The Kingdom of Afghanistan: a Historical Sketch George Passman Tate
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University of Nebraska Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Books in English Digitized Books 1-1-1911 The kingdom of Afghanistan: a historical sketch George Passman Tate Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/afghanuno Part of the History Commons, and the International and Area Studies Commons Recommended Citation Tate, George Passman The kingdom of Afghanistan: a historical sketch, with an introductory note by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand. Bombay: "Times of India" Offices, 1911. 224 p., maps This Monograph is brought to you for free and open access by the Digitized Books at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books in English by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tate, G,P. The kfn&ean sf Af&mistan, DATE DUE I Mil 7 (7'8 DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, HIS EXCELLENCY BARON HARDINGE OF PENSHURST. VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA, .a- . (/. BY m HIS OBEDIENT, SERVANT THE AUTHOR. il.IEmtev 01 the Asiniic Society, Be?zg-nl, S?~rueyof I~din. dafhor of 'I Seisinqz : A Menzoir on the FJisio~y,Topo~rcrphj~, A7zliquiiies, (112d Peo$Ie of the Cozi?zt~y''; The F/.o?zlic7,.~ of Baluchisia'nn : Travels on ihe Border.? of Pe~szk n?zd Akhnnistnn " ; " ICalnf : A lMe??zoir on t7ze Cozl7~try and Fnrrzily of the Ahntadsai Khn7zs of Iinlnt" ; 4 ec. \ViTkI AN INrPR<dl>kJCTOl2Y NO'FE PRINTED BY BENNETT COLEMAN & Co., Xc. PUBLISHED AT THE " TIMES OF INDIA" OFFTCES, BOMBAY & C.1LCUTT-4, LONDON AGENCY : gg, SI-IOE LANE, E.C. INTRODUCTION. HAVE been aslred to write a short introduction to this boolr, and have much pleasure in doing so. Afghanistan is a country which should be of interest to e thinking Englishmen, for its history during the last hun- dred years has been closely bound LIP with the history of our Indian Empire ; and wllatever inay be the course of future events in Asia, the Afghan tribes, with their warlike character and rugged territory, will always have an important part to play. Having seen something of them, in peace and in war, and learned to admire their many fine qualities, I hope that they may long retain ihe indcpendence to which they are so passionately attached, ancl that our future relatioils wit11 thein may become more and more friendly. However this may be, it is very clesir- able that ilnglisl~rnenshould lino\v as much as possible &out them ancl their past. Mr. Tate has many special qualifications for tk~vorlr 11e has undertalcen. I-Iis long service on the North-West Frontier, and his evident sympathy with the people among whom he has spent so much of his life, must make what he writes valuable to all students of Afghan affairs, The boolr colltai~lshere and there passages in which I do not entirely agree ; but this is inevitable in all such cases. Mr. Tate l~ascertainly brought to his worlr not only lr~lowledgeancl synl- pathy but much care and research. A boolr of the kiild is really wanted, and I hope it niay meet with the attention it deserves. H. M. DURAND. PREFACE. URING a period of many years of service on the outskirts 'A,- e of Afghanistan, I was brought into contact with all classe4 of the inhabitants xvllo are tlow British subjecls, alld after tllo Ghilzai and Hazarn rebellio~lsagai~lst the late Amir, tvitil ref~igeeswho had retired for a season into the districts adjoining Afghanistan. On other occasiolls also I calne into touch [vith clliefs and common follt who were the subjects of H. H.tl~e Amir. 111 thisxvay an appetite was created fob a fuller ltnowlzdge of that country and the people, which was sharpened by the fact that it was i~llpossibleto enter the country. I very soon found that, besides Elphillstone's Czubool, n.11ic11, although n classic, does not satisfy modern requirements, it was uot possib!e to obtain in any one book, a general and conllected accouilt of the Afghans. In the course of time, as I had concentrated my efforts in this directio~l, I discoverect that a very great deal of valuable information call be foulld in boolts, publisb.ed but out of print, or cIi6cult to get at; and also in the \voiAlts of many oriental authol-s, the texvs of which, either manuscript or printed, call be obtained. I have venturrcl to collect between two covers and to present in a co~lilecteclform, the record of tb.e illost important incidents - in the history OF the Afghans and their relations with neigl~bou~.ing States, avoicli~lg cletails ~vhich would obscure the narrative ivithout adding to the value of the result, An exhaustive account of Afghanistan and ihe races, which are grouped under the name Afghan, could not be achieved at at1 satisfactorily, except in Inany volumes, ancl it would be a task beyond the powers of an individual author. ' The narrative will disclose the llelp,I have received fro111 117y friend, W.' Irvine, Esq., I.C.S. (retired) ; but I am constrained to matte a special ackno~vledg~~i~ntfor the enco~iragementI have reEbived from m him, and also for a very great deal of active ancl effectiva assistance in prosecuting my researches in this direction ; and lastly for the labour he has voluntarily u~ldergonein aiding rile with .valuable information gleaned from sources, tvhich, but for him, would have been inaccessible to me-at any rate for some time to cuine. Any merit, which this narrative may possess, xvill be dus largely to his valuable :ind cordial assis tance. With regard to the map of Afghanistan, :~ttachedto this book, it is as well to state explicitly, that it is ii~te~~cleclto be no more than n lrey to the positions of the more important localities and places me~~tioned in the text ancl to the geographical situation of that country ~vilh raierence to the do~ni~lionsof neighbo~lring powers. Many very excellent maps of Afg.hanistan are to be f'ound in the various atlases publ~shedrecently. It woulcl not be possible to inlprove 011 those maps without malcing inroads on information ~vhichat present is ~vithheM d from ptrhlics~tion. G. P. TATE. h this ol.cIial c, it is it lrey ionecl - \vith very tl:1scs in;xps ERRATA. 1111efc1 -J- Note : for Aar read Rhine. Note : for Forwards ,read Towards. Note : 4th line from tlle bottom, for Hazar Suft read Hazar Juft. 8th line from the top, delele jnal s ir~disse~~sions. Note : 3rd line from the end,for Akat rend Alral. Note : for Mists rend Misls. 20th line from the top,for 9th August read 19th August, Note : 5th line from the end, ddlefo V afLer Shuja. Note : zncl line fr0.m the end, insert he befbre ordered, 07thline from the bottom, instead of following read flowing. 7th line from the bottom, dcllete comma afler hlidd+le. 8th line from the top, readchiefs. 19th line from the bobtom, full stop bejore Shah Shuja. 7th line from the top, for foot rend feet. 5th line from the top, delele secorrd 1 i?z collossal, 14th line from the top,for expedition read expeclitionary. Appendix IV: agrd line fro111 Lhe bottom, for Surbat read Turbal. Index : jbr Vilkerrich read Vitlrevich. 1)' merit, \vhicll this ilu:~hle :md cordial LI this hook, it is no nlore 111311 key CONTENTS, I [>~;ICL~!:t~ielltio~led tIl:tt cOii11try \vith CUAPTER I ......... ... ... ... ... Page I Situation ot Afghanistan-Espoqecl to foreign influences from the West- Population and area, distributiotl of population-The ancient and rnocleln names of the country-The mountain system : the Hindu-I<osh-Ri\sers of ~t'ghanistali-Ilifferences in elevation, and variations in the cliniate- Irriptlon, cultivation, hortici~lt~rre-Primitivecustoms with regard to tlie land-Probable area of cultivable soil in Afghanistan-Minernls and enter- 'r -* prisc of the inhabitants-The tuture of Al'ghanihtan-Coinparison with Spain. CH.4PTER II ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Page ro The races of Afghanistan : claim to Israelitish descent-Otllcr 1)robnble origins of the various tribes in that country-First mention of the Afghans in oriental history-Three principal clivisions of the population-Hazaras, Tajilrs atid Afghans-Comoiio of Afghan tribes and the character of tlie people-History of the Afghans is thc history of the Duranis and Ghilzai*. , CHAPTER 111 ..: ... ... ... ...... ... Page zo Relations with India-Ghilzai predominance-Subdued by the Tinlurides, and dispersal of the tribal organisatiotl-Dealings with heretical sects and the turbulence of their Afghan subjects-Surrender of Ilandaliat-- Rebellior~of Rllan Jahan I<han Lodi in India-Insurrection of the tribes round Pesliawar-Hostilities with the Ruler of Balkh, the campaign be- yond the Hindu Kusli Mountains-Limits of Kabul Pro~inceto the south of Ghazni-Great rising of the Afghan tribes against the Emperor Aurang- zebe-Affairs of Kabul jvershadowed by events in the Indian Peninsula- Illcreasing lawlessness of the Afghans, last visit of an Iniperial Prince to I<abul-Afghan Families of distinction in India-The Hrizi Parois-i\Ialik Jiand and Prince Dara Shekoh-Treachery of Jiand and his end-Daud IChan, his character described by the English authorities 01 Madras-I-lis lavish mode of life-The Nawabs of Kurtioo1 and Codappa-End of the fanlily-The Bangash Nawabs of Farrukh~bad,the,last of the fatni1~~-The Rulers of Bhopal-Other families of less importance. CHAPTER IV ... ... ... ,.. ... ,.. ... I'age 32 The traditions of rhe Afghans-Collected in the 18111, 19th centuries into a connected form-Story of Asadullah, and the Pi]. Alto-Malakhe, son of Muhammad, chief of the Ghilzais and Sultan Khudkai,chief of the Abdals- Desce~idantsof the latter and their I-elations with the Persian governors of Icandahar-The fatnily of &Iir Weis, tlie Ghilzai, and his appearance in the political arena-The Persian Governor of I<andahar and his relations with the Ghilzais and Duranis.