View source for Mohammad Zahir Shah

{{Short description|King of Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973}}
{{redirect|Zahir Shah|the Pakistani film actor|Zahir Shah (actor)|the Pakistani squash player|Zahir Shah (squash player)}}
{{distinguish|Muhammad Zahir Shah}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Mohammad Zahir Shah
| title        = [[Father of the Nation]]
| image        = Portrait of King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan in 1963.jpg
| caption      = Zahir Shah in 1963
| succession   = [[King of Afghanistan]]
| reign        = 8 November 1933 – 17 July 1973
| coronation   = 8 November 1933
| cor-type     = Installation
| predecessor  = [[Mohammad Nadir Shah]]
| successor    = ''[[1973 Afghan coup d'état|Monarchy abolished]]'' {{small|([[Mohammad Daoud Khan]] as [[President of Afghanistan]])}}
| succession1  = [[Barakzai dynasty#Heads of the House of Barakzai since 1973|Head of House of Barakzai]]
| reign1       = 17 July 1978 – 23 July 2007
| reign-type1  = Tenure
| predecessor1 = [[Mohammad Daoud Khan|Prince Daoud Khan]]<br/>{{small|(as President of Afghanistan)}}
| successor1   = [[Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan|Prince Ahmad Shah]]
| native_lang1 = Persian
| native_lang1_name1 = {{nq|محمد ظاهر شاه}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Humaira Begum]]|1931-11-07|2002-06-26|end=died}}
| issue        = [[Princess Bilqis Begum]]<br />[[Muhammed Akbar Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan|Prince Muhammed Akbar Khan]]<br />{{nobr|[[Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan|Crown Prince Ahmad Shah Khan]]}}<br />[[Princess Maryam Begum]]<br />Prince Muhammed Nadir Khan<br />Prince Shah Mahmoud Khan<br />Prince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar Khan<br />Prince Mirwais Khan
| house        = [[Barakzai dynasty|Barakzai]]
| father       = [[Mohammad Nadir Shah]]
| mother       = [[Mah Parwar Begum]]
| birth_date   = 15 October 1914<ref name="Britannica"/>
| birth_place  = [[Kabul]], Afghanistan
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2007|7|23|1914|10|16|df=y}}
| death_place  = Kabul, Afghanistan
| place of burial = Maranjan Hill, Kabul
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]
| signature    = Unterschrift von Mohammed Zahir Schah.svg
}}
'''Mohammad Zahir Shah'''{{efn|{{lrm}}({{pronunciation|En-us-Mohammed Zahir Shah from Afghanistan pronunciation (Voice of America).ogg|listen||help=no}})}} ([[Pashto]]{{efn|{{IPA|ps|mu.wa.mad̪ zɑ.jiɾ ʃɑ, mu.ham.mad̪ zɑ.hiɾ ʃɑ}}}}; [[Dari]]{{efn|{{IPA|prs|mʊ.wäm.mád̪ zɑː.jɪ́ɾ ʃɑː, mo̞.ɦäm.mád̪ zɑː.ɦɪ́ɾ ʃɑːʱ}}}}: {{nq|محمد ظاهر شاه}}, 15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last [[King of Afghanistan]], reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1573181.stm|title=Profile: Ex-king Zahir Shah|date=1 October 2001|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of [[Kingdom of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]] since the foundation of the [[Durrani Empire]] in the 18th century.

He expanded [[Afghanistan's diplomatic relations]] with many countries, including with both sides of the [[Cold War]].<ref>C-SPAN: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwq1QubdYGE Afghan King & Queen 1963 Visit to U.S. Reel America Preview] (official U.S. government video; public domain).</ref> In the 1950s, Zahir Shah began modernizing the country, culminating in the creation of a [[1964 Constitution of Afghanistan|new constitution]] and a [[constitutional monarchy]] system. Demonstrating [[nonpartisanism]],<ref name="cdlib">{{Cite web|url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7b69p12h;chunk.id=0;doc.view=print|title=Afghanistan|website=publishing.cdlib.org|accessdate=16 August 2023}}</ref> his long reign was marked by peace in the country which was lost afterwards with the onset of the [[Afghan conflict]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/23/terrorism.afghanistan1|title=Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah|first=Tim|last=Judah|newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 September 2001|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>

In 1973, while Zahir Shah was undergoing medical treatment in [[Italy]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bearak|first=Barry|date=24 July 2007|title=Mohammad Zahir Shah, Last Afghan King, Dies at 92|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/world/asia/24shah.html|access-date=1 September 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> his regime was overthrown in a [[1973 Afghan coup d'état|coup d'état]] by his cousin and former [[Prime Minister of Afghanistan|prime minister]], [[Mohammad Daoud Khan]], who established a single-party [[Republic of Afghanistan (1973–1978)|republic]], ending more than 225 years of continuous [[constitutional monarchy|monarchical]] government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unama.unmissions.org/state-funeral-afghanistan%E2%80%99s-former-president|title=State funeral for Afghanistan's former President|date=19 March 2009|website=UNAMA}}</ref> He remained in exile near [[Rome]] until 2002, returning to Afghanistan after the end of the [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Taliban government]]. He was given the title [[Father of the Nation]], which he held until his death in 2007.<ref name="Britannica">''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', [https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078202/Mohammad-Zahir-Shah "Mohammad Zahir Shah"]</ref>

==Early life==
Prince Mohammad Zahir [[Khan (title)|Khan]] was born on 15 October 1914, in a city quarter called [[Deh Afghanan]] in [[Kabul]] in the [[Emirate of Afghanistan]], into the royal [[Musahiban]] family, who belonged to the [[Mohammadzai]] clan of the [[Barakzai]] tribe of [[Pashtuns]].<ref name="Britannica"/> He was the son of [[Mohammad Nadir Shah]] (1883–1933) and [[Mah Parwar Begum]] (d. 1941). Nadir was a senior member of the Mohammadzai clan and Commander-in-Chief of the [[Royal Afghan Army]] under King [[Amanullah Khan]].

Zahir Khan was educated in a special class for princes at Elementary Primary, built in 1904 by the United Kingdom, and [[Habibia High School]], where many subjects were taught in English. For his secondary education, he went to the [[Centre d'Enseignement Français en Afghanistan|Amaniya High School]] (built during the reign of King Amanullah by France, where many subjects were taught in French. This school was renamed by Nadir Shah as [[Esteqlal High School]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wn.com/Lycee_Esteqlal|title=Lycee Esteqlal|website=World News}}</ref> after the fall of King Amanullah. Zahir Khan studied at the Infanterie Military School in the winter (school year in Kabul, 21 March to November). He was then sent to France for further training.<ref name=DTking/> He continued his education in France where his father had served as a diplomatic envoy, studying at the [[Pasteur Institute]] and the [[University of Montpellier]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nysun.com/obituaries/mohammad-zahir-shah-92-last-king-of-afghanistan/59025/|title=Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92, Last King of Afghanistan|website=The New York Sun}}</ref> When he returned to Afghanistan, he helped his father and uncles restore order and reassert government control during a period of lawlessness in the country.<ref name=Judah>{{cite news |last=Judah |first=Tim |title=Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah |work=The Observer |date=23 September 2001 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/23/terrorism.afghanistan1 |access-date=18 March 2008}}</ref> He was later enrolled at an Infantry School and appointed a privy counsellor, later serving in the government positions of deputy war minister and minister of education.<ref name=DTking/>

===Ancestry===
Zahir's father, [[Mohammad Nadir Shah]], was the son of Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan. Born in [[Dehradun]], [[British India]], Nadir's family had been exiled after the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]]. Nadir Shah was a descendant of [[Sardar]] [[Sultan Mohammed Khan|Sultan Mohammad Khan]] Telai, half-brother of Emir [[Dost Mohammad Khan]]. His grandfather Mohammad Yahya Khan (father in law of Emir Yaqub Khan) was in charge of the negotiations with the British resulting in the [[Treaty of Gandamak]]. After the British invasion after the killing of [[Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari|Sir Louis Cavagnari]] during 1879, [[Yaqub Khan]], Yahya Khan and his sons Princes Mohammad Yusuf Khan and Mohammad Asef Khan were taken captive by the British and transferred to the British Raj, where they remained forcibly until the two princes were invited back to Afghanistan by [[Emir]] [[Abdur Rahman Khan]] during the last year of his reign (1901). During the reign of Amir Habibullah they received the title of Companions of the King ([[Musahiban]]). Nadir assumed the throne after the execution of the self-proclaimed ruler of Afghanistan [[Habibullah Kalakani]] on 1 November 1929.<ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'', [https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-21408/Afghanistan "Afghanistan Mohammad Nader Shah (1929–33)"]</ref>

==Reign==
[[File:Zahir Shah of Afghanistan in 1930s-cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Studio photograph of Zahir Shah in military uniform, seated in a heavy, carved armchair (1930s)|170px]]
Zahir Khan was proclaimed king ([[shah]]) on 8 November 1933 at the age of 19, after the assassination of his father [[Mohammad Nadir Shah]]. After his ascension to the throne he was given the regnal title, ''"He who puts his trust in God, follower of the firm religion of Islam"''.<ref name=DTking>{{cite news |title=The King of Afghanistan |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=24 July 2007 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/24/db2401.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330172333/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F07%2F24%2Fdb2401.xml |archive-date=30 March 2008 |access-date=18 March 2008}}</ref> For the first 20 years, he did not effectively rule, instead ceding power to his paternal uncles, [[Mohammad Hashim Khan]] and [[Shah Mahmud Khan]], who both served as [[Prime Minister of Afghanistan|Prime Ministers]].<ref name=Chesterman>{{cite book |title=Making States Work: State Failure and the Crisis of Governance |last=Chesterman |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Chesterman |author2=Michael Ignatieff |author3=Ramesh Chandra Thakur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7EibJ74C-UC |year=2005 |publisher=United Nations University Press |isbn=92-808-1107-X |page=400}}</ref> This period fostered a growth in Afghanistan's relations with the international community as during 1934, Afghanistan joined the [[League of Nations]] while also receiving formal recognition from the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Encyclopedia of U.S. foreign relations |journal=The American Journal of International Law |last=Jentleson |first=Bruce W. |author2=Paterson, Thomas G. |year=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-511055-2 |page=24}}</ref> By the end of the 1930s, agreements on foreign assistance and trade had been reached with many countries, most notably with the [[Axis powers]] of [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]], and [[Empire of Japan|Japan]].<ref>Dupree, Louis: ''Afghanistan'', pp. 477–478. Princeton University Press, 1980 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

Zahir Shah provided aid, weapons, and Afghan fighters to the Uighur and Kirghiz Muslim rebels who had established the breakaway [[First East Turkestan Republic|Turkic Islamic Republic of East Turkestan]]. The aid was not capable of saving the East Turkestan republic, as the combined forces were defeated in 1934 by the [[Kuomintang]] [[Hui people|Chinese Muslim]] [[New 36th Division]] of the [[National Revolutionary Army]], commanded by General [[Ma Zhancang]] at the [[Battle of Kashgar (1934)|Battle of Kashgar]] and [[Battle of Yarkand]]. All Afghan volunteers were killed by Chinese Muslim troops, who then abolished the East Turkestan republic, and reestablished Chinese government control over the area.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IAs9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA134|title=Warlords and Muslims in Chinese Central Asia: a political history of Republican Sinkiang 1911–1949|author=Andrew D. W. Forbes|year=1986|publisher=CUP Archive|location=Cambridge, England|isbn=0-521-25514-7|pages=123, 303|access-date=28 June 2010}}</ref>[[File:President John F. Kennedy Greets King of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ẓāhir Shāh (02).jpg|thumb|Dinner in honour of King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan hosted by [[President John F. Kennedy]] (1963)|253x253px]]Despite close relations to the Axis powers, Zahir Shah and his governments refused to take sides during [[World War II]] and Afghanistan was one of the few countries in the world which remained neutral. From 1944 to 1947, Afghanistan experienced [[Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947|a series of revolts by various tribes]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite periodical |last=Giustozzi |first=Antonio |title=Afghanistan: transition without end |periodical=Crisis States Working Papers |date=November 2008 |page=13 |url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/international-development/Assets/Documents/PDFs/csrc-working-papers-phase-two/wp40.2-afghanistan-transition-without-end.pdf |s2cid=54592886}}</ref> After the end of World War II, Zahir Shah recognised the need for the [[modernisation]] of Afghanistan and recruited a number of foreign advisers to assist with the process.<ref name="10/01"/> During this period, Afghanistan's first modern university was founded.<ref name="10/01">{{cite news |title=Profile: Ex-king Zahir Shah |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=1 October 2001 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1573181.stm |access-date=1 February 2008}}</ref> A number of potential advances and reforms were derailed as a result of [[Political faction|factionalism]] and political infighting.<ref>{{cite news |last=Judah |first=Tim |title=Profile: Mohamed Zahir Shah |work=[[The Observer]] |date=23 September 2001 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/23/terrorism.afghanistan1 |access-date=1 February 2008}}</ref> Zahir Shah also requested financial aid from both the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]], and Afghanistan was one of few countries in the world to receive aid from both Cold War adversaries.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4266169/The-man-who-would-be-king-if-you-dont-mind.html|title=The man who would be king, if you don't mind|first=Mark|last=Steyn|date=6 October 2001|access-date=8 March 2019|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> In a 1969 interview, Zahir Shah said that he is "not a capitalist. But I also don't want socialism. I don't want socialism that would bring about the kind of situation [that exists] in [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]]. I don't want us to become the servants of Russia or China or the servant of any other place."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3p30056w&chunk.id=d0e2218&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e1870&brand=ucpress|title=Before Taliban|website=publishing.cdlib.org|access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Predsednik Tito sa kraljem Mohamedom Zahirom.jpg|left|thumb|225x225px|Mohammad Zahir Shah and [[Josip Broz Tito|Marshal Tito]] in 1968]]
He was considered a relatively lenient leader compared to previous kings; Zahir Shah had never signed a warrant for the execution of anyone for political reasons during his reign. He also used his power several times to commute capital punishment sentences given to some convicted criminals.<ref name="cdlib"/> At Zahir Shah's behest, a [[1964 Constitution of Afghanistan|new constitution]] was promulgated in 1964, which made Afghanistan a modern democratic state by introducing [[Election|free elections]], a parliament, [[civil and political rights]], [[women's rights]], and [[universal suffrage]].<ref name="10/01"/>
[[File:PAFWorldRecordLoop1958.webm|thumb|right|225x225px|Zahir Shah arrives at [[PAF Station Mauripur]], followed by President of Pakistan [[Iskander Mirza]] and [[Nahid Mirza]]. They are greeted by [[C-in-C of the PAF]] [[Asghar Khan]] and [[Nur Khan]]. Others in attendance are chiefs of the Iraqi, Turkish, and Iranian Air Forces, and [[General Ayub Khan]]. The [[World record loop]], performed in his honor, is showcased at the end. (1958)]]
At least five Afghani [[Pul (coin)|Pul]] coins during his reign bore the Arabic title {{Lang|ar|المتوكل على الله محمد ظاهر شاه}} ({{Transliteration|ar|AlMutawakkil 'āla Allah Muhammad Dhāhir Shāh}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://giladzuckerman.webs.com/mercuguinness.html|title=Gilad Zuckerman Coins Collection – Kimpulan Mata-Mata Uang – مسكوكات – אוסף מטבעות גלעד צוקרמן|website=giladzuckerman.webs.com|access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref> which means "The leaner on God, Mohammad Zahir Shah". The honorific title of "leaner on God" is taken from [[Al-Anfal#Exergesis|Quran 8:61]].

By the time he returned to Afghanistan in 2002, Zahir Shah's rule was characterized as a lengthy era of peace.<ref name=NYTobit/>

==Exile==
{{See also|1973 Afghan coup d'état|Attempted assassination of Zahir Shah}}

In 1973, while Zahir Shah was abroad in Italy, his cousin [[Mohammad Daoud Khan]] staged a [[coup d'état]] and established an autocratic republican government.<ref name="Britannica" /> As a former Prime Minister, Daoud Khan had been forced to resign by Zahir Shah a decade earlier<ref name=NYTobit /> and felt that Zahir Shah lacked leadership and that the parliamentary system prevented real progressivism.<ref name="Kamali1985">{{cite book|author=Mohammad Hashim Kamali|title=Law in Afghanistan: A Study of the Constitutions, Matrimonial Law and the Judiciary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ksC-BL2WivUC|date= 1985|publisher=Brill|isbn=90-04-07128-8}}{{page needed|date=July 2020}}</ref> In August 1973,<ref>{{cite web |title=Mohammed Zahir Shah |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mohammad-Zahir-Shah |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=NYTobit /> Zahir Shah sent a letter from Rome to Khan in Kabul declaring his [[abdication]], saying he respected "the will of my compatriots" after realizing the people of Afghanistan "with absolute majority welcomed a Republican regime".<ref>[http://afghandata.org:8080/jspui/bitstream/azu/6329/1/azu_acku_serial_ds350_a37_a34_v26_n2_w.pdf Afghan Data]</ref>

Zahir Shah lived in exile in Italy for 29 years alongside his wife Queen [[Humaira Begum]] and other royal family members. Initially, they lived in a three‐room apartment on Rome's [[Via Cassia]]. Relatives of the 1920s King [[Amanullah Khan]], of the same [[Barakzai dynasty|house of Barakzai]], also lived in Rome. President Daoud Khan continued to send money to them in Italy consisting of income from property and estates of the former royal family. After the [[Saur Revolution]], the leftist [[Khalq]] government cut all funds to Italy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/29/archives/afghan-king-in-rome-exile-tightens-belt-daud-sent-money-to-family.html|title=Afghan King, in Rome Exile, Tightens Belt|newspaper=The New York Times|date=29 April 1979}}</ref>

Zahir Shah eventually lived in a [[villa]] in the affluent community of Olgiata on Via Cassia, north of Rome, where he spent his time playing golf and chess, as well as tending to his garden.<ref name=Judah /><ref name=war /><ref>{{cite news |last=Gall |first=Sandy |title=Mohammad Zahir Shah |work=The Guardian |date=23 July 2007 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jul/23/guardianobituaries.afghanistan |access-date=18 March 2008}}</ref> He was financially supported by the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah of Iran]] since the new Afghan government failed to provide him a monthly salary. The Shah also supported his two sons who were studying in the United States and Canada.<ref>Memoirs of Asadollah Alam{{full citation needed|date=October 2020}}</ref> He was prohibited from returning to Afghanistan during the late 1970s by the Soviet-assisted Communist government. In 1983 during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], Zahir Shah was cautiously involved with plans to develop a government in exile. Ultimately these plans failed because he could not reach a consensus with powerful Islamist factions.<ref name=DTking /> It has also been reported that Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, and India had all tried to persuade Zahir Shah to return as chief of a neutral, possibly interim, administration in Kabul.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/world/india-to-provide-aid-to-government-in-afghanistan.html|title=India to Provide Aid to Government in Afghanistan|first1=Barbara|last1=Crossette|date=7 March 1989|access-date=8 March 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Both the Soviet Union and the United States sent representatives to meet him, and President [[Mohammad Najibullah]] supported Zahir Shah to play a role in a possible interim government in the quest for peace.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1988/01/17/tough-talk-from-najibullah/889d2a64-f99e-45b6-9f66-1e9c22888f1e/|title=Tough Talk From Najibullah |first=Lally|last=Weymouth|date=17 January 1988|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> In May 1990, Zahir Shah issued a long statement through [[Voice of America]] and the [[BBC]] calling for unity and peace among Afghans, and offering his services. This reportedly led to a spark of interest and approval among the Kabul populace. However, the idea of a revived political role for Zahir Shah was met with hostility by some, notably radical Islamist [[Gulbuddin Hekmatyar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/03/world/king-of-afghanistan-after-17-years-in-exile-is-on-the-people-s-minds-again.html|title=King of Afghanistan, After 17 Years in Exile, Is on the People's Minds Again|first1=John F.|last1=Burns|date=3 June 1990|access-date=8 March 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In 1991, Zahir Shah survived an [[Attempted assassination of Zahir Shah|attempt on his life]] by a knife-wielding assassin masquerading as a [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] journalist<ref name=NYTobit /> who later revealed that the attempted assassination was ordered by [[Osama bin Laden]]. The assassin stated “Now I must kill you”, before stabbing Zahir Shah in his breast-pocket, the former king’s life being saved by a tin of Café Crème [[Cigarillo|cigarillos]]. The assassin then stabbed Zahir Shah in the neck several times, before being overpowered by former General Abdul Wali. Zahir Shah was rushed to hospital and later recovered, with the assassin being sentenced to 10 years in a high-security prison in [[Rebibbia]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-04-14 |title=Bin Laden 'tried to kill king' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1390843/Bin-Laden-tried-to-kill-king.html |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> After the fall of the pro-Soviet government, Zahir Shah was favored by many to return and restore the monarchy to unify the country as he was acceptable to most factions. However, these efforts were blocked mostly by Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]], who feared his stance on the [[Durand Line]] issue.<ref>''US-Pakistan Relations: Pakistan's Strategic Choices in the 1990s'' by Nasra Talat Farooq</ref> In June 1995, Zahir Shah's former envoy Sardar Wali announced at talks in [[Islamabad]], Pakistan, that Zahir Shah was willing to participate in peace talks to end the [[Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)|Afghan Civil War]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/01/16/Af_chronology_1995-.pdf|title=Justice|website=justice.gov|access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref> but no consensus was ever reached.

==Return to Afghanistan==
[[File:Inauguration of President Hamid Karzai in December 2004.jpg|thumb|Zahir Shah is seated at the far right during the [[oath]] ceremony of [[Hamid Karzai]] on 7 December 2004.|230x230px]]
On 18 April 2002, at the age of 87 and four months after the [[Battle of Tora Bora|end]] of [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Taliban rule]], Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan, flown in on an [[Italian Air Force|Italian military plane]], and welcomed at Kabul's airport by [[Hamid Karzai]] and other officials.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/today-history/april-18-2002-zahir-shah-returns-to-afghanistan-after-29-year-exile-1.2013011|title=April 18, 2002: Zahir Shah returns to Afghanistan after 29-year exile|website=Gulf News|date=17 April 2017 |access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref> His return was widely welcomed by Afghans, and he was liked by all ethnic groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1099206.html|title=Afghanistan: Afghans Welcome Former King's Return|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=9 April 2008 |access-date=8 March 2019|last1=Krushelnycky |first1=Askold}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1936041.stm|title=No ordinary homecoming|date=17 April 2002|access-date=8 March 2019|work=BBC News}}</ref> There were proposals for a return to the monarchy –<ref name=NYTobit/> Zahir Shah himself let it be known that he would accept whatever responsibility was given him by the [[2002 loya jirga|Loya Jirga]],<ref name=Dorronsoro/> which he initiated in June 2002.<ref name=Dorronsoro>{{cite book |last=Dorronsoro |first=Gilles |title=Afghanistan: Revolution Unending, 1979–2002 |publisher=C. Hurst & Co |isbn=1-85065-683-5|page=330 |chapter=The Return to Political Fragmentation|year=2005}}</ref> However he was obliged to publicly renounce monarchical leadership at the behest of the United States. As Pakistan would not accept Zahir as king due to fears regarding his stance on the [[Durand Line]] issue; the American government knew allowing him to be restored could result in Pakistan feeling threatened to the point they may cease cooperating with the [[International Security Assistance Force|international coalition]] and potentially even resume their support for the Taliban. At the time, most delegates to the Loya Jirga were prepared to vote for Zahir Shah and block the U.S.-backed leader of the Northern Alliance, Hamid Karzai.<ref name=Dorronsoro/> While he was prepared to become chief of state Zahir made it known that it would not necessarily be as monarch: "I will accept the responsibility of head of state if that is what the Loya [[Jirga]] demands of me, but I have no intention to restore the monarchy. I do not care about the title of king. The people call me [[Baba (honorific)|Baba]] and I prefer this title."<ref name=NYTobit/> Karzai called Zahir Shah a "symbol of unity, a very kind man" and a "fatherly figure."<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>

Zahir Shah visited his father's tomb soon after arriving in Kabul and reportedly gasped after witnessing rocket holes and gunfire damage on the tomb caused by the civil war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/4cdbc7216362abfc1c610384e09e48c0|title=Former Afghan King Returns to Kabul|website=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

Hamid Karzai, who was favored by Zahir Shah, became president of Afghanistan after the Loya Jirga.<ref name=BBC1>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2172387.stm |title=Former Afghan king returns to palace |publisher=BBC |date=4 August 2002 |access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref> Karzai, from the Pashtun Popalzai clan, provided Zahir Shah's relatives with major jobs in the transitional government.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/06/06/the-man-in-the-palace|title=The Man in the Palace|first=Jon Lee|last=Anderson|date=30 May 2005|access-date=8 March 2019|magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref> Following the Loya Jirga he was given the title "Father of the Nation" by Karzai,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20020805/local/former-afghan-king-moves-into-his-old-palace.169602|title=Former Afghan king moves into his old palace|first=Allied Newspapers|last=Ltd|website=The Times|date=5 August 2002 |location=Malta|access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref> symbolizing his role in Afghanistan's history as a symbol of national unity. This title ended with his death.<ref>"The late King was always fondly referred to by all Afghans, cutting across ethnic boundaries, as "Baba-e-Millat" or 'Father of the Nation', a position given to him in the country's Constitution promulgated in January 2004, about two years after the collapse of Taliban rule. The title of the 'Father of the Nation' dissolves with his death."
{{cite news|url=http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec= |title=Last King of Afghanistan dies at 92 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210732/http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=384525&archisec=WOR&archisubsec= |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> In August 2002 he relocated back to [[Arg (Kabul)|the Arg]], his old palace, after 29 years.<ref name=BBC1 />

During an October 2002 visit to France, Zahir Shah bruised his ribs after slipping in a bathroom, and on 21 June 2003, while returning to France for a medical check-up, he broke his [[femur]].

On 3 February 2004, Zahir Shah was flown from Kabul to [[New Delhi]], India, for medical treatment after complaining of an [[intestine|intestinal]] problem. He was hospitalized for two weeks and remained in New Delhi under observation. On 18 May 2004, he was brought to a hospital in the [[United Arab Emirates]] because of nose bleeding caused by heat.

Zahir Shah attended the 7 December 2004 swearing-in of Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan. During his final years, he was frail and required a microphone pinned to his collar so that his faint voice could be heard.<ref name=NYTobit/> In January 2007, Zahir was reported to be seriously ill and bedridden.

== Death ==
[[File:Tomb of former King Zahir Shah - panoramio.jpg|thumb|200px|Tomb of Zahir Shah]]
Zahir Shah died on 23 July 2007 in the compound of the Arg in Kabul at the age of 92 after a long illness – 34 years after his abdication and nearly 74 years after he ascended the throne. His death was announced by President Karzai,<ref name="NYTobit">{{Cite news |last=Bearak |first=Barry |date=2007-07-23 |title=Former King of Afghanistan Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/world/asia/23cnd-shah.html |access-date=2025-07-30 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bearak |first=Barry |date=24 July 2007 |title=Mohammad Zahir Shah, Last Afghan King, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/world/asia/24shah.html |access-date=8 March 2019 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> who said "He was the servant of his people, the friend of his people, he was a very kind person, kind hearted. He believed in the rule of the people and in human rights."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHbb6ju5tv8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/jHbb6ju5tv8| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=President Karzai announcing death of King Zahir Shah|last=AP Archive|date=21 July 2015|access-date=8 March 2019|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Karzai also declared three days of national mourning for the deceased king.<ref name="NYTobit" />

His funeral, which was held the day after his death, began on the premises of the presidential palace, where politicians and dignitaries paid their respects; his coffin was then taken to a mosque before being moved to the royal mausoleum on Maranjan Hill in eastern Kabul.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290595,00.html "Afghanistan's King Mohammad Zahir Shah Laid to Rest"], Associated Press (Fox News), 24 July 2007.</ref>

{{Coin image box 1 double
| header = 5 [[Afghan afghani]] (1961)
| image = File:5 Afghani (1961).jpg
| caption_left = '''Obverse''': Portrait of Mohammad Zahir Shah with lettering "* محمد ظاهر * دافغانستان" (Mohammad Zahir Afghanistan) on top and "۱۳۴۰-۱۳۸۱" (1340–1381) at bottom.
| caption_right = '''Reverse''': Wheat ear flank on the side and denomination in the centre. Lettering "پنج" (five), "۵" (5) and "افغانی" (Afghanis).
| width = 250
| footer = Afghani coin from reign of Shah minted in c. 1962 corresponding to 1340 and 1381 in Lunar and Solar Hijri years respectively.
| position = right
| margin = 0
}}

[[File:Zahir Shah stamp 1971.jpg|thumb|Postage stamp, 1971]]

==Personal life==
Zahir Shah was reportedly shy, modest and "soft-spoken". He liked [[photography]], [[chess]], and smoking [[cigar]]s.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/15/world/in-afghan-king-a-soft-voice-for-a-soviet-pullout.html|title=In Afghan King, a Soft Voice for a Soviet Pullout|first1=Roberto|last1=Suro|date=15 November 1987|access-date=12 March 2019|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2001/11/11/a-future-veiled-in-false-hopes/a8f6d6a9-1c6f-4554-88a6-07497d96ff2e/|title=A Future Veiled in False Hopes|first=Nafisa|last=Hoodbhoy|date=11 November 2001|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/04/leaving-afghanistan-it-finally-time-be-positive-about-blighted-nation|title=Leaving Afghanistan: is it finally time to be positive about this blighted nation?|website=New Statesman|date=10 April 2014|access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref>

Zahir Shah was fluent in [[Pashto]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Feroz |first1=Emran |title=When Afghanistan Almost Worked |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/26/afghanistan-shafiq-amin-shah-cold-war/ |access-date=3 July 2021 |work=Foreign Policy |date=26 April 2021}}</ref> [[Dari]] (his mother tongue) and French, and could also speak English.<ref name=war>{{cite news|first=Michael |last=McCarthy |title=War on Terrorism: Opposition – Exiled king declares himself ready to return |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892 |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |publisher=Look Smart: Find Articles |date=24 September 2001 |access-date=23 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109230032/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010924/ai_n14407892 |archive-date=9 November 2007}}</ref>

To [[Afghans|Afghan people]], he was known as ''Baba''.<ref>[http://arabianroyalagency.com/princess-noal-zaher-pays-tribute-to-grandfather-last-king-of-afghanistan-on-13th-anniversary-of-his-death-hm-king-zaher-also-known-to-us-as-baba/ Arabian Royal Agency]</ref>

===Family===

He married his first cousin [[Humaira Begum]] (1918–2002) on 7 November 1931 in [[Kabul]]. They had six sons and two daughters:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 | Name
! rowspan=2 | Birth
! rowspan=2 | Death
! colspan=2 | Marriage
! rowspan=2 | Their children
|-
! Date !! Spouse
|-
| rowspan=3|Princess [[Princess Bilqis Begum|Bilqis Begum]]
| rowspan=3|{{birth date and age|1932|4|17|df=y}}
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|1951
| rowspan=3|Abdul Wali Khan
| Princess Humaira Begum
|-
| Princess Wana Begum
|-
| Princess Mayana Khanum
|-
| Crown Prince [[Muhammed Akbar Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan|Muhammed Akbar Khan]]
| 4 August 1933
| {{death date and age|1942|11|26|1933|8|4|df=y}}
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|{{n/a}}
|-
| rowspan=3| Crown Prince [[Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan|Ahmad Shah Khan]]
| rowspan=3| {{birth date|1934|9|23|df=y}}
| rowspan=3| {{Death date and age|2024|06|5|1934|September|23|df=yes}}
| rowspan=3|1961
| rowspan=3|Khatul Begum
| Prince Muhammad Zahir Khan
|-
| Prince Muhammad Emel Khan
|-
| Princess Hawa Khanum 
|-
| Princess [[Princess Maryam Begum|Maryam Begum]]
| {{birth date|1936|11|2|df=y}}
| {{death date and age|2021|12|25|1936|11|2|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dw.com/fa-af/مریم-نعیم-شاهدخت-افغانستان-در-کابل-درگذشت/a-60260424|work=Deutsche Welle Dari|date=26 December 2021|access-date=5 April 2022 |title=شاهدخت افغانستان در کابل درگذشت – Dw – ۱۴۰۰/۱۰/۵}}</ref>
| 1960
| Sardar Muhammad Aziz Khan Naim
| Sardar Nadir Khan Naim
|-
| rowspan=2|Prince Muhammed Nadir Khan
| rowspan=2|{{birth date|1941|5|21|df=y}}
| rowspan=2|{{death date and age|2022|4|3|1941|5|21|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/pashto/afghanistan-60978843|title=د افغانستان د پخواني پاچا ظاهر شاه زوی 'محمد نادر ظاهر' وفات شو |work=BBC Pashto|date=4 April 2022|access-date=5 April 2022}}</ref>
| rowspan=2|6 February 1964
| rowspan=2|Lailuma Begum
| Prince Mustapha Zahir Khan
|-
| Prince Muhammad Daud Jan
|-
| rowspan=2|Prince Shah Mahmoud Khan
| rowspan=2|15 November 1946
| rowspan=2|{{death date and age|2002|12|7|1946|11|15|df=y}}
| rowspan=2|18 April 1966
| rowspan=2|Safura Begum
| Princess Bilqis Khanum
|-
| Princess Ariane Khanum
|-
| rowspan=2|Prince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar Khan
| rowspan=2|{{birth date and age|1949|4|14|df=y}}
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|2 February 1973
| rowspan=2|Fatima Begum
| Prince Duran Daud Khan
|-
| [[Noal, Princess of the Sa'id|Princess Noal Khanum]]
|-
| Prince Mirwais Khan
| rowspan="3" | 7 January 1957
| rowspan="3" |{{death date and age|2023|9|29|1957|1|7|df=yes}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prince Mirwais Zahir, Youngest Son of Afghanistan's Former King, Has Died |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185337 |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=TOLOnews |language=en}}</ref>
| 
| Farkhudna Begum
| Princess Safya Zaher
|}

In January 2009, an article by Ahmad Majidyar of the [[American Enterprise Institute]] included one of his grandsons, Mustafa Zahir, on a list of fifteen possible candidates in the [[2009 Afghan presidential election]].<ref name="AeiAfghanElections2009">
{{cite news
| url=http://www.aei.org/outlook/100003
| title=Afghanistan's Presidential Election
| quote=Zaher is the grandson of the late King Muhammad Zaher Shah. He is currently head of Afghanistan's environment preservation department and a member of the UNF. There has been speculation that the UNF will nominate Zaher as its candidate for the upcoming election. Despite being an heir to the royal family, he lacks a popular base.
| date=January 2009
| author=Ahmad Majidyar
| publisher=[[American Enterprise Institute]]
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908041152/http://www.aei.org/docLib/20090129-No1MEO23850g.pdf
| archive-date=8 September 2009
}}</ref> However, Mustafa did not become a candidate. His granddaughter, Princess Noal of Afghanistan, is the wife of [[Muhammad Ali, Prince of the Sa'id]], the heir apparent to the abolished thrones of Egypt and Sudan.

==Titles and styles==
{{infobox hrhstyles
| image      = [[File:Tughra of Mohammad Zahir Shah.svg|150px]]
| royal name = Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan
| dipstyle   = [[His Majesty (style)|His Majesty]]
| offstyle   = Your Majesty
}}
{{Multiple image | total_width = 400 | perrow = 2 | header = Royal Standard 
| image1 = Royal standard of Afghan Kings(1931~1973).svg
| image2 = Royal standard of Afghan Kings (reverse).svg
| footer = Royal Standard of Mohammad Zahir Shah (obverse and reverse)
}}
During his reign, ''His Majesty Mohammad Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1934v02/d637|title=Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1934, Europe, Near East and Africa, Volume II – Office of the Historian|website=history.state.gov}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mohammed Zahir Shah}}
* C-SPAN: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwq1QubdYGE Afghan King & Queen 1963 Visit to U.S. Reel America Preview] (video)
* [https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078202/Mohammad-Zahir-Shah Mohammad Zahir Shah] at the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001125658/http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article2795838.ece Zahir Shah: The last king of Afghanistan], [[Robert Fisk]], ''[[The Independent]]''
* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/23/terrorism.afghanistan1 Profile], ''[[The Observer]]''
* {{New York Times topic|new_id=person/mohammed-zahir-shah}}
* [https://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan/story/2005/09/050902_s-zahershah-pages.shtml interviews Zahir Shah videos]
* [https://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan/story/2005/09/050708_v-afghan-zahirshah-1.shtml interviews Zahir Shah in written]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Barakzai dynasty]]|16 October|1914|23 July|2007}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Mohammad Nadir Shah]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Afghanistan]]|years=8 November 1933 – 17 July 1973}}
{{s-aft|after={{small|Republic declared}}}}
{{s-pre}}
|-
{{s-new|loss|reason=[[1973 Afghan coup d'état|Republic declared]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[King of Afghanistan]]|years=17 July 1973 – 23 July 2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ahmad Shah Khan, Crown Prince of Afghanistan|Crown Prince Ahmad Shah]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Monarchs of Afghanistan}}
{{Pashtun}}
{{Portal bar|Afghanistan|Royalty|Biography}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Afghan monarchs]]
[[Category:Kings of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Barakzai dynasty]]
[[Category:Leaders ousted by a coup]]
[[Category:World War II political leaders]]
[[Category:Afghan Sunni Muslims]]
[[Category:Afghan exiles]]
[[Category:Afghan expatriates in Italy]]
[[Category:Exiled royalty]]
[[Category:Pashtun people]]
[[Category:People from Kabul]]
[[Category:Habibia High School alumni]]
[[Category:Collars of the Order of the White Lion]]
[[Category:Grand Cordons of the National Order of the Cedar]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali]]
[[Category:1930s in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:1940s in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:1950s in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:1960s in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:1970s in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:20th-century Afghan politicians]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]]