Afghans and Afghanistan - 19th century drawings and paintings by William Simpson

 

Pashtun fighters fire their jezails at British invaders from behind a 'sangar' (a temporary defensive wall of stones), 1879. Illustration by William Simpson

Mohmands from Basaul captured by British, 1878

 

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Mohmand prisoners from Basaul, surrounded by Sikh servants of British raj, on the Khurd Khyber, Second Anglo-Afghan war, 1878. Photo by John Burke. 

Second Anglo-Afghan war. Illustrations from 'The Graphic'

View of Peshawar city and the hills of Khyber, 1878. Illustration from the magazine The Graphic, volume XVIII, no 473, December 21, 1878

Ameer Yakoob Khan Barakzai posing for a photograph, Gandamak, Afghanistan, 1879. Illustration from the magazine The Graphic, volume XX, no 502, July 12, 1879.

Ameer Yaqub Khan Barakzai posing for a photograph, Gandamak, Afghanistan 1879. John Burke (the photographer) fixing the negative. Illustration from the magazine The Graphic, volume XX, no 502, July 12, 1879.

A group of Afridis from the Khyber Pass. Illustration from the magazine 'The Graphic', volume XVIII, no 467, November 9, 1878. The drawing is based on a photo taken in 1862 (c).

Pashtun fighters lie in wait for British invaders, Second Anglo-Afghan War, in 1878

 

Pashtun fighters lie in wait for British invaders, Second Anglo-Afghan War, in 1878. Source

From "The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts, Vol. II. - To The Abdication of Yakub Khan", by J. Maclaren Cobban. [T. C. & E. C. Jack, Edinburgh, 1901]

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An Afghan rifle-pit, Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1880

 

An Afghan rifle-pit, Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1880.

From "The Penny Illustrated Paper" , March 20, 1880.

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Sardar Ayub Khan's ambassadors, Kandahar, 1880 (c)

Ayub Khan's ambassadors, Kandahar, 1880.

Photograph by Benjamin Simpson.

Original caption: "Group, Ayoub's Ambassadors, Abdullah Khan sitting on the right, his son on the left, and Umrjan Sahib Zada in the center. The last named is said to have raised all the Ghazis against us at Maiwand."

This photograph depicts the Afghan delegation that represented Sardar Ayub Khan, the ruler of Herat, in discussions with the British at Kandahar. This was after Major-General Frederick Roberts' victory over Ayub Khan outside Kandahar on 1 September 1880 (this battle is not be confused with the earlier battle at Maiwand on 27 July 1880 in which Ayub Khan had scored victory). The negotiations failed on this occasion and British refused to deal with Ayub Khan (since he opposed the Treaty of Gandamak) and confirmed their support for Abdur Rahman who went on to ratify the Treaty of Gandamak. 

In the summer of 1881, Ghazi Ayub Khan resumed his attempt to gain control of Afghanistan. He invaded once again from Herat and defeated the troops of Abdur Rahman Khan, who was acting as an axillary to the British. He seized Kandahar but Abdur Rahman forces dislodged him and drove him all the way to Persia. He tried in 1887 to get back into Afghanistan, but the British stopped him once more. Ayub Khan surrendered and the British sent him into exile in India.

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British cemetery in Kandahar, 1881

European cemetery; graves of British soldiers (who died fighting the Afghans) in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1880 (c). Photo by Benjamin Simpson during British occupation of Kandahar (September 1880 – April 1881).

Only commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the British Army were buried in this cemetery; others were interred in mass graves. Kandaharis did not desecrate the graves after the British left in April 1881. Captain A.C. Yate, who visited Kandahar in 1887, reported that the British cemetery had been treated with every respect by the locals.

Graves of British invaders at Maiwand, Afghanistan, 1880. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 30 October 1880.

The normal-sized grave with a cross belongs to Major G.P. Blackwood, while the larger one beside it is a mass grave containing 40 soldiers of lower rank. The correspondent of The Illustrated London News noted that Afghans did not desecrate graves of British invaders from the First Anglo-Afghan War (1842) and expressed hope that those from the Battle of Maiwand would likewise remain intact.

Durrani gate of Kandahar, 1880 (c)

Photo taken by Benjamin Simpson.

 

Camels coming out of Durrani gate of Kandahar city, Afghanistan, 1880 (c). There is a malang or faqir standing on right of photo. The three men in military uniforms are British soldiers (photo was taken during British occupation of Kandahar during Second Anglo-Afghan war). Photo by Benjamin Simpson. Source

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Tomb of Ahmad Shah Abdali, 1880 (photos taken by Benjamin Simpson)

 

The Persian inscription engraved on the tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani is proof of the admiration and respect that his people bore him. It read as : "Ahmad Shah Durrani was a great king ! so great was the fear of his justice that the lion and deer were fed in one place. The ear of his enemies were always filled by the rumours of his conquests. When he died, the Hijra year was 1186."

Tomb of Ahmad Shah Abdali from south west bastion of citadel, Kandahar, 1880. Photo by Benjamin Simpson. Source

Tomb of Ahmad Shah Abdali, Kandahar, 1880. Photo by Benjamin Simpson. Farrukh Husain collection. Source

Zenana or women's quarters of the palace of Amir Sher Ali Khan in Kandahar, 1881

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Zenana or women's quarters of the palace of Amir Sher Ali Khan in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1881.

Photo taken by Benjamin Simpson during British occupation of Kandahar, which lasted from September 1880 to April 1881.

There are British men and local men in the courtyard of the zenana of Amir Sher Ali's palace because the photo was taken during British occupation of Kandahar in 1881. The palace was empty and there was no zenana there. This palace was for occasional visits of Amir Sher Ali to Kandahar (he lived in Kabul), and this quarter was for his harem who used to accompany him from Kabul. Amir Sher Ali was already dead when this photo was taken. He, along with his harem, moved out of Kabul to Mazar Sharif in 1878 and died there in 1879.

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British Army encampment outside Jamrud fort, 1878, Second Anglo-Afghan war

British Army encampment outside Jamrud fort, 1878. 

Photo taken by Bengal Sappers and Miners at the commencement of Second Anglo-Afghan war. 

Farrukh Husain collection. Source

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Bridge of boats across the Indus at Attock, 1878 (c)

Bridge of boats across the Indus at Attock, 1878 (c). The Attock fort can be seen across the river. Photo by John Burke.

Pashtuns at the fort (Bala Hissar, Kabul?), Afghanistan, Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1879 (c). Photo by John Burke.

Photograph of Amir Sher Ali Khan and suite, 1869

Sher Ali Khan (the Amir of Afghanistan), his son (Prince Abdullah Jan), and Afghan sardars and khans, 1869. Also showing Charles Chamberlain, Henry Walter Bellew and Richard F Pollock in the group image. Photo by John Burke.

Jamrud fort, 1870.

Conflict of Afghan cavalry with the cavalry of British-Indian army, 1879, Second Anglo-Afghan War

Conflict of Afghan cavalry with the cavalry of British-Indian army, 1879. Second Anglo-Afghan War. 

Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 7 June 1879. Artist: Richard Caton Woodville junior. Source

Mangal tribesmen (Pashtun) attacking the baggage train of British invading army near Kuroh, Second Anglo-Afghan war, 1879

Mangal tribesmen (Pashtun) attacking the baggage train of British invading army near Kuroh, Second Anglo-Afghan war, 1879. 

From "London Illustrated News". 

Source: https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/Richard-Caton-Woodville-junior/259398/The-Afghan-War,-Attack-on-a-Baggage-Train-near-Koruh,-by-Marauders-of-the-Mangal-Tribe-.html

British troops leaving Afghanistan, floating sick and wounded down the Kabul River from Jalalabad, 1880.

British troops leaving Afghanistan, floating sick and wounded down the Kabul River from Jalalabad, 1880. 

From "The Illustrated London News", 25 September 1880. 

Artist: William Heysham Overend 

Source: https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/William-Heysham-Overend/196695/Our-Troops-leaving-Afghanistan,-floating-sick-and-Wounded-down-the-Cabul-River-from-Jellalabad-.html

Writing out the Treaty of Gandamak, 1879

Writing out the Treaty of Gandamak, 1879. Second Anglo-Afghan War. 

 Artist: William Simpson. Source

In the first phase of Second Anglo-Afghan war, Afghans could not successfully resist the British aggression and Yaqub Khan , the new Afghan King , was forced to sign the infamous Treaty of Gandamak. Under the treaty (signed on 26 May 1879), the Afghan Amir, Muhammad Yaqub Khan surrendered various frontier areas to the British raj, including, Quetta, Sibi, Pishin, Harnai, Kurram and Khyber. Abdur Rahman , who was placed on the throne by the British after Yaqub was deposed , reaffirmed the treaty of Gandamak. In 1919, Amir Amanullah Khan ended the Treaty of Gandamak which had given the British control of Afghan foreign policy at the end of the Second Afghan War (1878-80).

Pashtun mountaineers attacking convoy of British invaders, 1879, Second Anglo-Afghan War

 

Pashtun mountaineers attacking convoy of British invaders, 1879, Second Anglo-Afghan War. 

From the Illustrated London News, 20th December 1879. 

Artist: Frank Dadd 

A Pashtun cutting through helmet of a British officer during Battle of Fatehabad, April 1879, Second Anglo-Afghan War

A Pashtun cutting through helmet of a British officer, Battle of Fatehabad, April 1879, Second Anglo-Afghan War. 

Artist: William Heysham Overend. 

Source: https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/William-Heysham-Overend/187528/The-Afghan-War,-an-Incident-in-the-Battle-of-Futtehabad,-2-April-.html

Pashtun Mountaineers, 1879. Painting by Richard Caton Woodville II

 

                  Pashtun Mountaineers, 1879. Painting by Richard Caton Woodville II.  Source: Farrukh Husain