Ahmad Shah Durrani

Ahmad Shah Durrani (b. c. 1722; d. 1772; r. 1747–72) was the first ruler of the Durrani empire and is considered the founder of modern-day Afghanistan. A member of the Sadozai clan, he was a hereditary leader of the Abdali tribe and commanded Abdali troops in the army of the Persian ruler Nadir Shah during 1736–47. Following Nadir Shah’s assassination in 1747, he took over sovereign leadership with the support of other Afghan clan chiefs, also taking the royal insignia and the coveted Koh-i-Noor diamond from his predecessor. Having christened himself Shah Durr-i-Durran — ‘King, Pearl of Pearls’ — he went on to establish a kingdom that encompassed present-day Afghanistan and parts of modern-day Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and India, with its capital at Kandahar — where he was finally entombed. His manner of governance drew inspiration from Safavid and Mughal models.