kingdom · Central Asia and the Steppe
Durrani Empire
Origins
After Nader Shah's assassination in 1747, Ahmad Khan Abdali, commander of his Afghan bodyguard, was chosen as king by a tribal assembly in Kandahar. Taking the title Durr-i Durran, 'Pearl of Pearls', he founded the Durrani dynasty of the Sadozai clan.
Rule and society
Ahmad Shah conquered Herat, Kabul, the Punjab, Kashmir and Sindh, and in 1761 crushed the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat. Revenue came from Indian plunder and tribute. Pashtun tribal chiefs held great power, and the state relied on their loyalty. His son Timur Shah moved the capital from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776.
Decline and legacy
Under Timur's sons, rivalry between Shah Zaman, Shah Mahmud and Shah Shuja, and the power of the Barakzai ministers, broke the empire. The Sikhs took the Punjab, and by 1823 the Barakzais held Kabul, founding the Emirate of Afghanistan, while Sadozais kept the Principality of Herat.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (7)
- Kalhora dynasty paid tribute to Durrani Empire1748 CE – 1783 CE
- Bahawalpur State was a vassal of Durrani Empire1748 CE – 1802 CE
- Khanate of Kalat was a vassal of Durrani Empire1758 CE – 1823 CE
- Patiala State was a vassal of Durrani Empire1761 CE – 1767 CE
- Sikh Misls split from Durrani Empire1765 CE
- Talpur dynasty paid tribute to Durrani Empire1783 CE – 1823 CE
- Principality of Kandahar split from Durrani Empire1818 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Durrani Empire. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/durrani-empire
- MLA
- “Durrani Empire.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/durrani-empire. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Durrani Empire.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/durrani-empire.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Durrani Empire’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/durrani-empire (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻