Dost Mohammad Barakzai

1792 - 1863

Amir of Afghanistan, 1826 - 1838, 1842 - 1863.

Dost Mohammad Barazkai, also called the Great Amir (Amir Kabir), was born in Kandahar in the Mohammadzai branch of the Durrani Pushtun sub-tribe. Considered the founder of the Mohammadzai dynasty that ruled Afghanistan until 1973, Dost Mohammad first became ruler of Afghanistan in 1826 after a period of civil war. After battling even his own brothers for control, he gradually united the country. He also attempted to regain Afghan territory lost to the Sikhs, who ruled Peshawar at that time. Having defeated the Sikhs at the Battle of Jumrud (1837), he assumed the title Amir al-Muʾminin (Commander of the Faithful).

In the 1830s, Dost Mohammad began to turn away from the British and to make overtures to Persia and Russia. As a result the British invaded Afghanistan (1839) in the first Anglo - Afghan war. Once they had defeated Dost Mohammad and taken him as a hostage to India (1840), the British placed Dost Mohammad's rival Shah Shuja on the throne. The occupation of Afghanistan soon turned into a disaster for the British, however, and they were forced to retreat from Kabul in the winter of 1842, losing almost all of their troops in the process. In 1842, Dost Mohammad returned to the throne and ruled for another twenty years. Three of his twenty-seven sons became rulers of Afghanistan, although only Sher Ali ruled for a prolonged period.

Bibliography

Adamec, Ludwig. Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 2d edition. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1997.

— GRANT FARR