by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

On November 8, 1933, Mohammad Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan was shot and killed by an assassin while taking part in a high school awards ceremony at the royal palace in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Mohammed Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan

Mohammed Nadir Shah (born Mohammad Nadir Khan) reigned as King of Afghanistan from October 15, 1929, until his assassination on November 8, 1933. He was born in Dehradun, British India on April 9, 1883 to Mohammad Yusuf Khan and Sharaf Sultana Hukumat Begum.

Raised in British India (where his family had been exiled by the British government), he later came to Afghanistan and served as a General under King Amanullah Khan, leading the Afghan National Army in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Following the war, he served as Minister of War, and later as Ambassador to France. Following a rebellion against the monarchy, led by Habibullah Kalakani, Mohammed was exiled once again. After Kalakani overthrew the monarchy, Mohammad returned to Afghanistan with his forces and retook most of the country. Declaring himself King upon his arrival in Kabul on October 15, 1929, he captured Kalakani and executed him. His reign, just four years, saw numerous uprisings and rebellions, all of which he managed to overcome. He established the country’s first university, worked to strengthen both diplomatic and commercial relations with the surrounding countries and put into place the country’s first banking system. After just four years on the throne, Mohammad Nadir Shah was killed by an assassin on November 8, 1933.

For more information, see: Wikipedia: Mohammed Nadir Shah

The Assassination

The assassin was Abdul Khaliq, a 16-year-old student at Nejat High School. After Khaliq’s father, uncle, and brothers were arrested in 1933 by King Mohammed Nadir Shah’s regime (after the execution of an Amanullah supporter), Khaliq began plotting to kill the King. His opportunity came when he and other student-athletes were invited to the palace in Kabul to receive medals for their achievements. Seeing no security at the gates, Khaliq quickly went home and borrowed a gun from a friend before returning to the palace.

With the gun wrapped in a handkerchief in his pocket, Khaliq waited until King Mohammed Nadir Shah entered the garden where the ceremony was taking place. As the King approached the students, Khaliq drew the gun and fired several shots. The first hit the King in the mouth, the second in his heart, and the third through his lung. A fourth shot was also fired, striking a guard who was rushing to subdue the assassin.

For more information see: Wikipedia: Abdul Khaliq

What happened to Mohammed Nadir Shah?

Tomb of Mohammed Nadir Shah

King Mohammed Nadir Shah died instantly from the gunshots. He was succeeded by his son, Mohammed Zahir Shah, who would become the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 1933 until the overthrow of the Afghani monarchy in 1973.

King Mohammed Nadir Shah was buried in a large mausoleum at Teppe Maranjan overlooking east Kabul. Now in near ruins, the mausoleum was constructed of marble and topped with a large metal dome. The crypt beneath the structure holds King Mohammed Nadir Shah’s tomb and the tombs of several family members. Nearby is the tomb of Sultan Mohammed Telai, the king’s great-great-grandfather.

What happened to Abdul Khaliq?

Following the assassination, Khaliq was quickly apprehended and imprisoned. Tortured by the guards, he named several of his family members as accomplices, although this claim has been questioned by surviving members of his family. Along with sixteen family members, Khaliq was sentenced to death by hanging at the Deh Mazang prison. However, only sixteen nooses were prepared. On December 18, 1933, Khaliq and his family members were led to the prison yard to be hanged. Instead, however, Khaliq was tortured to death in front of the others, before they were then hanged.

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