NADIR SHAH

by M. Ismail Sloan

Nadir Shah was a great tribal leader in the early 18th Century. He was born in the area of Khorasan, which is somewhat in the area of Meshed in Eastern Iran and Herat in Western Afghanistan.

Nadir Shah conquered many tribes and became their ruler. In 1739, he attacked the Red Fort in India. However, in 1747, at the height of his powers, the chieftains under Nadir Shah conspired to kill him and to take over his empire. Only his cavalry of Afghans remained loyal to Nadir Shah.

Nadir Shah bedded down for the night with one of his favorite wives. When the band of assassins entered his tent, the wife awoke. The wife fought bravely to defend Nadir Shah, but eventually she was overcome. Nadir Shah remained sound asleep. Nadir Shah never awoke from his slumber. The assassins chopped off his head. His head was paraded around so that all could see that Nadir Shah, their great chieftain and leader, was really dead.

The chieftains who had killed Nadir Shah knew that the people would believe in and follow any child of Nadir Shah. Any child who lived would inherit the kingdom of Nadir Shah. The assassins set about to kill every child of Nadir Shah. Each and every pregnant wife and every child of Nadir Shah was hunted down and killed. (History does not record the exact fate of the wife of Nadir Shah who so bravely defended him on the night of his assassination.)

However, in one small village in Southern Afghanistan there was one tiny, little, baby girl who was only a few weeks old when Nadir Shah was killed. The people of that village knew how valuable and precious that child was. They protected her and hid her until she grew up.

From that tiny baby girl is now descended the entire royal family of Afghanistan, including King Zahir Shah, the present King of Afghanistan.


NOTE: The Shah of Iran also claims to be directly descended from that female child of Nadir Shah.

Here is how I escaped from jail in Afghanistan. My Escape from Jail in Afghanistan .

Here is the tomb of Nadir Shah: Nadir Shah Web Site .

Here are links:


Here are some more old stories, as retold by Sam Sloan:
Contact address - please send e-mail to the following address: Sloan@ishipress.com