Library of Ahmad Shah Durrani

Notes and seals on folios of a large 17th century Safavid illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Shahnamah state that by the mid-18th century the manuscript was in the library of Ahmad Shah Abdali.

By 1822 it had passed to his great-grandson, Kamran Shah Saddozai of Herat. In 1837, the army of Muhammad Shah of Persia laid siege to Herat and the British government put pressure on him to withdraw by declaring it would consider the Persian occupation of Herat a hostile act. Kamran Shah subsequently sent this manuscript to Queen Victoria as thanks for British support. Kamran Shah’s wife Zahra inscribed a letter to Queen Victoria on folio 401r of the text, dated 21 December 1839. She addressed Victoria as ‘the Queen of Sheba of the West, Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, at whose command the mighty government of England, during the late siege, and subsequent to it, afforded timely and valuable assistance to the country and people of Herat.’

Queen Victoria received the manuscript on 5 May 1841. She confused the name of the text when she recorded its receipt in her journal: ‘After dinner we looked at a very curious book sent to me by the wife of a Shah of Herat, called, "the Book of Namah", all in manuscript & splendidly illuminated’.

Source: https://www.rct.uk/collection/1005014/shahnamah-shhnmh-the-book-of-kings

Farasnamah

The Farasnamah is a work on horses and farriery. According to the preface it is a Persian translation of the Arabic medieval veterinary manual Kamil al-Sinaatayn fi al-Baytarah wa Zardaqah, which made on the instructions of Qazi Muhammad Idris Khan by order of Ahmad Shah Durrani (reg.1747-73). 

The entire book is available here : https://www.rct.uk/collection/1005031/farasnamah-frsnmh-a-treatise-on-horses-and-dawlatnamah-dwltnmh-a-treatise-on

Pashtun volunteers for the India-Pakistan War of 1965

" A group of tribesmen from Waziristan, who have taken up arms to fight Indian forces in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. The conflict centres on the disputed region of Kashmir".  Hulton Archive. Source

September 9, 1965:  A group of Pashtun tribesmen raise their rifles as they assemble in Rawalpindi prior to moving up to the fighting front. Reference

A weaver at Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 1879

A Weaver at Jellalabad, Afghanistan, 1879. From "The Illustrated London News", 17 May 1879. Artist: Frank Dadd.  Source

'Shah Soojah Rajah of Cabool' (Shah Shuja Durrani), India, 1835 (c)

 

'Shah Soojah Rajah of Cabool' (Shah Shuja Durrani), India, 1835 (c). Gouache on mica by a Company artist, 1835 (c). Source

Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel (Afridi) of the Pashtunistan movement

 

Malik Wali Khan, leader of the Kuki Khel Afridis, presenting Muhammad Ali Jinnah with a .303 rifle made in his own factory at Jamrud, 1948.

Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel and his lashkar fought in the Kashmir war (1947-1948). Later he played a very active role in the Pashtunistan movement. In December 1952 Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel, Malik Said Ahmad Zakha Khel and Maulvi Ghairat Gul of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam called a jirga of the Afridis, at Mamanri to take decisions about Pakhtunistan. Pakistan Air Force dropped bombs on the Afridi jirga, killing 18 men. Three days after the incident, Pakistani government destroyed the house of Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel. 

References: (1) "Some major Pukhtoon tribes along the Pak-Afghan border", by S. Iftikhar Hussain (2) "The Pathan Borderland" by James Spain

More details about Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel are provided by Dr.Nafees Ur Rehman as follow:

"Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel moved to Kabul after his home/hujra was demolished and he remained in Kabul along with other Pashtunistanis working against Pakistan till 1962 but then President Ayub Khan won him over and he also got a seat in the Pakistani parliament.

Interestingly, owing to the Zakha Khel and Kuku Khel rivalry, Malik Nadir Khan Afridi then got upset at the proceedings and he moved to Kabul doing the same what Malik Wali Khan Kuki Khel was doing earlier. Nadir Khan switched sides in the 80s and started working for Pakistan." 1

George Cunningham (Governor of NWFP) speaking to Pashtun Maliks, after his speech to the jirga outside the Khyber House, Peshawar, December 1947. Photo by Margaret Bourke-White. Malik Wali Kukikhel is second person from right.

Wali Khan Kuki Khel with Ayub Khan

Photo of Maulvi Ghairat Gul Afridi. Via Nafees Ur Rehman

Muhammad Sharif Khan (the Nawab of Dir) and Safdar Khan (the Nawab of Nawagai), 1903

Nawab Mohammad Sharif Khan (the Khan of Dir), Shuja ul-Mulk (Mehtar of Chitral) and Nawab Safdar Khan (the Khan of Nawagai) with attendants 1903. Source

The Nawabs of Dir were descendants of Mullah Ilyas (commonly known as Akhund Baba), a 17th century Yousafzai Pashtun saint.

The Miyana (Afghan) nobles of Bijapur sultanate

The Miyana tribe belongs to the Saraban division of Pashtuns. They are found in Baluchistan province of Pakistan. Most of its branches have become extinct or have lost their identity. Their en-mass migration to India greatly weakened them and they fell easy prey to their Baloch neighbours. Luni, Jafar, Zamari and Gharshin tribes are remnants of the Miyana tribe.  

Some of the Miyanas became nobles of the Adil Shahi Sultans of Bijapur (1518-1686). Jan-Nisar Khan Miyana held the rank of 2,000 horse in the reign of Ismael Adil Shah who ruled from 1510 to 1535 AD. Bahlul Khan Miyana, a descendant of Jan-Nisar Khan Miyana, became Commander-in-Chief of the army of Bijapur sultanate, and later served as regent for the child king Sikandar Adil Shah (r. 1672-1686).

Bahlul Khan Miyana died in the reign of Sikandar Adil Shah. He was succeeded by his son Dalil Khan Miyana who kept on good terms with Sikandar Adil Shah, but when Aurangzeb again entered the Deccan in 1681 AD for its subjugation, Dalil Khan joined him with 2000 Afghan cavalry and 3000 foot, many of them of his own tribe, and all in his own pay.

References: (1) "Notes on Afghanistan and part of Baluchistan" by H.G.Raverty (2) "History of the Pathans" by Haroon Rashid.

Portrait of Bahlul Khan Miyana, made in c.1686 by an anonymous artist. Source

Portrait of Abdul Aziz Khan Miyana, brother of Bahlul Khan Miyana. Source

A portrait of Bahlul Khan Miyana, late 19th century painting. Source