Timeline of Afghanistan

Chronology

53 events spanning the history of Afghanistan. BCE/CE dating.

1. 1747 – 1773

   Rule of Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani).

   Rule of Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani). Ahmad Shah consolidates and enlarges Afghanistan. He defeats the Moghuls in the west of the Indus, and he takes Herat away from the Persians. Ahmad Shah Durrani’s empire extended from Central Asia to Delhi, from Kashmir to the Arabian sea. It became the greatest Muslim empire in the second half of the 18th century.

2. 1773 – 1793

   Rule of Timur Shah Capital of Afghanistan transferred from Kandahar to Kabul.

   Rule of Timur Shah Capital of Afghanistan transferred from Kandahar to Kabul because of tribal opposition. Constant internal revolts

3. 1801 – 1803

   Rule of Mahmood. Constant internal revolts.

   Rule of Mahmood. Constant internal revolts.

4. 1803 – 1809

   Rule of Shah Shujah (1805) Persian attack on Herat fails. Internal fighting.

   Rule of Shah Shujah (1805) Persian attack on Herat fails. Internal fighting.

5. 1819 – 1826

   Sons of Timur Shah struggle for the throne; Civil War.

   Sons of Timur Shah struggle for the throne; Civil War. Afghans lose Sind permanently.

6. 1826

   Dost Mohammad Khan takes Kabul, and establishes control.

   Dost Mohammad Khan takes Kabul, and establishes control.

7. 1832 – 1833

   Persia moves into Khurasan (province), and threatens Herat.

   Persia moves into Khurasan (province), and threatens Herat. Afghans defend Herat successfully.

8. 1834

   Afghans lose Peshawar to the Sikhs.

   Afghans lose Peshawar to the Sikhs; later they crushed the Sikhs under the leadership of Akbar Khan who defeated the Sikhs near Jamrud, and killed the great Sikh general Hari Singh. However, they failed to retake Peshawar due to disunity and bad judgment on the part of Dost Mohammad Khan.

9. 1836

   Dost Mohammad Khan is proclaimed as Amir al-mu’ minin (commander of the faithful).

   Dost Mohammad Khan is proclaimed as Amir al-mu’ minin (commander of the faithful). He was well on the road toward reunifying the whole of Afghanistan when the British, in collaboration with an ex-king (Shah Shuja), invade Afghanistan.

10. 1842

    One survivor, of mixed British-Indian garrison, reaches the fort in Jalalabad.

    Out of 16,500 soldiers (and 12,000 dependents) only one survivor, of mixed British-Indian garrison, reaches the fort in Jalalabad, on a stumbling pony.