conclusionheadship of the ‘Abdali tribe, a rivalry perpetuated under the dynasty
founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani and which played a significant part in
undermining the stability of the kingdom. The long-standing feud within
the Saddozai clan between the Khudakka Khel and Sarmast Khel, itself
in part the outcome of the Safavid–Mughal power struggle, played into
Ahmad Shah’s hands, but at the same time contributed to his dynasty’s
ultimate demise.
Ahmad Shah’s debt to Persia, though, went much deeper. It was under
Nadir Shah Afshar that he and the ‘Abdalis rose to military prominence,
while it was Nadir Shah who provided the ‘Abdalis with modern mili-
tary training and arms as well as opening the door for Ahmad Shah to
raise his own regiment of loyal ghazis. Taqi Beg Shirazi’s decision to join
forces with Ahmad Shah, and his subsequent advocacy that persuaded the
Qizilbash garrisons of Kandahar and Kabul not to oppose the Saddozai
coup, allowed Ahmad Shah to secure control of these two key frontier posts
without a fight. At the same time, Ahmad Shah acquired a substantial,
battle-hardened force of non-Afghan troops whom he used to offset chal-
lenges from his own kin and tribe. The influence of these Shi‘a Qizilbash
ghulams eventually went well beyond their military capabilities and, like
the Ottoman Janissaries, the Qizilbash played a significant role in deter-
mining the succession, while the marriage alliances between the Jawanshir
and descendants of Hajji Jamal Khan Barakzai reinforced their political
power base.
Another forgotten element in the emergence of Ahmad Shah’s dynasty
is the importance of Multan. This sophisticated Mughal city in northern
India had a profound influence on the Saddozais – indeed the Sultans
of Herat were culturally more Multani than they were Herati or indeed
Afghan. Ahmad Shah himself was born and brought up here and his court,
and that of his successors, reflected the Mughal and Indian influence in a
number of ways. Ahmad Shah’s personal spiritual adviser was a fakir from
Lahore, Saddozai court protocols were modelled on that of the Mughals
and the Safvids; and many court officials bore Turkic titles. Furthermore,
the conquests of the Hotaki dynasty and of Ahmad Shah meant that many
of the sons and daughters born into the ruling families and tribal elites
were the offspring of Hindu, Persian, Qizilbash, Mughal, Kafir and even
Armenian mothers.
Even before his death, Ahmad Shah’s empire was imploding, primar-
ily because his campaigns were really opportunistic looting expeditions
on a vast scale, justified by a veneer of religious legitimacy. Ahmad Shah’s
relentless pursuit of conquest was done at the expense of stable government