Sher Ali Khan

Sher Ali Khan
Emir of Afghanistan
Amir Sher Ali Khan in 1869
Emir of Afghanistan
Reign	Barakzai dynasty: 1863 – 1879
Predecessor	Dost Mohammad Khan
Successor	Mohammad Afzal Khan
Born	1825 Kabul, Afghanistan
Died	February 21, 1879 Kabul, Afghanistan
Burial	Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Full name Sher Ali Khan Barakzai
Dynasty	Barakzai dynasty
Father	Dost Mohammed Khan
Mother	Bibi Khadija[1]
Religion	Shia Islam

Sher Ali Khan (Pashto: شير علي خان ‎)(c. 1825 – February 21, 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was the third son of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai Dynasty in Afghanistan.

Sher Ali Khan initially seized power when his father died, but was quickly ousted by his older brother, Mohammad Afzal Khan. Internecine warfare followed until Sher Ali defeated his brother and regained the title of Emir. His rule was hindered by pressure from both Britain and Russia, though Sher Ali attempted to keep Afghanistan neutral during their conflict. In 1878, the neutrality fell apart and the Second Anglo-Afghan War erupted. As British forces marched on Kabul, Sher Ali Khan decided to leave Kabul to seek political asylum in Russia. He died in Mazar-e Sharif, leaving the throne to his son Mohammad Yaqub Khan.^[2]

Sher Ali was closely affiliated to the modern-day region of Potohar in Pakistan. He married one of his daughters to a prominent tribal chief of the Gakhars, Khan Bahadur Raja Jahandad Khan. After independence, the Gakhars tribe became part of Pakistan.

See also

• List of leaders of Afghanistan
• The Great Game

References

1. Vogelsang, Willem (2002). "16-War with Britain". The Afghans. LONDON: Willey-Blackwell, John Willey & SOns, Ltd, UK. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4051-8243-0.
2. Dupree: Amir Sher Ali Khan

External links

• Profile: Amir Sher Ali Khan