Sher Ali Khan

Sher Ali Khan Barakzai (c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Emir of Afghanistan after the death of his father Dost Mohammad Khan on 9 June 1863, until his overthrow in 1866, and was restored to the throne on 8 September 1868, ruling until his death on 21 February 1879. ¹

His reign is remembered for attempts at reforming Barakzai rule, and for the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which ended his attempt to keep Afghanistan neutral between the British and Russian empires. ¹

Sher Ali Khan was born at Kabul about 1825 to Dost Mohammad Khan, a Barakzai Pashtun and founder of the Barakzai dynasty, and to Bibi Khadija Begum, a Sadozai lady of the Popalzai clan; only the year of his birth is documented, and Wikidata carries a second, stray year value of 1823, recorded in the data note and not followed. ^{1 2}

At his father's death he was recognised as heir-apparent, his father having appointed him after the earlier heirs-designate had died, and Dost Mohammad placed the turban of rulership on his head shortly before dying. ¹

He was later ousted by his older half-brother Mohammad Afzal Khan, in an inter-family rivalry driven by a succession crisis, since their father had chosen his younger son over the older; the Afghan Civil War followed, and ended after Sher Ali defeated his half-brother and regained the title of Emir in 1868. ¹

The rivalry played out again when Sher Ali made his youngest son Abdullah heir-apparent at the age of seven in 1873, over his adult half-brother Mohammad Yaqub Khan; Abdullah died of illness at twelve in 1878, a year before his father's death. ¹

Sher Ali tried to limit the power of the Barakzai sardars, appointing governors loyal to himself rather than letting his sons administer provinces, and created a council of twelve members and ministerial offices including prime minister, finance, interior, war, foreign affairs and treasury. Under his reign Afghanistan was divided into five provinces: Kabul, Herat, Afghan Turkestan, Kandahar and Farah. ¹

His changes included the introduction of the first postal service in Afghanistan and the opening of the first school, and the first attempts by an Afghan leader at promoting the Pashto language. He also modernised his armed forces, standardising uniforms and equipment, and his craftsmen at the Bala Hissar Arsenal soon produced four to five modern breechloaders each month, though poor discipline and a lack of competent officers meant the new cannon were quickly captured by the British in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. ¹

Sher Ali's rule was hindered by pressure from both the British and Russian empires, though he attempted to keep Afghanistan neutral; in 1878 he resisted British demands to accept a permanent envoy in Kabul, the British gathered their forces and marched on Kabul, and he left the capital to seek political and military aid from the Russian Empire. ¹

He died at Mazar-e Sharif on 21 February 1879, trying to reach the Russian border, leaving the throne to his son Mohammad Yaqub Khan, and was buried at the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif. Wikidata gives his place of death as Kabul; this museum follows the article's narrative and records the conflict in the data note. ^{1 2}

The article lists nine wives and six sons and six daughters; among his sons were Mohammad Yaqub Khan and Mohammad Ayub Khan, who both figure in the wars of his reign. This museum records the family only so far as understanding his reign requires. ¹

No article text names a school for him. The English article's infobox gives his religion as Sunni Islam; the Arabic article's infobox religion field is empty, and Wikidata carries no religion value. Under the museum's two-source rule the record therefore stays unknown, with the single structured attestation preserved in the data file. ^{1 3 2}

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