BARAKZAY DYNASTY

ruling family in Afghanistan in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Barakzay brothers seized control of Afghanistan and in 1826 divided the region between them. Dost Mohammad Khan gained preeminence and founded the dynasty about 1837. Thereafter his descendants ruled in direct succession until 1929, when the reigning monarch abdicated and his cousin Mohammad Nader Khan was elected king. Nader Khan, on his assassination in 1933, was succeeded by his son Zahir Shah, who reigned until July 17, 1973, when he was deposed and a republic was proclaimed. The Barakzay rulers, in chronological order, were Dost Mohammad Khan, Shir 'Ali Khan, Ya'qub Khan, 'Abdor Rahman Khan, Habibollah Khan, 'Amanollah Khan, Mohammad Nader Khan, and Mohammad Zahir Shah.