Documents for "Central Asian History: Biographies":

• Abd ar-Rahman Khan 1844?-1901, emir of Afghanistan (1880-1901); grandson of Dost Muhammad. He opposed his uncle, Sher Ali , and was forced into exile in 1869. He was, however, recognized by the British as emir in 1880,...

• Ahmad Shah c.1723-1773, Afghan ruler (1747-73), founder of the Durani dynasty. His success in commanding Afghan forces in India for Nadir Shah of Iran won him the rule of Afghanistan on Nadir's death (1747). He twice (1756, 1760) occupied and sacked Delhi, the capital of the Mughal empire. He conquered a vast territory, extending roughly...

• Ahmed Shah see Ahmad Shah.

• Amanullah 1892-1960, emir (1919-26) and king (1926-29) of Afghanistan. To win popular support for his rule he invaded India in an attempt to free Afghanistan from British-ruled India. No serious fighting...

• Batu Khan d. 1255, Mongol leader; a grandson of Jenghiz Khan. In 1235 Batu became commander of the Mongol army assigned to the conquest of Europe; his chief general was Subutai. Batu crossed the Volga,...

• Dost Muhammad 1793-1863, emir of Afghanistan. He and his family struggled to get the emirate for years before he finally succeeded in establishing himself in 1826. He waged continual war with the Sikhs, and...

• Jagatai d. 1242, Mongol conqueror; son of Jenghiz Khan. He led large armies on his father's campaigns of conquest. When the empire was divided in 1227 among Jenghiz Khan's three living sons and a...

• Karzai, Hamid 1957-, Afghan political leader, president of Afghanistan (2002-), b. Kandahar. Karzai's father and grandfather, who both served in the government of King Muhammad Zahir Shah, were heads of the...

• Mahmud of Ghazna 971?-1030, Afghan emperor and conqueror. He defeated (c.999) his elder brother to gain control of Khorasan (in Iran) and of Afghanistan. In his raids against the states of N India, Mahmud, a...

• Nazarbayev, Nursultan 1940-, Kazakh politician, president of Kazakhstan (1991-). Trained as a metallurgical engineer, he was employed at the Karaganda (Qaraghandy) iron- and steelworks. He later became an economist and...

• Niyazov, Saparmurat 1940-, president of Turkmenistan (1991-). An engineer and member of the Communist party, he worked in the electrical power industry and held party positions in what was then the Turkmen Soviet...

• Sher Ali or Shere Ali , 1825-79, emir of Afghanistan (1863-79), son of Dost Muhammad. His succession was opposed by other members of his family, notably his brothers. Sher Ali turned from his friendship with the British...

• Shere Ali see Sher Ali.

• Tamerlane see Timur.

• Timur or Tamerlane , c.1336-1405, Mongol conqueror, b. Kesh, near Samarkand. He is also called Timur Leng [Timur the lame]. He was the son of a tribal leader, and he claimed (apparently for the first time in 1370) to...