Economic °° "^"""^ of Afghanistan in the First Half of the Nineteen'^Century
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ECONOMIC °° "^"""^ OF AFGHANISTAN IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE NINETEEN'^CENTURY DISSERTATION SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY By Abdul Ali Arghandawl Under the Supervision of Professor Irfan Habib Centre of Advanced Study Department of Hjstory Alfgarh Muslim University Allgarh JULY 1976 ^P^r^ ^v^ • Ci ' '..,• k,: •D5V/5- '^ll^.y M-'!--'^ PREFACE The political history of Modem Afghanistan and particulprly of the first half of the 19th century has been often treated in modem works. British writers in particular \-fere greatly interes ted in political affairs of Afghanistan in the first half of the 19th century. The economic history of Modem Afghanistan is, however, yet to be properly studied. Of this, the beginnings lie in the earlier part of the 19th century, a period when, though still In the pre-modem epoch, Afghanistan first began to feel modem influences, through the agency of European commodities and commerce. In this dissertation an attempt has been made to gather together information on the economy of Afghanistan in the first half of the 19th century as gleaned basically from European sources of the period. It is a great pleasure to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor. Prof. Irfan Habib, Head of the Department for his guidance and help in pre paring"'this dissertation, I am also thankful to my teacher. Prof. Mir Husain Shah, Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities of the Kabul University for granting me leave to undertake studies in India, . I also wish to express my thanks to the staff of the Research Library, Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, A. M. U., and of the National Archives of India, for giving me facilities to work and consult books. Lastly, I am thankful to the Indian Council of Historical Research for granting me a fellov;ship wh: ch enabled me to complete this dissertation. Aligarh. Abdul All Arghandawi. CONTENTS Page Preface. Introduction 1 I Geography lO II Historical Background 15 III Agriculture 22 Crops Method of cultivation Means of cultivation and Irrigation IV Pastoral Economy 42 Pastoral tribes Sheep Horse breeding Cattle V The Tribal System 57 Kafirs Hazaras Other tribes of Afghanistan VI Agrarian System 73 Land rights Land revenue VII Crafts and Manufactures 89 Textiles Mines, minerals and metallurgy VIII Transport 105 Means of transport Land routes IX Commerce 116 Inland trade Trade with India Trade with Central Asia Trade with Persia Custom and transit duties X Monetary System 137 The currencies and their values Prices XI Administration I'^S Organisation of the ruling class The Ulema and administration Revenue assignments and military charges The army XII Condition of the People 170 Peasantry Rural labour Landlords Artisans Slaves Merchants Summary and Conclusion 183-190 i STAN 1 INTRODUCTION The study of the economic history of Afghanistan is not much developed in Afghanistan. I have not been able to come across any work which deals with my siibject in English, Pashtu or Persian, European travellers and scholars have contributed much to the modern history of Afghanistan. But their chief interest has lain in geography and political history* Afghan historians have also been interested, mainly in politcal history, especially in the wars of resistance against British aggression, ^t happens, hov/ever, that much information for the economic historian of early 19th century Afghanistan was collected by European trave llers, and is to be found scattered in their diaries and rerorts. One can, therefore, say that we can establish with some definite- ness the chief features of the economy of Afghanistan at that time. The travellers who visited Afghanistan mainly in the first half of the 19th century recorded the political, social and economic condition of the people in various parts of the country. The travellers describe^the administrative system of the country. They were also greatly interested in military force of Afghanistan and wherever they went, they informed themselves about the number of soldiers, artillery and strength of the forts. Elphinstone, who was on a political mission to the court of Kaioul, visited the Afghan King Shah Shuja in 1809 in Peshawer, The main aim of Elphinstone mission to the Afghan Government was to persuade the Afghan Government not to permit Napolean Bonaparte of France to invade India via Afghanistan^ and also to encourage him to promote commerce between East India Company and Afghanistan. Slphinstone'a account of the 'Kingdom of Gaubul' is a classic description cff Afghanistan at that time. The work contains a full acount of the geography, the trioes, their culture, trade and husbandary, administration and history. The author and other members of the mission divided the task of collecting information among themselves. The compilation of geographical information was allotted to Lieutenant Macartney who was assisted by Captain Raper. The investigation into the climate, soil, produce, and husbandary were undertaken by Lieutenant IrUine, and trade and revenue by Richard Strachey, The historical account of the kingdom was worked by Robert Alexander. The government and the manners of the people were written by Elphins- tone himself. The Afghans and Indians who were in their service and the Afghans who were the residents of India supplied them v/ith considerable information. In 1810 the mission reported its information to the East India Company. Elphinstone who was the leader of mission continued his investigation. He went to many Afghans in Bombay and Poona. The other member of the mission also put their information at his disposal. In 1815 he published his work under the title of 'An account of the kingdom of Caubul'. 3 The Persian manuscript account of Fazil Khan, Safamama William Moorcraft is of great importance. His account is a work of geography. He has given the distances isetween the places that he visited. He also gives information about production, prices and cattle and also about political matters. He visited northern Afghanistan, Kabul, Jelalabad and Peshawer on his way to India. He went to Bukhara via Kashmir and Tibet. He started his journey in 1813 from India. It seems that Fazil started his journey to collect information about the routes for the benefit of the British Government. Other important visitor to Afghanistan was Moorcre^ft who was a native of Lancashire and v/as educated for the profession of a surgeon. His atter.tion v/as diverted to a'different persuit, and finally settled in London as a practiser of Veterinary Surgery. later on he was appointed to look after the East India Company cavalary's horses. In 1819 he plarmed to oo to Bukhara and pur chase horses. The East Jndia Company did not recognise him in any diplomatic capacity and even a letter of recommendation was refused r by tae Governor General, He tooi: mechandise from Calcutta and sold it for Shawl in Kashmir. Me also purchased pearls. At the end of 1019 he started his journey accompanied by George Trebeck. Moorcraft travelled to Himalian provinces of India, Kashmir Ladakh and Punjab. He visited the court of Ranjit Singh in Punjab. He then ••.-ant to Peshawer. He also visited the hilly area of 4 ::huttock on his way to Peshawer. Prom Peshawer via Jelalabad he reached Kabul. The political di stxirbances in Kabul and riva- lary between Amir Dost Mohammad I2ian and his nephew Ilabibullah did not permit him to stay on in Ka^Hil for a long period. He continued his journey t'lroujh Hajigak pass to E^anian. He was deta ined at the court of i'iurad Beg for a short period. He crossed the Oxus in Bulkh and reached Bukhara. He purchased horses in Eu'diara and returned to Eulkh after a few months. In Balkh, Moorcreift suffered from faver and died on 27fn Auoust, 1825, After a fsv/ days his friedw George Trebeck affected by the same disease died in hazar Sharif. His property and papers -rere reco vered by the native of that region. In 1836, Alexander Burnes vrant on mission to Kabul. Murad Beg, the chief of Qunduz requested him to send a doctor to cure his brother's eyes, Alexander Burnes sent Dr. Lord and Lieu tenant Wood to tlie service of Murad Beg and requested him to send him. Moorcroft's papers and book. Trie papers xvere found in Mazar Sharif and restored to Lieutenant 'Wood and Dr. Lord. They were then published. Moorcre±t's travels contains detailed information about Afghanistan, He has described political events in Afghanistan, when struggle for the throne of KajDul was going on between the sons of Payanda Klian and his grandson Habibullah Klian. Moorcraft has also given a long li>t of the revenue of the districts of Jelalabad province, "-^e describes the economic and social condi tion of northern Afghanistan and Kabul. 5 The third traveller, Arthur Conolly, started his journey in 1830 from St, Petusburg (nov; Leningrad) and reached Herat through Iran, "'a v/as at Herat vmen Kararan was the ruler of that province. He visited Qandahar under the rule or Qandahari Sirdars. Prom Qandahar he travelled to Quotta and Baluchistan and entered India. Conolly's account has valuable information regarding the agrarian conditions in the province of Herat. He has also given a long description of the political corjditions of the province of Herat ^nd Qandahar. Then we come to one of the most celebrated political agents of the time. Alexander Burnes's travels from 1831 to 1833 have been published in three volumes. These contain detailed infora- ation about Afghanistan. Bxirnes visited Punjab and Sind, He came to Kabul via Peshawer and Jelalabad. He was received at Peshawer by the nominal ruler of Peshawer, Sultan Mohammad Khan, The later recormiended him to his brothers in Kabul, In Kabul, Nawab Abdul Jabar Khan v/as his host.