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{{Short description|King of Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973}}{{redirect|Zahir Shah|the Pakistani film actor|Zahir Shah (actor)|the Pakistani squash player|Zahir Shah (squash player)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

factoids

Barakzai dynasty#Heads of the House of Barakzai since 1973>Head of House of Barakzai| reign2 = 17 July 1978 – 23 July 2007| reign-type2 = TenureMohammad Daoud Khan>Prince Daoud {{small|(As President of Afghanistan)}}Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan>Prince Ahmad Shah| native_lang1 = | native_lang1_name1 = | spouse = Humaira BegumPrincess Bilqis BegumMuhammed Akbar Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan>Prince Muhammed Akbar KhanCrown Prince Ahmad Shah KhanPrincess Maryam BegumPrince Muhammed Nadir KhanPrince Shah Mahmoud KhanPrince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar KhanPrince Mirwais KhanBarakzai dynasty>Barakzai| father = Mohammad Nadir Shah| mother = Mah Parwar Begum| birth_date = 15 October 1914| birth_place = Kabul, Emirate of Afghanistan20072310df=yes}}| death_place = Kabul, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan| place of burial = Maranjan Hill| religion = Sunni Islam| signature = Unterschrift von Mohammed Zahir Schah.svg}}Mohammad Zahir Shah (Pashto/Dari: {{lrm}}; 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1573181.stm, Profile: Ex-king Zahir Shah, 1 October 2001, news.bbc.co.uk, Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since the foundation of the Durrani Empire in the 18th century.He expanded Afghanistan’s diplomatic relations with many countries, including with both sides of the Cold War.*C-SPAN: Afghan King & Queen 1963 Visit to U.S. Reel America Preview (official U.S. government video; public domain). In the 1950s, Zahir Shah began modernizing the country, culminating in the creation of a new constitution and a constitutional monarchy system. Demonstrating nonpartisanism,WEB,publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7b69p12h;chunk.id=0;doc.view=print, Afghanistan, publishing.cdlib.org, 16 August 2023, his long reign was marked by peace in the country which was lost afterwards with the onset of the Afghan conflict.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/23/terrorism.afghanistan1, Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah, Tim, Judah, The Guardian, 23 September 2001, www.theguardian.com, In 1973, while Zahir Shah was undergoing medical treatment in Italy,NEWS, Bearak, Barry, 24 July 2007, Mohammad Zahir Shah, Last Afghan King, Dies at 92, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/world/asia/24shah.html, 1 September 2021, 0362-4331, his regime was overthrown in a coup d’état by his cousin and former prime minister, Mohammad Daoud Khan, who established a single-party republic, ending more than 225 years of continuous monarchical government.WEB,unama.unmissions.org/state-funeral-afghanistan%E2%80%99s-former-president, State funeral for Afghanistan’s former President, 19 March 2009, UNAMA, He remained in exile near Rome until 2002, returning to Afghanistan after the end of the Taliban government. He was given the title Father of the Nation, which he held until his death in 2007.Encyclopædia Britannica, “Mohammad Zahir Shah”

Family background and early life

Zahir Shah was born on 15 October 1914, in a city quarter called Deh Afghanan in Kabul, Afghanistan to a Pashtun family. He was the son of Mohammad Nadir Shah (1883–1933) a senior member of the Mohammadzai Royal family. and commander in chief of the Royal Afghan Army for former king Amanullah Khan, and of Begum Mah Parwar Begum (d. 1941), a Pashtun tribe woman. Nadir Shah assumed the throne after the execution of the self-proclaimed ruler of Afghanistan Habibullah Kalakani on 1 November 1929.Encyclopædia Britannica, “Afghanistan Mohammad Nader Shah (1929–33)” Mohammad Zahir’s father, son of Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan, was born in Dehradun, British India, his family having been exiled after the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Nadir Shah was a descendant of Sardar Sultan Mohammad Khan Telai, half-brother of Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. His grandfather Mohammad Yahya Khan (father in law of Emir Yaqub Khan) was in charge of the negotiations with the British resulting in the Treaty of Gandamak. After the British invasion after the killing of Sir Louis Cavagnari during 1879, Yaqub Khan, Yahya Khan and his sons Princes Mohammad Yusuf Khan and Mohammad Asef Khan were taken captive by the British and transferred to the British Raj, where they remained forcibly until the two princes were invited back to Afghanistan by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan during the last year of his reign (1901). During the reign of Amir Habibullah they received the title of Companions of the King (Musahiban).Zahir Shah was educated in a special class for princes at Elementary Primary, built in 1904 by the United Kingdom, and Habibia High School, where many subjects were taught in English. For his secondary education, he went to the Amaniya High School (built during the reign of King Amanullah by France, where many subjects were taught in French. This school was renamed by Nadir Shah as Esteqlal High School)WEB,wn.com/Lycee_Esteqlal, Lycee Esteqlal, World News, after the fall of King Amanullah. Zahir Shah studied at the Infanterie Military School in the winter (school year in Kabul, 21 March to November). He was then sent to France for further training. He continued his education in France where his father had served as a diplomatic envoy, studying at the Pasteur Institute and the University of Montpellier.WEB,www.nysun.com/obituaries/mohammad-zahir-shah-92-last-king-of-afghanistan/59025/, Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92, Last King of Afghanistan, The New York Sun, When he returned to Afghanistan he helped his father and uncles restore order and reassert government control during a period of lawlessness in the country.NEWS, Judah, Tim, Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah, The Observer, 23 September 2001,www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/23/terrorism.afghanistan1, 18 March 2008, He was later enrolled at an Infantry School and appointed a privy counsellor. Zahir Shah served in the government positions of deputy war minister and minister of education.

Last king of Afghanistan

(File:Zahir Shah of Afghanistan in 1930s-cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Studio photograph of Zahir Shah in military uniform, seated in a heavy, carved armchair (1930s)|290x290px)Zahir Khan was proclaimed king (shah) on 8 November 1933 at the age of 19, after the assassination of his father Mohammad Nadir Shah. After his ascension to the throne he was given the regnal title “He who puts his trust in God, follower of the firm religion of Islam”.NEWS, The King of Afghanistan, The Daily Telegraph, 24 July 2007,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/24/db2401.xml,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F07%2F24%2Fdb2401.xml," title="web.archive.org/web/20080330172333www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F07%2F24%2Fdb2401.xml,">web.archive.org/web/20080330172333www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F07%2F24%2Fdb2401.xml, 30 March 2008, 18 March 2008, For the first twenty years he did not effectively rule, ceding power to his paternal uncles, Mohammad Hashim Khan and Shah Mahmud Khan, both serving as prime ministers.BOOK, Making States Work: State Failure and the Crisis of Governance, Chesterman, Simon, Simon Chesterman, Michael Ignatieff, Ramesh Chandra Thakur,books.google.com/books?id=V7EibJ74C-UC, 2005, United Nations University Press, 92-808-1107-X, 400, This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan’s relations with the international community as during 1934, Afghanistan joined the League of Nations while also receiving formal recognition from the United States.JOURNAL, Encyclopedia of U.S. foreign relations, The American Journal of International Law, Jentleson, Bruce W., Paterson, Thomas G., 1997, Oxford University Press, 0-19-511055-2, 24, By the end of the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably with the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan.Dupree, Louis: Afghanistan, pages 477–478. Princeton University Press, 1980Zahir Shah provided aid, weapons, and Afghan fighters to the Uighur and Kirghiz Muslim rebels who had established the First East Turkestan Republic. The aid was not capable of saving the First East Turkestan Republic, as the Afghan, Uighur, and Kirghiz forces were defeated in 1934 by the Kuomintang Chinese Muslim New 36th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, commanded by General Ma Zhancang at the Battle of Kashgar and Battle of Yarkand. All the Afghan volunteers were killed by the Chinese Muslim troops, who then abolished the First East Turkestan Republic, and reestablished Chinese government control over the area.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=IAs9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA134, Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: a political history of Republican Sinkiang 1911–1949, Andrew D. W. Forbes, 1986, CUP Archive, Cambridge, England, 0-521-25514-7, 123, 303, 28 June 2010, (File:President John F. Kennedy Greets King of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ẓāhir Shāh (02).jpg|thumb|5 September 1963 Dinner in honour of King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan with John F. Kennedy |253x253px)Despite close relations to the Axis powers, Zahir Shah and his governments refused to take sides during World War II and Afghanistan remained one of the few countries in the world to remain neutral. From 1944 to 1947, Afghanistan experienced a series of revolts by various tribes.PERIODICAL, Giustozzi, Antonio, Afghanistan: transition without end, Crisis States Working Papers, November 2008, 13,www.lse.ac.uk/international-development/Assets/Documents/PDFs/csrc-working-papers-phase-two/wp40.2-afghanistan-transition-without-end.pdf, 54592886, After the end of World War II, Zahir Shah recognised the need for the modernisation of Afghanistan and recruited a number of foreign advisers to assist with the process. During this period Afghanistan’s first modern university was founded.NEWS, Profile: Ex-king Zahir Shah, BBC, 1 October 2001,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1573181.stm, 1 February 2008, During his reign a number of potential advances and reforms were derailed as a result of factionalism and political infighting.NEWS, Judah, Tim, Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah, The Observer, 23 September 2001,observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,,556614,00.html, 1 February 2008, He also requested financial aid from both the United States and the Soviet Union, and Afghanistan was one of few countries in the world to receive aid from both Cold War adversaries.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4266169/The-man-who-would-be-king-if-you-dont-mind.html, The man who would be king, if you don’t mind, Mark, Steyn, 6 October 2001, 8 March 2019, The Daily Telegraph, In a 1969 interview, Zahir Shah said that he is “not a capitalist. But I also don’t want socialism. I don’t want socialism that would bring about the kind of situation [that exists] in Czechoslovakia. I don’t want us to become the servants of Russia or China or the servant of any other place.“WEB,publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3p30056w&chunk.id=d0e2218&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e1870&brand=ucpress, Before Taliban, publishing.cdlib.org, 12 March 2019, File:Predsednik Tito sa kraljem Mohamedom Zahirom.jpg|left|thumb|225x225px|Mohammad Zahir Shah and Marshal Tito in 1968]]He was considered a relatively lenient leader compared to previous kings; Zahir Shah had never signed a warrant for the execution of anyone for political reasons during his reign. He also used his power several times to commute capital punishment sentences given to some convicted criminals. At Zahir Shah’s behest a new constitution was introduced in 1964 which made Afghanistan a modern democratic state by introducing free elections, a parliament, civil and political rights, women’s rights, and universal suffrage.At least five Afghani Pul coins during his reign bore the Arabic title:المتوكل على الله محمد ظاهر شاه,WEB,giladzuckerman.webs.com/mercuguinness.html, GILAD ZUCKERMAN COINS COLLECTION – KUMPULAN MATA-MATA UANG – مسكوكات – אוסף מטבעות גלעד צוקרמן, giladzuckerman.webs.com, 8 March 2019, “AlMutawakkil ‘ala Allah Muhammad Zhahir Shah” which means “The leaner on God, Muhammad Zhahir Shah”. The title “AlMutawakkil ‘ala Allah”, “The leaner on God” is taken from (Al-Anfal#Exergesis|Quran 8:61).By the time he returned to Afghanistan in 2002, Zahir Shah’s rule was characterized as a lengthy era of peace.

Exile

{{See also|1973 Afghan coup d’état}}In 1973, while Zahir Shah was abroad in Italy, his cousin Mohammad Daoud Khan staged a coup d’état and established an autocratic republican government. As a former Prime Minister, Daoud Khan had been forced to resign by Zahir Shah a decade earlier and felt that Zahir Shah lacked leadership and that the parliamentary system prevented real progressivism.BOOK, Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Law in Afghanistan: A Study of the Constitutions, Matrimonial Law and the Judiciary,books.google.com/books?id=ksC-BL2WivUC, 1 January 1985, BRILL, 90-04-07128-8, {{page needed|date=July 2020}} In August 1973,WEB, Mohammed Zahir Shah,www.britannica.com/biography/Mohammad-Zahir-Shah, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 June 2018, Zahir Shah sent a letter from Rome to Khan in Kabul declaring his abdication, saying he respected “the will of my compatriots” after realizing the people of Afghanistan “with absolute majority welcomed a Republican regime”.Afghan DataZahir Shah lived in exile in Italy for 29 years alongside his wife Queen Humaira Begum and other royal family members. Initially, they lived in a three‐room apartment on Rome’s Via Cassia. Relatives of the 1920s King Amanullah Khan, of the same house of Barakzai, also lived in Rome. President Daoud Khan continued to send money to them in Italy consisting of income from property and estates of the former royal family. After the Saur Revolution, the leftist Khalq government cut all funds to Italy.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1979/04/29/archives/afghan-king-in-rome-exile-tightens-belt-daud-sent-money-to-family.html, Afghan King, in Rome Exile, Tightens Belt, The New York Times, 29 April 1979, Zahir Shah eventually lived in a villa in the affluent community of Olgiata on Via Cassia, north of Rome, where he spent his time playing golf and chess, as well as tending to his garden.NEWS, Gall, Sandy, Mohammad Zahir Shah, The Guardian, 23 July 2007,www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jul/23/guardianobituaries.afghanistan, 18 March 2008, He was financially supported by the Shah of Iran since the new Afghan government failed to provide him a monthly salary. The Shah also supported his two sons who were studying in the United States and Canada.Memoirs of Asadollah Alam{{full citation needed|date=October 2020}} He was prohibited from returning to Afghanistan during the late 1970s by the Soviet-assisted Communist government. In 1983 during the Soviet–Afghan War, Zahir Shah was cautiously involved with plans to develop a government in exile. Ultimately these plans failed because he could not reach a consensus with powerful Islamist factions. It has also been reported that Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, and India had all tried to persuade Zahir Shah to return as chief of a neutral, possibly interim, administration in Kabul.WEB,www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/world/india-to-provide-aid-to-government-in-afghanistan.html, India to Provide Aid to Government in Afghanistan, Barbara, Crossette, 7 March 1989, 8 March 2019, The New York Times, Both the Soviet Union and the United States sent representatives to meet him, and President Mohammad Najibullah supported Zahir Shah to play a role in a possible interim government in the quest for peace.WEB,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1988/01/17/tough-talk-from-najibullah/889d2a64-f99e-45b6-9f66-1e9c22888f1e/, TOUGH TALK FROM NAJIBULLAH, Lally, Weymouth, 17 January 1988, www.washingtonpost.com, In May 1990, Zahir Shah issued a long statement through Voice of America and the BBC calling for unity and peace among Afghans, and offering his services. This reportedly led to a spark of interest and approval among the Kabul populace. However, the idea of a revived political role for Zahir Shah was met with hostility by some, notably radical Islamist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.WEB,www.nytimes.com/1990/06/03/world/king-of-afghanistan-after-17-years-in-exile-is-on-the-people-s-minds-again.html, King of Afghanistan, After 17 Years in Exile, Is on the People’s Minds Again, John F., Burns, 3 June 1990, 8 March 2019, The New York Times, In 1991, Zahir Shah survived an attempt on his life by a knife-wielding assassin masquerading as a Portuguese journalist who later revealed that the attempted assassination was ordered by Osama bin Laden. The assassin stated “Now I must kill you”, before stabbing Zahir Shah in his breast-pocket, the former king’s life being saved by a tin of Café Crème cigarillos. The assassin then stabbed Zahir Shah in the neck several times, before being overpowered by former General Abdul Wali. Zahir Shah was rushed to hospital and later recovered, with the assassin being sentenced to 10 years in a high-security prison in Rebibbia.WEB, 2002-04-14, Bin Laden ‘tried to kill king’,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1390843/Bin-Laden-tried-to-kill-king.html, 2024-04-08, The Telegraph, en, After the fall of the pro-Soviet government, Zahir Shah was favored by many to return and restore the monarchy to unify the country as he was acceptable to most factions. However, these efforts were blocked mostly by Pakistan’s ISI, who feared his stance on the Durand Line issue.US-Pakistan Relations: Pakistan’s Strategic Choices in the 1990s by Nasra Talat Farooq In June 1995, Zahir Shah’s former envoy Sardar Wali announced at talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, that Zahir Shah was willing to participate in peace talks to end the Afghan Civil War,WEB,www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/01/16/Af_chronology_1995-.pdf, Justice, justice.gov, 8 March 2019, but no consensus was ever reached.

Return to Afghanistan

File:Inauguration of President Hamid Karzai in December 2004.jpg|thumb|Zahir Shah is seated at the far right during the oath ceremony of 230x230pxOn 18 April 2002, at the age of 87 and four months after the end of Taliban rule, Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan, flown in on an Italian military plane, and welcomed at Kabul’s airport by Hamid Karzai and other officials.WEB,gulfnews.com/today-history/april-18-2002-zahir-shah-returns-to-afghanistan-after-29-year-exile-1.2013011, April 18, 2002: Zahir Shah returns to Afghanistan after 29-year exile, Gulf News, 17 April 2017, 8 March 2019, His return was widely welcomed by Afghans, and he was liked by all ethnic groups.NEWS,www.rferl.org/a/1099206.html, Afghanistan: Afghans Welcome Former King’s Return, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 9 April 2008, 8 March 2019, Krushelnycky, Askold, WEB,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1936041.stm, No ordinary homecoming, 17 April 2002, 8 March 2019, BBC News, There were proposals for a return to the monarchy – Zahir Shah himself let it be known that he would accept whatever responsibility was given him by the Loya Jirga, which he initiated in June 2002.BOOK, Dorronsoro, Gilles, Afghanistan: Revolution Unending, 1979–2002, C. Hurst & Co, 1-85065-683-5, 330, The Return to Political Fragmentation, 2005, However he was obliged to publicly renounce monarchical leadership at the behest of the United States. As Pakistan would not accept Zahir as king due to fears regarding his stance on the Durand Line issue; the American government knew allowing him to be restored could result in Pakistan feeling threatened to the point they may cease cooperating with the international coalition and potentially even resume their support for the Taliban. At the time, most delegates to the Loya Jirga were prepared to vote for Zahir Shah and block the U.S.-backed leader of the Northern Alliance, Hamid Karzai. While he was prepared to become chief of state Zahir made it known that it would not necessarily be as monarch: “I will accept the responsibility of head of state if that is what the Loya Jirga demands of me, but I have no intention to restore the monarchy. I do not care about the title of king. The people call me Baba and I prefer this title.” Karzai called Zahir Shah a “symbol of unity, a very kind man” and a “fatherly figure.“Zahir Shah visited his father’s tomb soon after arriving in Kabul and reportedly gasped after witnessing rocket holes and gunfire damage on the tomb caused by the civil war.WEB,apnews.com/article/4cdbc7216362abfc1c610384e09e48c0, Former Afghan King Returns to Kabul, Associated Press, Hamid Karzai, who was favored by Zahir Shah, became president of Afghanistan after the Loya Jirga.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2172387.stm, Former Afghan king returns to palace, BBC, 4 August 2002, 31 March 2018, Karzai, from the Pashtun Popalzai clan, provided Zahir Shah’s relatives with major jobs in the transitional government.MAGAZINE,www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/06/06/the-man-in-the-palace, The Man in the Palace, Jon Lee, Anderson, 30 May 2005, 8 March 2019, The New Yorker, Following the Loya Jirga he was given the title “Father of the Nation” by Karzai,WEB,www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20020805/local/former-afghan-king-moves-into-his-old-palace.169602, Former Afghan king moves into his old palace, Allied Newspapers, Ltd, The Times, 5 August 2002, Malta, 8 March 2019, symbolizing his role in Afghanistan’s history as a symbol of national unity. This title ended with his death.“The late King was always fondly referred to by all Afghans, cutting across ethnic boundaries, as “Baba-e-Millat” or ‘Father of the Nation’, a position given to him in the country’s Constitution promulgated in January 2004, about two years after the collapse of Taliban rule. The title of the ‘Father of the Nation’ dissolves with his death.“NEWS,www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec=, Last King of Afghanistan dies at 92, unfit,www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec=," title="web.archive.org/web/20070930210732www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec=,">web.archive.org/web/20070930210732www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec=, 30 September 2007, In August 2002 he relocated back to the Arg, his old palace, after 29 years.In an October 2002 visit to France, Zahir Shah slipped in a bathroom, bruising his ribs, and on 21 June 2003, while in France for a medical check-up, he broke his femur.On 3 February 2004, Zahir Shah was flown from Kabul to New Delhi, India, for medical treatment after complaining of an intestinal problem. He was hospitalized for two weeks and remained in New Delhi under observation. On 18 May 2004, he was brought to a hospital in the United Arab Emirates because of nose bleeding caused by heat.Zahir Shah attended the 7 December 2004 swearing-in of Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan. During his final years, he was frail and required a microphone pinned to his collar so that his faint voice could be heard. In January 2007, Zahir was reported to be seriously ill and bedridden.

Death

(File:Tomb of former King Zahir Shah - panoramio.jpg|thumb|200px|Tomb of Zahir Shah)On 23 July 2007, Zahir Shah died in the compound of the presidential palace in Kabul at the age of 92 after a long illness – 74 years after he ascended the throne and 34 years after his abdication. His death was announced on national television by President Karzai,Barry Bearak, “Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92”, The New York Times, 23 July 2007.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/world/asia/24shah.html, Mohammad Zahir Shah, Last Afghan King, Dies at 92, Barry, Bearak, 24 July 2007, 8 March 2019, The New York Times, who said “He was the servant of his people, the friend of his people, he was a very kind person, kind hearted. He believed in the rule of the people and in human rights.“WEB,www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHbb6ju5tv8,ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/jHbb6ju5tv8, 11 December 2021, live, President Karzai announcing death of King Zahir Shah, AP Archive, 21 July 2015, 8 March 2019, YouTube, {{cbignore}} His funeral was held on 24 July. It began on the premises of the presidential palace, where politicians and dignitaries paid their respects; his coffin was then taken to a mosque before being moved to the royal mausoleum on Maranjan Hill in eastern Kabul.“Afghanistan’s King Mohammad Zahir Shah Laid to Rest”, Associated Press (Fox News), 24 July 2007.{{Coin image box 1 double| header = 5 Afghan afghani (1961)| image = File:5 Afghani (1961).jpg| caption_left = Obverse: Portrait of Mohammad Zahir Shah with lettering “* محمد ظاهر * دافغانستان” (Mohammad Zahir Afghanistan) on top and “Û±Û³Û´-Û±Û³Û¸Û±” (1340–1381) at bottom.| caption_right = Reverse: Wheat ear flank on the side and denomination in the centre. Lettering “پنج” (five), “Ûµ” (5) and “افغانی” (Afghanis).| width = 250| footer = Afghani coin from reign of Shah minted in c. 1962 corresponding to 1340 and 1381 in Lunar and Solar Hijri years respectively.| position = right| margin = 0}}(File:Zahir Shah stamp 1971.jpg|thumb|Postage stamp, 1971)

Personal life

Zahir Shah was reportedly shy, modest and “soft-spoken”. He liked photography, chess,and smoking cigars. WEB,www.nytimes.com/1987/11/15/world/in-afghan-king-a-soft-voice-for-a-soviet-pullout.html, In Afghan King, a Soft Voice for a Soviet Pullout, Roberto, Suro, 15 November 1987, 12 March 2019, The New York Times, WEB,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2001/11/11/a-future-veiled-in-false-hopes/a8f6d6a9-1c6f-4554-88a6-07497d96ff2e/, A Future Veiled in False Hopes, Nafisa, Hoodbhoy, 11 November 2001, www.washingtonpost.com, WEB,www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/04/leaving-afghanistan-it-finally-time-be-positive-about-blighted-nation, Leaving Afghanistan: is it finally time to be positive about this blighted nation?, New Statesman, 10 April 2014, 12 March 2019, Zahir Shah was fluent in Pashto,NEWS, Feroz, Emran, When Afghanistan Almost Worked,foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/26/afghanistan-shafiq-amin-shah-cold-war/, 3 July 2021, Foreign Policy, 26 April 2021, Dari (his mother tongue), and could also speak English and perfect French.NEWS, Michael, McCarthy, War on Terrorism: Opposition – Exiled king declares himself ready to return,findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892, The Independent, London, Look Smart: Find Articles, 24 September 2001, 23 July 2007,findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892," title="web.archive.org/web/20071109230032findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892,">web.archive.org/web/20071109230032findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892, 9 November 2007, To his family, he was known as Baba.Arabian Royal Agency

Family

He married his first cousin Humaira Begum (1918–2002) on 7 November 1931 in Kabul. They had six sons and two daughters:{| class=“wikitable sortable”! rowspan=2 | Name! rowspan=2 | Birth! rowspan=2 | Death! colspan=2 | Marriage! rowspan=2 | Their children! Date !! SpousePrincess Bilqis Begum{{birth date and age4df=y}}1951Abdul Wali Khan| Princess Humaira Begum| Princess Wana Begum| Princess Mayana KhanumMuhammed Akbar Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan>Muhammed Akbar Khan| 4 August 19331942268df=y}}|{{n/a}}|{{n/a}}|{{n/a}} Crown Prince Ahmad Shah Khan {{birth date and age9df=y}} 1961Khatul Begum| Prince Muhammad Zahir Khan| Prince Muhammad Emel Khan| Princess Hawa Khanum Princess Maryam Begum>Maryam Begum19362|df=y}}20212511df=yes}}HTTPS://DW.COM/FA-AF/مریم-نعیم-شاهدخت-افغانستان-در-کابل-درگذشت/A-60260424>WORK=DEUTSCHE WELLE DARIACCESS-DATE=5 APRIL 2022, شاهدخت افغانستان در کابل درگذشت – Dw – Û±Û´Û°Û°/Û±Û°/Ûµ, | 1960| Sardar Muhammad Aziz Khan Naim| Sardar Nadir Khan NaimPrince Muhammed Nadir Khan{{birth date5df=y}}{{death date and age4194121WORK=BBC PASHTOACCESS-DATE=5 APRIL 2022, 6 February 1964Lailuma Begum| Prince Mustapha Zahir Khan| Prince Muhammad Daud JanPrince Shah Mahmoud Khan15 November 1946{{death date and age12194615|df=y}}18 April 1966Safura Begum| Princess Bilqis Khanum| Princess Ariane KhanumPrince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar Khan{{birth date and age4df=y}}2 February 1973Fatima Begum| Prince Duran Daud KhanNoal, Princess of the Sa’id>Princess Noal Khanum Prince Mirwais Khan 7 January 1957{{death date and age919577ACCESS-DATE=2023-10-01 LANGUAGE=EN, | | Farkhudna Begum| Princess Safya Zaher| In January 2009, an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the American Enterprise Institute included one of his grandsons, Mustafa Zahir, on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the 2009 Afghan presidential election.NEWS,www.aei.org/outlook/100003, Afghanistan’s Presidential Election, Zaher is the grandson of the late King Muhammad Zaher Shah. He is currently head of Afghanistan’s environment preservation department and a member of the UNF. There has been speculation that the UNF will nominate Zaher as its candidate for the upcoming election. Despite being an heir to the royal family, he lacks a popular base., January 2009, Ahmad Majidyar, American Enterprise Institute,www.aei.org/docLib/20090129-No1MEO23850g.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20090908041152www.aei.org/docLib/20090129-No1MEO23850g.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20090908041152www.aei.org/docLib/20090129-No1MEO23850g.pdf, 8 September 2009, However, Mustafa did not become a candidate. His granddaughter, Princess Noal of Afghanistan, is the wife of Muhammad Ali, Prince of the Sa’id, the heir apparent to the abolished thrones of Egypt and Sudan.

Titles and styles

factoids

{{Multiple image | total_width = 400 | perrow = 2 | header = Royal Standard | image1 = Royal standard of Afghan Kings(1931~1973).svg| image2 = Royal standard of Afghan Kings (reverse).svg| footer = Royal Standard of Mohammad Zahir Shah (obverse and reverse)}}During his reign, His Majesty Mohammad Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan.WEB,history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1934v02/d637, Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1934, Europe, Near East and Africa, Volume II – Office of the Historian, history.state.gov, {{Clear}}

References

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Notes

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External links

{{Commons category|Mohammed Zahir Shah}}

• C-SPAN: Afghan King & Queen 1963 Visit to U.S. Reel America Preview (video)
• Mohammad Zahir Shah at the Encyclopædia Britannica
• news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2795838.ece" title="web.archive.org/web/20071001125658news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2795838.ece">Zahir Shah: The last king of Afghanistan, Robert Fisk, The Independent
• Profile, The Observer
• {{New York Times topic|new_id=person/mohammed-zahir-shah}}
• interviews Zahir Shah videos
• interviews Zahir Shah in written

}}{{Monarchs of Afghanistan}}{{Pashtun}}{{Authority control}}