Muslim empire in the second half of the 18th century.
* (1750) Khurasan----> Afghanistan.
1773-1793
* Rule of Timur Shah
* Capital of Afghanistan transferred from Kandahar
to Kabul because of tribal opposition.
* Constant internal revolts
1793-1801
* Rule of Zaman Shah
* Constant internal revolts
* (1795) Persians invade Khurasan (province)1801-1803
* Rule of Mahmood
* Constant internal revolts1803-1809
* Rule of Shah Shujah
* (1805) Persian attack on Herat fails.
* Internal fighting1809-1818
* Mahmood returns to the throne.
* War with Persia--indecisive victory
* Internal fighting1819-1826
* Sons of Timur Shah struggle for the throne--Civil
War--anarchy--
* Afghans lose Sind permanently1826--
Dost Mohammad Khan takes Kabul, and establishes control.
1832--1833
Persia moves into Khurasan (province), and threatens
Herat. Afghans defend Herat successfully.
1834--
(May)--Afghans lose Peshawar to the Sikhs; later they
crushed the Sikhs under the leadership of Akbar Khan
who defeated the Sikhs near Jamrud, and killed the
great Sikh general Hari Singh. However, they failed
to retake Peshawar due to disunity and bad judgment
on the part of Dost Mohammad Khan.
1836--
Dost Mohammad Khan is proclaimed as Amir al-mu' minin
(commander of the faithful). He was well on the road
toward reunifying the whole of Afghanistan when the
British, in collaboration with an ex-king (Shah Shuja),
invade Afghanistan.
1839-1842
* First Anglo-Afghan War
* After some resistance, Amir Dost Mohammad Khan surrenders
to the British and is deported to India.
* Shah Shuja is installed as a "puppet king"
by the British. (1839-1842)
* April 1842--Shah Shuja killed by Afghans.
* Afghans passionately continue their struggle against
the British.
* Akbar Khan--Afghan hero--victorious against the
British.
* In January 1842, out of 16,500 soldiers (and 12,000
dependents) only one survivor, of mixed British-Indian
garrison, reaches the fort in Jalalabad, on a stumbling
pony.1843
After the annihilation of British troops, Afghanistan
once again becomes independent, and the exiled Amir,
Dost Mohammad Khan comes back and occupies the royal
throne (1843-1863).
1845--
Afghan hero, Akbar Khan dies
1855
Dost Mohammad Khan signs a peace treaty with India.
1859--
British take Baluchistan, and Afghanistan becomes
completely landlocked.
1863-1866
* Sher Ali, Dost Mohammad Khan's son, succeeds to
the throne.
* (1865)--Russia takes Bukhara, Tashkent, and Samarkand.1866-1867
* Mohammad Afzal occupies Kabul and proclaims himself
Amir.
* October, 1867--Mohammad Afzal dies.1867-1868--
* Mohammad Azam succeeds to the throne
* 1868--Mohammad Azam flees to Persia
* Sher Ali reasserts control (1868-1879).1873
* Russia established a fixed boundary between Afghanistan
and it's new territories.
* Russia promises to respect Afghanistan's territorial
integrity.1878
* Start of second Anglo-Afghan War
* The British invade and the Afghans quickly put up
a strong resistance.1879
* Sher Ali dies in Mazar-i-Shariff, and Amir Muhammad
Yaqub Khan takes over until October 1879.
* Amir Muhammad Yaqub Khan gives up the following
Afghan territories to the British: Kurram, Khyber,
Michni, Pishin, and Sibi. Afghans lose these territories
permanently.1880
* Battle of Maiwand
* July 1880, Afghan woman named Malalai carries the
Afghan flag forward after the soldiers carrying the
flag were killed by the British. She becomes a heroine
for her show of courage and valour.
* Abdur Rahman takes throne of Afghanistan as Amir.
* The British, shortly after the accession of the
new Amir, withdraw from Afghanistan, although they
retain the right to handle Afghanistan's foreign relations.
* Abdur Rahman establishes fixed borders and he loses
a lot of Afghan land.
* Nuristan converted to Islam.1885--
* The Panjdeh Incident
* Russian forces seize the Panjdeh Oasis, a piece
of Afghan territory north of the Oxus River. Afghans
tried to retake it, but was finally forced to allow
the Russians to keep Panjdeh, and the Russians promised
to honor Afghan territorial integrity in the future.1893
The Durand line fixes borders of Afghanistan with
British India, splitting Afghan tribal areas, leaving
half of these Afghans in what is now Pakistan.
1895
Afghanistan's northern border is fixed and guaranteed
by Russia
1901--
* Abdur Rahman dies, his son Habibullah succeeds him.
* Slows steps toward modernization1907--
Russia and Great Britain sign the convention of St.
Petersburg, in which Afghanistan is declared outside
Russia's sphere of influence.
1918--
Mahmud Tarzi (Afghan Intellectual) introduces modern
Journalism into Afghanistan with the creation of several
newspapers.
1919--
* Habibullah is assassinated, and succeeded by his
son Amanullah (The reform King)
* The first museum in Afghanistan is instituted at
Baghe Bala.1921--
* Third Anglo-Afghan war
* Once again, the British are defeated, and Afghanistan
gains full control of her foreign affairs.
* Amanullah Khan initiates a series of ambitious efforts
at social and political modernization.1923--
Amanullah Khan changes his title from Amir to Padshah
(King).
1929--
* Amanullah Khan is overthrown by Habibullah Kalakani.
* After the fall of Amanullah Khan, Mahmud Tarzi seeks
asylum in Turkey.
* The Rise and Fall of Habibullah Kalakani, popularly
known as "Bache Saqao"
* Nadir Khan takes the throne; his tribal army loots
government buildings and houses of wealthy citizens
because the treasury was empty.
* Habibullah Kalakani, along with his supporters,
and a few supporters of Amanullah Khan are killed
by Nadir Khan. Now Nadir Khan establishes full control.1930--
* (May) Pro-Amanullah Khan uprising put down by Nadir
Khan.
* Nadir Khan abolishes reforms set forth by Amanullah
Khan to modernize Afghanistan.1933--
* Nadir Khan assassinated by a college student, and
his son, Zahir, inherits the throne. He rules until
1973.
* Zahir Shah's uncles serve as prime ministers and
advisors until 1953.
* Mahmud Tarzi dies in Turkey at the age of 68 with
a heart full of sorrow and despair toward his country.1934--
The United States of America formally recognizes Afghanistan
1938--
Da Afghanistan Bank (State Bank of Afghanistan) is
incorporated.
1939--
Minor pro-Amanullah Khan uprising (January 15)
1940--
Zahir Shah proclaims Afghanistan as neutral during
WW2
1947--
Britain withdraws from India. Pakistan is carved out
of Indian and Afghan lands.
1949--
* Afghanistan's Parliament denounces the Durand Treaty
and refuses to recognize the Durand line as a legal
boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
* Pashtuns in Pashtunistan (Occupied Afghan Land)
proclaim an independent Pashtunistan, but their proclamation
goes unacknowledged by the world community.1953--
Prince Mohammad Daoud becomes Prime Minister.
1954--
The U.S. rejects Afghanistan's request to buy military
equipment to modernize the army.
1955--
* Daoud turns to the Soviet Union (Russia) for military
aid.
* The Pashtunistan (occupied Afghan land) issue flares
up.1956--
* Kruschev and Bulgaria agree to help Afghanistan.
* Close ties between Afghanistan and USSR.1959--
* The Purdah is made optional, women begin to enroll
in the University which has become co-educational.
* Women begin to enter the workforce, and the government.
1961--
Pakistan and Afghanistan come close to war over Pashtunistan.
1963-1964--
Zahir Shah demands Daoud's resignation. Dr. Mohammad
Yusof becomes Prime Minister.
1965--
* The Afghan Communist Party was secretly formed in
January. Babrak Karmal is one of the founders.
* In September, first nationwide elections under the
new constitution.
* Karmal was elected to the Parliament, later instigates
riots.
* Zahir and Yussof form second government.
1969--
* Second nationwide elections.
* Babrak and Hafizullah Amin are elected.
1972--
Mohammad Moussa becomes Prime Minister.
1973--
* July 17th: Zahir Shah is on vacation in Europe,
when his government is overthrown in a military coup
headed by Daoud Khan and PDPA (Afghan Communist Party).
* Daoud Khan abolishes the monarchy, declares himself
President---Republic of Afghanistan is established.1974--
UNESCO names Herat as one of the first cities to be
designated as a part of the worlds cultural heritage.
1975--1977--
* Daoud Khan presents a new constitution. Women's
rights confirmed.
* Daoud starts to oust suspected opponents from his
government.
1978--
* Bloody Communist coup: Daoud is killed, Taraki is
named President, and Karmal becomes his deputy Prime
Minister. Tensions rise.
* Mass arrests, tortures, and arrests takes place.
* Afghan flag is changed.
* Taraki signs treaty of friendship with the Soviet
Union.
* June--Afghan guerrilla (Mujahideen) movement is
born.