Ahmed shah abdali biography for kids

by S. Ghilzai / January 20, 2016

Ahmad Shah Abdali, later known as Ahmad Shah Durrani, was the founder of modern Afghanistan. Before being elected king in 1747, Abdali was a cavalry general under the Persian emperor Nadir Shah. During his reign, he built a vast empire that extended from eastern Persia to northern India, and from the Amu Darya to the Indian Ocean. Abdali was also a brilliant Pashto poet.

Ahmad Shah Baba (Father Ahmad Shah) as he is affectionately called, lived a colored life. Abdali was born in 1722 to Zaman Khan Abdali, from the Sadozai Pashtun tribe, and Zarghuna Alokazai , also a Pashtun. Scholars dispute whether Durrani was born in Herat or Multan . He was his father’s second son. Durrani’s father was Governor of Herat, making it easily believable that he was born in Herat. However, before Durrani was born, his father was imprisoned by the Persians, and upon his release travelled to Multan, choosing the location because he had family there. When Zaman Khan went back to Afghanistan to fight against the Persians, he apparently left one of his wives in Multan- some sources thinking it was Alokazai. Unfortunately, Zaman Khan died when Durrani was still a small child – how, it is unknown.

Not much is known about Durrani’s childhood, but presumably, after the death of his father, he was raised by his mother and mother’s brothers. More is known about Durrani’s teenager years, as he became more involved in ‘politics’ and the struggle of the Pashtuns living under and fighting against the Persian empire .

It is known though that out of fear, Durrani’s mother gave her daughter up to Haji Ismail Khan, the new governor of Herat, who ends up loving Durrani and sends him off to Sabzawar in Herat province. Nothing more is written about Durrani until 1732 when he and his older brother flee towards Kandahar, where they are arrested by Mir Husain, the ruler, because of Husain’s hatred

Founder of the Durrani Empire (r. 1747–1772)

"Ahmed Shah Durrani" redirects here. For the cricket umpire, see Ahmed Shah Durrani (umpire).

Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (Pashto: احمد شاه دراني; Persian: احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (Pashto: احمد شاه ابدالي), was the first ruler and founder of the Durrani Empire. He is often regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan.

Throughout his reign, Ahmad Shah fought over fifteen major military campaigns. Nine of them being centered in India, three in Khorasan, and three in Afghan Turkestan. Having rarely lost a battle, historians widely recognize Ahmad Shah as a brilliant military leader and tactician, typically being compared to rulers such as Mahmud of Ghazni, Babur, and as well as Nader Shah. Historian Hari Ram Gupta refers to Ahmad Shah as the "greatest general of Asia of his time", as w

Ahmad Shah Abdali

Ahmad Shah Abdali, also known as Ahmad Shah Durrani or Ahmad Khan Abdali, was the founder of the Durrani Empire and the contemporary state of Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah Abdali (or Ahmad Shah Durrani), who was chosen to succeed Nadir Shah after the latter’s death in 1747, repeatedly attacked India between 1748 and 1767. Students will learn about Ahmed Shah Abdali in this post, and it will be useful while students study for the UPSC Civil Service Exam.

Ahmed Shah Abdali Early Life and Family

Mohammad Zaman Khan, the ruler of Herat and head of the Abdali clan, gave birth to Abdali in Multan (then part of the Mughal Empire, now Pakistan) in 1722. Sadozais were Durrani’s ancestors, while Alakozai was his mother. In June 1729, the Zulfiqar-led Abdali army submitted to the newly installed Persian king Nader Shah Afshar. However, they quickly staged a coup and seized control of Mashhad and Herat.

In July 1730, he overcame Ibrahim Khan, a military commander and Nader Shah’s sibling. Nadir Shah had been enlisting the Abdalis into his army since around 1729. After the capture of Kandahar in 1738, Durrani and his brother Zulfiqar were freed and granted important positions in Nader Shah’s administration.

Zulfiqar was named Mazandaran’s governor, and Durrani remained Nader Shah’s personal attendant. In Nader Shah’s service, Durrani distinguished himself by leading the Abdali Regiment, a cavalry of 4,000 soldiers and commanders, after ascending from the position of personal attendant (yaswal). The Abdali Regiment was a member of Nader Shah’s army when he invaded the Mughal Empire in 1738.

Ahmed Shah Abdali and Durani Empire

Ahmad Shah Abdali founded and developed the Durrani Kingdom, also known as the Sadozai Kingdom and the Afghan Empire, which spanned Central Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia. At its height, the empire ruled over parts of eastern Turkmenistan, northern India, northeastern and southe

Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (Pashto: احمد شاه دراني; Dari: احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (احمد شاه ابدالي), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahmad Shah was appointed as King of the Afghans by a loya jirga in Kandahar, where he set up his capital. Primarily with the support of the Pashtun tribes, Ahmad Shah pushed east towards the Mughal and Maratha Empires of India, west towards the disintegrating Afsharid Empire of Iran, and north towards the Khanate of Bukhara of Turkestan. Within a few years, he extended his control from Khorasan in the west to North India in the east, and from the Amu Darya in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south.

Soon after accession, Ahmad Shah adopted the epithet Shāh Durr-i-Durrān, "King, Pearl of Pearls", and changed the name of his Abdali tribe to "Durrani" after himself. The Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani is located in the center of Kandahar, adjacent to Kirka Sh