At the beginning of the 16th century, Babur, who could trace his ancestry back to both Genghis
Khan and Tamerlane, founded the Moghul dynasty in India, to which vast parts of Afghanistan also belonged. The Moghul dynasty
remained in power until 1709.
1709-1730 The downfall of the Moghul empire and the weakening of the Persian Safawids makes it possible for
a capable tribal leader of the Pashtun Mir Wais Hotaki to found a small national kingdom with its capital at Kandahar, which
was able to push its western boundary as far as Isfahan in Persia. In 1729 the Pashtuns were driven out by the Safawid general
Nadir Shah, who was murdered in 1747.
1747-1773 Ahmad Shah Darrani established the independent kingdom of Afghanistan. In 1747 he crossed the Indus
river in todays Pakistan, occupied the Punjab and the province of Multan, and pressed on to Delhi.
This meant that his empire not only comprised Afghanistan within its modern borders, but also parts of eastern
Persia, India and Kashmir. But his successors were unable to hold on to the conquered areas.
1836-1863 Dost Mohammad becomes Emir of Afghanistan. During his time, the British were attempting to stabilize
the North West Frontier of India which, because of Tsarist Russias advance, appeared to endanger British interests. In 1838
the first Anglo-Afghan war broke out which, although it brought victory for the British, was quickly followed a year later
by unrest in Kabul, which built up to open outrage in 1841.
In 1842 the British were forced to leave the country, with a promise of safe conduct. The guarantee was not
fulfilled. Of six thousand British troops who left Kabul on foot, only barely one hundred reached Jalalabad. All the others
fell victim to the vengeful Afghans in the mountains around the Lataband pass. After this terrible defeat a British punishment
force was sent to Kabul, which destroyed the city.
1878 was the year when the second Anglo-Afghan war began. It ended in 1879, with the signing of the Gandomak
treaty which guaranteed Britain the right to keep a permanent mission in Kabul. In fact this mission was butchered within
a few months during a revolt.
1880-1901 With Abdul-Rahman,an intelligent politician ascended the throne who ruled his country with a rod
of iron. Nevertheless he was unable to prevent the British making Afghanistan into a buffer state. The still contested drawing
of the border the so-called Durand Line which cut the tribal land of the Pashtun into two was undertaken during his reign.
Abdul-Rahmans successor from 1901-1919 was his son Habibullah and he managed to maintain independence from
the British. In the country he carried out important reforms, which helped to prepare Afghanistan for independence.
