View source for Ahmad Shah Durrani

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{{Short description|Founder of the Durrani Empire (r. 1747–1772)}}
{{redirect|Ahmed Shah Durrani|the cricket umpire|Ahmed Shah Durrani (umpire)}}
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{{Use British English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ahmad Shah Durrani<br/>{{lang|ps|احمد شاه دراني}}
| title        = [[Padishah]]<br>[[Ghazi (warrior)|Ghazi]]<br> [[Durrani dynasty|''Shāh Durr-i-Durrān'' ("King, Pearl of Pearls")]]
| image        = Portrait of Ahmad-Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France.jpg
| image_size   =
| caption      = Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani, c. 1757, [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]]
| succession1  = [[Durrani Empire|1st Emir of the Durrani Empire]]
| reign1       = July 1747–4 June 1772
| coronation1  = July 1747
| predecessor1 = Position established
| successor1   = [[Timur Shah Durrani]]
| house        = [[House of Durrani]]
| house-type   = Dynasty
| father       = Mohammad Zaman Khan Abdali
| mother       = [[Zarghona Anaa]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/09/afghan-first-lady-shadow-1920s-queen-2014930142515254965.html|title=Afghan first lady in shadow of 1920s queen?|date=October 1, 2014|via=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=4 June 2020|archive-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023020907/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/09/afghan-first-lady-shadow-1920s-queen-2014930142515254965.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| full name    = Ahmad Shah Abdali
| birth_name   = Ahmad Khan Abdali
| birth_date   = 1720–1722
| birth_place  = [[Herat]], [[Sadozai Sultanate of Herat]] (present-day [[Afghanistan]])
''or''<br>[[Multan]], [[Mughal Empire]] (present-day [[Pakistan]])
| death_date   = {{Death date and given age|1772|6|4|49–52|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Maruf, Afghanistan|Maruf]], Kandahar Province, [[Durrani Empire]]<br />(present-day Afghanistan)
| burial_date  = June 1772
| burial_place = [[Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani]], [[Kandahar]], Afghanistan<br/>{{coord|31|37|10|N|65|42|25|E|display=inline,title}}
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]
| spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Hazrat Begum]]|1757|}}
* {{marriage|[[Iffat-un-Nissa Begum]]|1757|}}
}}
| signature    = File:Seal of Ahmad Shah Durrani.png
| signature_type = [[Seal (emblem)|Royal seal]]
}}
'''Ahmad Shāh Durrānī''' ({{langx|ps|احمد شاه دراني}}; {{Langx|fa|{{nq|احمد شاه درانی}}}}), also known as '''Ahmad Shāh Abdālī''' ({{Langx|ps|احمد شاه ابدالي}}), was the founder of the [[Durrani Empire]] and 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 province|Khorasan]], and three in [[Afghan Turkestan]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=118}} A brilliant military leader and tactician, Ahmad Shah is typically compared to rulers such as [[Mahmud of Ghazni]], [[Babur]], and as well as [[Nader Shah]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=141}} He has also been referred to as the "greatest general of Asia of his time".<ref>{{harvnb|Gupta|1978|p=192}}: "The Afghans fought with equal valour and energy and displayed strategy under the leadership of the greatest general of Asia of his time..."</ref>
==Name and title==
His birth name was Ahmad Khan, born into the [[Durrani|Abdali]] tribe. After his accession to power in 1747, he became known as Ahmad [[Shah]]. His tribe also changed the name from Abdali, instead becoming the Durrani.{{sfn|Mehta|2005|p=246}}{{sfn|Barfield|2022|p=98}}{{sfn|Balland|1995}} Afghans often call him ''Ahmad Shāh Bābā'', meaning "Ahmad Shah the [[Father of the Nation#List|Father]]".{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=459}}{{sfn|Runion|2007|p=71}}
In historical sources, his tribe name is interchangeably used between Abdali and Durrani, with other common names for him being Ahmad Shah Abdali.{{sfn|Mehta|2005|p=246}}{{sfn|Chaurasia|2002|p=321}}
==Early life==
Ahmad Shah was born between 1720 and 1722 in either [[Herat]], [[Afghanistan]], or [[Multan]], [[Pakistan]]. Sources are disputed on where he was born.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=287}} Contemporary scholarship came to the consensus that Ahmad Shah was born in Multan, but this is disputed by Nejatie, who states that the majority of sources from Ahmad Shah's time state that he was born in Herat, rather than Multan, including the [[Tarikh-i Ahmad Shahi]].{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=287-293}}
His father, Zaman Khan, was the ruler of the [[Sadozai Sultanate of Herat]]. Zaman Khan had died in 1721, leading to Ahmad Shah being raised alongside his brother Zulfiqar Khan in [[Shindand]] and [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]]. In the mid 1720s, Zulfiqar Khan was invited to rule Herat. Nothing else is heard of Ahmad Shah until 1731–1732, when Zulfiqar Khan was defeated by [[Nader Shah]], forcing both Zulfiqar Khan and Ahmad Shah to flee to [[Kandahar]], where they remained political prisoners of [[Hussain Hotak]].{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=294}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=15-16}}{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=87}}
After Nader Shah [[Siege of Kandahar|conquered Kandahar]], Ahmad Shah and Zulfiqar Khan were freed. Ahmad Shah spent much of his early life in the service of Nader Shah. Accompanying him on his [[Nader Shah's invasion of India|invasion of India]], Ahmad Shah was later resettled in [[Mazandaran province|Mazandaran]] alongside his brother. Iranica states that Ahmad Shah may have become the governor of Mazandaran.{{sfn|Balland|1995}} After the death of his brother, Ahmad Shah enlisted in the [[Military of Afsharid Iran|Afsharid military]] in 1742. Some sources suggest that it was only Zulfiqar Khan that left for Mazandaran, while Ahmad Shah remained in Nader Shah's service as an officer.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=296-298}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=18}}{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=91}}
During Nader Shah's invasion of India, Ahmad Shah personally commanded a [[regiment]] of [[Durrani]] tribesmen. Ahmad Shah's forces [[Nader Shah's invasion of India#Massacre of Delhi|committed massacres and sacked Delhi]] alongside Nader Shah's forces in 1739.{{sfn|Mehta|2005|p=247}} According to legend, [[Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I|Nizam ul-Mulk]], the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] governor of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]], who was an expert in [[physiognomy]], predicted that Ahmad Shah would become king. Nader Shah took notice of this and also believed in the prophecy, supposedly clipping a piece of Ahmad Shah's ears, and remarking "When you become a king, this will remind you of me". Nader Shah also requested that Ahmad Shah be generous with his descendants.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=300}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=19}} Nejatie is skeptical of the account.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=302}}
In 1744, Ahmad Shah was promoted to a personal staff of Nader Shah. In a [[Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746)|campaign against the Ottomans]], Ahmad Shah distinguished himself and was allowed to raise a contingent of 3–4,000 Durrani tribesmen by Nader Shah. Ahmad Shah's contingent became one of Nader Shah's most trusted, utilizing them to shatter the power of his other commanders due to his perception that they were planning to rebel or kill him.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=100}}{{sfn|Barfield|2022|p=98}}
===Death of Nader Shah===
In June 1747, Nader Shah was convinced that his [[royal guard|personal guard]] intended to [[assassinate]] him. As a result, he summoned Ahmad Shah and other loyal commanders. Nader Shah ordered Ahmad Shah to assemble his [[Durrani]] regiments, and to arrest his personal guard. If the personal guard resisted, Ahmad Shah was given permission to kill them all. He was ordered to do this at first light. Nader Shah then chose to sleep with his favorite wife, but did so outside the royal tent, where the same guards he accused of treachery presumed [[Patrol|night duty]], while Ahmad Shah with his regiments were established at the defenses of the camp.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=102}}
News of Nader Shah's plan leaked, with the conspirators being forced to act. Four conspirators entered the royal enclosure and entered Nader Shah's tent, assassinating him.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=102-103}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=21-22}} Chaos ensued following the assassination, and plans to coverup by the conspirators failed. They resorted to pillaging the royal enclosure while news of Nader Shah's death rapidly spread. The next morning, the royal guard attacked Ahmad Shah's forces, who despite being heavily outnumbered, drove the Persians and [[Qizilbash]] off. Ahmad Shah then entered the tent of Nader Shah, taking the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond and a signet ring from his body.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=103}}{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=305-306}}
==Return to Kandahar==
Having driven off the Persians and Qizilbash, Ahmad Shah departed for Kandahar with his regiments, and his [[Maimana Khanate|Uzbek ally]], Hajji Bi Ming. Ahmad Shah first settled the dispute of leadership, asserting himself as the leader of Durrani tribesmen by forcing the former leader to step down. Ahmad Shah also killed 'Abd al-Ghani Khan, his uncle and the governor of [[Kandahar]] to secure complete power over the Durrani regiments. With the dispute over leadership concluded, Ahmad Shah's forces grew to 6,000 Afghans.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=105}}
Following this, Ahmad Shah moved through [[Khabushan]], advancing to [[Kashmar]]. While on-route, Ahmad Shah accumulated supplies for his army and proceeded toward [[Torbat-e Heydarieh]], where they received news that [[Adel Shah]] had sent a force to halt the Afghans. As a result, Ahmad Shah led his forces to [[Ferdows|Tun]] and then [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]], where they defeated an army sent by Adel Shah. With Farah under his control, the Afghans proceeded to [[Grishk]], and then Kandahar.{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=306}}{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=105}}
While on-route to Kandahar, Ahmad Shah recovered a military convoy that contained the annual tribute from [[Sindh]]. The value of the treasure is disputed, but it's given within an estimate of 3,000,000–260,000,000 rupees. The convoy was escorted by [[Mohammad Taqi Khan Shirazi]], a disgruntled former officer of Nader Shah, and Nasir Khan, the governor of [[Kabul]] and [[Peshawar]]. Taqi Khan joined Ahmad Shah and divided the wealth, while Nasir Khan refused and was imprisoned. Later, he was ransomed on the conditions of an annual tribute of 500,000 rupees, and that he would enter Ahmad Shah's suzerainty. The army of Ahmad Shah grew to over 18,000 men, also including [[war elephants]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=106-107}}{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=307}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=32}}
===Accession and coronation===
[[File:Coronation of Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747 by Breshna.jpg|thumb|Legendary [[coronation]] of Ahmad Shah Durrani by [[Durrani|Abdali]] chiefs at [[Kandahar]] in 1747]]
Upon reaching Kandahar, Ahmad Shah established camp in [[Naderabad, Kandahar|Naderabad]] and prepared to be crowned as King. According to legend, Ahmad Shah declared a [[Jirga]], summoning all [[Pashtun tribes|tribal leaders]] who unanimously selected Ahmad Shah as king. A piece of wheat or barley was then placed on Ahmad Shah's turban.{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=24-27}} [[Ganda Singh (historian)|Singh]] cites this account, despite there being no contemporary evidence to suggest this occurred.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=106}}
In reality, Ahmad Shah was brought to power through a nine man military council. Ahmad Shah's accession was further disputed by Jamal Khan, the leader of the [[Barakzai]] tribe. The Barakzai were the most powerful clan of the Durranis centered in the [[Kandahar Province|Kandahar]] and [[Helmand Province|Helmand]] regions. The dispute over accession continued until an agreement was made where Jamal Khan would submit to Ahmad Shah as king, while Ahmad Shah would make Jamal Khan and his descendants [[Vizier|Wazir]]. With an agreement reached, Sabir Shah, Ahmad Shah's advisor, took a piece of greenery or stalk and attached it to Ahmad Shah's cap, officially crowning him. Scholars state that Ahmad Shah's rise to power was effectively a military [[coup]], rather than an election.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=107-113}}
Following his accession, Ahmad Shah adopted the epithet "Durr-i Durrān", meaning "Pearl of Pearls", also changing his tribes name from Abdali to [[Durrani]].{{sfn|Nejatie|2017|p=334}}{{sfn|Mehta|2005|p=248}}{{sfn|Barfield|2022|p=98}}
==Reign as Shah (1747–1772)==
===Administration===
At the beginning of his rule, Ahmad Shah's [[Durrani Empire|empire]] consisted of [[Kandahar Province|Kandahar]], [[Helmand Province|Helmand]], and [[Farah Province|Farah]]. The [[Hazaras]] of the [[Bala Murghab]] and [[Nasir Khan I Ahmadzai|Nasir Khan I]] of [[Khanate of Kalat|Kalat]] also rested under Afghan suzerainty.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=115}}
However, Ahmad Shah had no administrative experience, nor did much of his closest advisors. As a result, he chose to adopt a government style similar to the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] and [[Safavid Iran|Safavids]], with his main idea of a government based off an [[absolute monarchy]]. A tribal council ruled in hand with Ahmad Shah as well, serving as a form of [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. However, Ahmad Shah had made the positions of his cabinet [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditary]], thus making it difficult to dismiss advisors without causing conflict. Their roles, however, were mostly purely [[de-jure]], and tasks were delegated to subordinates.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=116-117}}
The civil service of the empire was dominated by the [[Afghan Qizilbash|Qizilbash]], as most of the Durrani elite were [[Literacy|illiterate]]. The Qizilbash also significantly formed the major port of Ahmad Shah's [[royal guard|bodyguard]],{{sfn|Noelle-Karimi|1997|p=25}} counterbalancing other Durrani leaders and tribes. The complications and effectively divided government made the administration difficult to function, and caused ethnic tension between the Qizilbash and tribal council of Ahmad Shah.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=117}}
Further complications erupted in Ahmad Shah's administration over exempting his own tribe from taxation. Other Afghan tribes and ethnicities were discontent from such, as they were also devoid of being allowed to serve in the administration of the empire. This was further exasperated by Ahmad Shah when he gave the right of [[Tax revenue|revenue collection]] to the highest bidder. The victors of these auctions, typically members of Ahmad Shah's own tribe, were completely free in taxing as much as they wished. While members of the Durrani tribe rapidly became rich, some landholders were forced into complete debt, forcing many to sell their lands or flee the kingdom, likely being bought up by the Durranis who had driven them to [[bankruptcy]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=117}}
Ahmad Shah instead focused on seeing himself as the successor of [[Nader Shah]]. Instead of establishing a capable administration, Ahmad Shah focused on wars and military campaigns to supply his treasury, with any downturns easily being covered by the treasures of war. Throughout his reign, he rarely spent his time in [[Kandahar]], the capital of his empire,{{sfn|Balland|1995}} and instead pursued military campaigns, returning only to restore stability after conflict. By the end of his reign, Ahmad Shah committed to over fifteen military campaigns, Nine of them being centered in India, three in [[Khorasan province|Khorasan]], and three in [[Afghan Turkestan]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=117-118}}
==Military campaigns==
===Campaign to Kabul (1747)===
Weeks after Ahmad Shah's accession, Nasir Khan, the governor of [[Kabul]], [[Ghazni]], and [[Peshawar]] [[Rebellion|revolted]] against him. Ahmad Shah previously imprisoned Nasir Khan and ransomed him for an annual tribute of 500,000 rupees, and while Nasir Khan was attempting to raise this amount, the [[Ghilzai]] tribes refused to pay their taxes toward the [[Durrani Empire|Durranis]], and only wished to do so to their [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] sovereign, [[Muhammad Shah]]. With a growing Ghilzai revolt, Nasir Khan declared his independence from Durrani suzerainty and began raising an army of [[Uzbeks]] and [[Hazaras]], while also frantically asking Muhammad Shah for aid.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=118}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=36-37}}
In [[Autumn]] of 1747, Ahmad Shah began his campaign against Nasir Khan. Appointing his nephew Luqman Khan as the [[regent]] in [[Kandahar]] while he left on campaign, Ahmad Shah marched his army toward [[Ghazni]] only to be halted at [[Qalati Ghilji]] by his former allies, the [[Tokhi|Tokhi Ghilzai]]. Ahmad Shah stormed the fortress of Qalat, bringing the Tokhis to submission and annexing their lands over the following decades.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=118}} Ahmad Shah continued to Ghazni, defeating the governor established there and conquering it with little opposition.{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=36-37}}{{sfn|Jr|2015|p=261}}
Before advancing on Kabul, Ahmad Shah garnered the support of the [[Suleimankhel]] tribes in the region, while [[Mohammad Taqi Khan Shirazi|Taqi Khan]] managed to procure the defection of the [[Afghan Qizilbash|Qizilbash]] garrison in Kabul, so that once the Afghan army would arrive, they'd hand over the city. The acceptance of these terms forced Nasir Khan to flee to Peshawar, and when Ahmad Shah arrived at Kabul in October 1747, the Qizilbash handed over the [[Bala Hissar, Kabul|Bala Hissar]] fortress. Ahmad Shah awarded the Qizilbash by giving them districts in [[Chindawol]] and [[Murad Khani]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=118}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=37}}{{sfn|Noelle-Karimi|1997|p=111}}
===First invasion of India (1747–1748)===
{{main|Battle of Lahore (1748)|Battle of Manupur}}
With Kabul under his control, Ahmad Shah dispatched his [[Commander-in-chief]], Jahan Khan, toward Peshawar with the intention of advancing as far as [[Attock]]. Jahan Khan quickly overran [[Jalalabad]], and Nasir Khan was unable to create a significant defense at the [[Khyber Pass]], forcing him to flee. The Afghan armies approached Peshawar, prompting many [[Pashtun tribes]] to declare for them, such as the [[Yusufzai]], [[Afridi]], and [[Khattak]]. With Nasir Khan overwhelmed, he completely withdrew from Peshawar and fled to Delhi.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=119}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1964|p=127}}
Shah Nawaz Khan, the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[governor]] of the [[Punjab]], opened correspondence with the Afghans after they had seized Peshawar. Shah Nawaz, having toppled his brother from power to assume control over the Punjab itself, was opposed by the [[List of emperors of the Mughal Empire|Mughal emperor]] [[Muhammad Shah]], who refused to recognize him as governor. As a result, the Afghans promised Shah Nawaz the position of governor of the Punjab if he accepted Durrani suzerainty. Shah Nawaz accepted this before the Mughal [[Grand vizier|vizier]] promised to confirm him as governor if he opposed the Afghan invasion instead, which Shah Nawaz accepted.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=119-120}}{{sfn|Gupta|1978|p=83}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=42-43}}
The betrayal saw Ahmad Shah dispatch Sabir Shah to try and convince Shah Nawaz once again. However, after diplomatically insulting Shah Nawaz, Sabir Shah was imprisoned and executed, and Shah Nawaz began marching against the Afghan army.{{sfn|Mehta|2005|p=250}}{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=120}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1964|p=128}} Ahmad Shah crossed the [[Ravi River]] on 10 January, and established himself at the [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalimar Gardens]], outside of [[Lahore]]. The armies of Shah Nawaz and Ahmad Shah [[Battle of Lahore (1748)|began battle]] on 11 January, and as the battle began, the Afghan regiments of Shah Nawaz's army defected. Despite commanding a much larger army then the Afghans, the Mughals were utterly defeated, and Shah Nawaz fled to [[Delhi]].{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=120-121}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1964|p=129}}{{sfn|Gupta|1978|p=84}}
With the defeat of the Mughals, the Afghans entered [[Lahore]], plundering and massacring the city. Thousands were also conscripted into the Afghan army, while the Mughals began mobilizing a larger army. Ahmad Shah left Lahore on 19 February with his army, beginning to advance on [[Delhi]]. The Afghans captured [[Sirhind-Fategarh|Sirhind]] and pressed the advance, outmaneuvering Mughal forces until they were caught at [[Battle of Manupur (1748)|Manupur]], where they battled. The Afghan army pressed the attack until a catastrophe occurred in the form that the ammunition stores of the Afghan army caught fire and exploded, incinerating 1,000 men, and forcing a complete withdrawal from the battlefield.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=121-122}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1964|p=130-142}}{{sfn|Gupta|1978|p=85-86}} The Mughals did not pursue the Afghan army due to the death of Mughal emperor [[Muhammad Shah]], and turmoil in the camp.{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=67-70}}
Withdrawing to Lahore, Ahmad Shah became aware that his nephew, Luqman Khan, who had been left as regent in [[Kandahar]] while he embarked on campaign, had revolted. Ahmad Shah immediately returned to [[Afghanistan]], and marched on Kandahar. The revolt was quickly quelled, and Ahmad Shah spent the summer of 1748 preparing for his second invasion of India.{{sfn|Lee|2022|p=122}}{{sfn|Singh|1959|p=68-72}}{{sfn|Sarkar|1964|p=143}}
===Second invasion of India (1748–1749)===
===First Khorasan campaign (1749–1751)===
===Third invasion of India (1751–1752)===
{{main|Battle of Lahore (1752)}}
===Second Khorasan campaign (1754–1755)===
{{main|Durrani Campaign to Khorasan (1754–55)}}
===Fourth invasion of India (1756–1757)===
{{main|Sack of Delhi (1757)}}
===Fifth invasion of India (1759–1761)===
{{main|Third Battle of Panipat}}
===Sixth invasion of India (1762)===
{{main|Battle of Kup}}
===Seventh invasion of India (1764–1765)===
===Eighth invasion of India (1766–1767)===
===Final invasion of India (1768–1769)===
===Third Khorasan campaign (1770)===
===Turkestan campaigns===
{{sfn|Noelle-Karimi|2014|p=113-114}} {{sfn|Lee|1996}}
==Poetry==
Durrani wrote a collection of [[ode]]s in his native Pashto. He was also the author of several poems in Persian. One of his most famous Pashto poems was ''Love of a Nation'':<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afghan-web.com/culture/poetry/poems.html#|title=Ahmad Shah Durrani (Pashto Poet)|work=Abdullah Qazi|publisher=Afghanistan Online|access-date=23 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100908224421/http://www.afghan-web.com/culture/poetry/poems.html|archive-date=8 September 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/8.1/features/kim/kim.htm|title=A Profile of Afghanistan – Ahmad Shah Durrani (Pashto Poet)|work=Kimberly Kim|publisher=[[Mine Action Information Center]]|access-date=23 September 2010|archive-date=22 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522212212/http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/8.1/features/kim/kim.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tF8D2jWMunwC |title=Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story |isbn=9781596919976 |last1=Akbar |first1=Said Hyder |date=December 2008 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |access-date=29 January 2023 |archive-date=17 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017095254/https://books.google.com/books?id=tF8D2jWMunwC |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{blockquote|<poem>
{{lang|ps|ستا د عشق له وينو ډک سول ځيګرونه}}
''By blood, we are immersed in love of you''
{{lang|ps|ستا په لاره کښې بايلي زلمي سرونه}}
''The youth lose their heads for your sake''
{{lang|ps|تا ته راسمه زړګی زما فارغ سي}}
''I come to you and my heart finds rest''
{{lang|ps|بې له تا مې اندېښنې د زړه مارونه}}
''Away from you, grief clings to my heart like a snake''
{{lang|ps|که هر څو مې د دنيا ملکونه ډېر سي}}
''Whatever countries I conquer in the world,''
{{lang|ps|زما به هېر نه سي دا ستا ښکلي باغونه}}
''I will never forget your beautiful gardens''
{{lang|ps|د ډیلي تخت هېرومه چې را ياد کړم}}
''I forget the throne of Delhi when I remember,''
{{lang|ps|زما د ښکلي پښتونخوا د غرو سرونه}}
''The mountain tops of my beautiful [[Pashtunistan|Pashtunkhwa]]''
{{lang|ps|د فريد او د حميد دور به بيا سي}}
''The eras of [[Sher Shah Suri|Farid]] [Sher Shah Suri] and [[Hamid Khan Lodi|Hamid]] [Lodi] will return,''
{{lang|ps|چې زه وکاندم پر هر لوري تاختونه}}
''When I launch attacks on all sides''
{{lang|ps|که تمامه دنيا يو خوا ته بل خوا يې}}
''If I must choose between the world and you,''
{{lang|ps|زما خوښ دي ستا خالي تش ډګرونه}}
''I shall not hesitate to claim your barren deserts as my own''</poem>}}
== In popular culture ==
* In the 1994 television series ''[[The Great Maratha]]'', the character of Ahmad Shah Durrani is portrayed by [[Bob Christo]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-03-06 |title=Mr Christos Mojo |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/mr-christo-s-mojo/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>
* In the 2019 [[Bollywood]] war drama [[Panipat (film)|Panipat]] film, Ahmad Shah Durrani appears as the main antagonist who invades the [[Maratha Empire]], and is portrayed by [[Sanjay Dutt]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ashutosh Gowariker’s period drama ‘Panipat’ first poster is out |url=https://connectgujarat.com/ashutosh-gowarikers-period-drama-panipat-first-poster-is-out/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=connectgujarat.com |language=en}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[List of monarchs of Afghanistan]]
== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|23em}}
=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{Cite book |last=Barfield |first=Thomas |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Afghanistan/4VR0EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History, Second Edition |date=2022-12-06 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-23856-2 |language=en}}
*{{Cite book|title=Ahmad Shah Durrani: Father of Modern Afghanistan|last1=Singh|first1=Ganḍā|year=1959|publisher=Asia Publishing House|isbn=978-1-4021-7278-6|page=457|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.5426|access-date=25 August 2010}}
*{{Cite book|title=The history of Afghanistan|last1=Runion|first1=Meredith L.|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-33798-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aZk9XzqCFGUC&pg=PA71|access-date=23 September 2010}}
*{{Cite book |last=Mehta |first=Jaswant Lal |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Advanced_Study_in_the_History_of_Modern/d1wUgKKzawoC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813 |date=2005-01-01 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |isbn=978-1-932705-54-6 |language=en}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |title=DORRĀNĪ |last1=Balland |first1=Daniel|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dorrani-1 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |access-date=13 November 2024 |publication-date=15 December 1995|archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009110503/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dorrani-1 |url-status=live }}
*{{Cite book |last=Chaurasia |first=Radhey Shyam |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/History_of_Medieval_India/8XnaL7zPXPUC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=History of Medieval India: From 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. |date=2002 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-269-0123-4 |language=en}}
*{{cite thesis|last=Nejatie|first=Sajjad|title=The Pearl of Pearls: The Abdālī-Durrānī Confederacy and Its Transformation under Aḥmad Shāh, Durr-i Durrān|type=PhD|year=2017|page=293|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/80750|publisher=University of Toronto|access-date=26 September 2019|archive-date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204000043/https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/80750|url-status=live}}
*{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Jonathan L. |url=https://books.google.ca/books/about/Afghanistan.html?id=asR9DwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y |title=Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present |date=2022-03-08 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-78914-019-4 |language=en}}
*{{Cite book |last=Noelle-Karimi |first=Christine |url=https://books.google.ca/books/about/State_and_Tribe_in_Nineteenth_century_Af.html?id=Mf2cvE5jYrYC&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y |title=State and Tribe in Nineteenth-century Afghanistan: The Reign of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan (1826-1863)|date=1997 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-7007-0629-7 |language=en}}
*{{Cite book |last=Jr |first=Everett Jenkins |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Muslim_Diaspora_Volume_2_1500_1799/kSYkCQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=The Muslim Diaspora (Volume 2, 1500-1799): A Comprehensive Chronology of the Spread of Islam in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas |date=2015-05-07 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0889-1 |language=en}}
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*{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=Hari Ram |url=https://books.google.ca/books/about/History_of_the_Sikhs_Evolution_of_Sikh_c.html?id=ZxJDAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=History of the Sikhs: Evolution of Sikh confederacies, 1708-1769 |date=1978 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Noelle-Karimi |first=Christine |url=https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_Pearl_in_Its_Midst.html?id=Kdl9oAEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y |title=The Pearl in Its Midst: Herat and the Mapping of Khurasan (15th-19th Centuries) |date=2014 |publisher=Austrian Academy of Sciences Press |isbn=978-3-7001-7202-4 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Jonathan L. |url=https://books.google.ca/books/about/The_ancient_Supremacy.html?id=We1tAAAAMAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y |title=The "ancient Supremacy": Bukhara, Afghanistan, and the Battle for Balkh, 1731-1901 |date=1996 |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-90-04-10399-3 |language=en}}
{{refend}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=Position established}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of monarchs of Afghanistan|Emir of Afghanistan]]|years=1747–1772}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Timur Shah Durrani]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Monarchs of Afghanistan}}
{{Durrani dynasty}}
{{Pashtun}}
{{Peshawar}}
{{Subject bar|Biography|Royalty|History|d=1|auto=1}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durrani, Ahmad Shah}}
[[Category:1720s births]]
[[Category:1772 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Afghan monarchs]]
[[Category:Emirs of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Durrani dynasty|Ahmad Shah]]
[[Category:18th-century Afghan poets]]
[[Category:Afsharid generals]]
[[Category:Pashtun people]]
[[Category:Pashto-language poets]]
[[Category:People from Herat]]
[[Category:People from Kandahar]]
[[Category:People from Multan]]
[[Category:Afghan Muslims]]
[[Category:18th-century monarchs in Asia]]