Abdur Rahman Khan

Names
	Abdur Rahman Khan

Abdur Rahman Khan
Abdur Rahman Khan
Amir; Ziya'al-Milat wa al-Din
	Abdur Rahman Khan in 1897
Amir of Afghanistan
Reign	31 May 1880 – 1 October 1901
Predecessor	Ayub Khan
Successor	Habibullah Khan
Born	1840–1844; Kabul, Afghanistan
Died	1 October 1901 (aged c. 56–61); Kabul, Afghanistan
Burial	1901; Palace at Zarnegar Park, Kabul, Afghanistan
Spouse	Babo Jan
Names
Names
	Abdur Rahman Khan
Dynasty	Barakzai dynasty
Father	Mohammad Afzal Khan

Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI (Pashto/Dari: عبدالرحمن خان) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) also known by his epithets, The Iron Amir,^[1]^[2] was Amir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901.^[3] He is known for uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Agreement with British India.^[4]

Abdur Rahman Khan was the one and only son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty. Abdur Rahman Khan re-established the writ of the Afghan government after the disarray that followed the second Anglo-Afghan war.^[5] He became known as The Iron Amir because his government was a military despotism. This despotism rested upon a well-appointed army and was administered through officials subservient to an inflexible will and controlled by a widespread system of espionage.^[2]

The nickname, The Iron Amir, is also associated due to his victory over a number of rebellions by various tribes who were led by his relatives.^[6] One source says that during his reign there were over 40 rebellions throughout his rule.^[7] Abdur Rahman Khan's rule was termed by one British official as a "reign of terror", as he was considered despotic and had up to 100,000 people judicially executed during his 21 years as Emir.^[8] Thousands more starved to death, caught deadly diseases and died, were massacred by his army, or were killed during his forceful migrations of tribes.^[8] However, he was perhaps the greatest military genius Afghanistan ever produced.^[8]

^ Tomsen, Peter (2011). The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers. PublicAffairs. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-5864-8781-2. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ ^a ^b Chisholm 1911, p. 38.
^ However, his year of birth is given as 1830 in Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 2
^ Cite error: The named reference thediplomat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Omrani, Bijan (July 2007). "Afghanistan and the Search for Unity". Asian Affairs. 38 (2): 145–157. doi:10.1080/03068370701349086. S2CID 162273503. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
^ "ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Khān". Retrieved 15 July 2013.
^ Kakar, M. Hasan (2006). A Political and Diplomatic History of Afghanistan, 1863–1901. Brill. p. 10. ISBN 978-90-04-15185-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lee, Jonathan L. (1 January 1996). The "Ancient Supremacy": Bukhara, Afghanistan and the Battle for Balkh, 1731–1901. BRILL. pp. xxvi. ISBN 978-90-04-10399-3.

[1] Tomsen, Peter (2011). The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers. PublicAffairs. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-5864-8781-2. Retrieved 15 July 2013.

[FOOTNOTEChisholm191138-2] Chisholm 1911, p. 38.

[3] However, his year of birth is given as 1830 in Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 2

[thediplomat-4] Cite error: The named reference thediplomat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Bijan_Omrani-5] Omrani, Bijan (July 2007). "Afghanistan and the Search for Unity". Asian Affairs. 38 (2): 145–157. doi:10.1080/03068370701349086. S2CID 162273503. Retrieved 18 September 2022.

[Britannica-6] "ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Khān". Retrieved 15 July 2013.

[7] Kakar, M. Hasan (2006). A Political and Diplomatic History of Afghanistan, 1863–1901. Brill. p. 10. ISBN 978-90-04-15185-7.

[:0-8] Lee, Jonathan L. (1 January 1996). The "Ancient Supremacy": Bukhara, Afghanistan and the Battle for Balkh, 1731–1901. BRILL. pp. xxvi. ISBN 978-90-04-10399-3.

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