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Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud ben Mohammed Anoun, Moorish Ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I — This image is a reproduction of an Elizabethan painting of the Moorish Ambassador who visited Queen Elizabeth I of England from Barbary in 1600 to propose an alliance against Spain.
Top to bottom, left to right: Dost Mohammed, Haider Khan, Mohammed Akram Khan and Abdul Ghani Khan, all held captive by the British at Ludhiana, 1840s
When the British captured Ghazni in July 1839, one of the most important consequences was the capture of its governor, Ghulam Haider Khan, the fourth son of Dost Mohammed. Fearing for his life, Ghulam tried to escape from the city, but was intercepted and eventually received and pardoned by the incumbent Emir, Shah Shuja.<br/><br/> When Dost Mohammed regained his position in Afghanistan, Ghulam became prime minister of Kabul, succeeding his brother Akbar. In so doing, Ghulam became Dost Mohammed's most likely successor and thus upset his two older brothers who felt they had been sidelined. According to Rattray, he was a large, good-looking and very stout young man who resembled his father. This portrait is a copy of a picture owned by Dowager Lady Keane, rather than a study from life.
Mohammed Emwazi (born Muhammad Jassim Abdulkarim Olayan al-Dhafiri, 17 August 1988 – 12 November 2015) was a British Arab alleged to be the person seen in several videos produced by the Islamic extremist group ISIL showing the beheadings of a number of captives in 2014 and 2015. A group of his hostages nicknamed him 'John' since he was part of a four-person terrorist cell with London accents whom they called 'The Beatles'; the press later began calling him 'Jihadi John'. On 12 November 2015, US officials reported that Emwazi had been hit by a drone strike in Al-Raqqah, Syria. His death was confirmed by ISIL in January 2016.
Sayyid Sir Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Said, GCSI, (1853 - July 18, 1902) (ruled August 27, 1896 - July 18, 1902) (Arabic: حمود بن محمد‎) was the British-controlled Omani sultan of the protectorate of Zanzibar, who outlawed slavery on the island.<br/><br/> Hamoud became sultan with the support of the British consul, Sir Basil Cave, upon the death of Hamad bin Thuwaini. Before he could enter the palace, another potential contender for the throne, Khalid bin Barghash, seized the palace and declared himself sultan. The British responded the next day, August 26, 1896, by issuing an ultimatum to Khalid and his entourage to evacuate the palace by 9:00 am on August 27. When he refused, British warships fired on the palace and other strategic locations in the city, destroying them and causing Khalid and his group to flee. According to the Guinness Book of World Records the resultant Anglo-Zanzibar War was the shortest war in history, and the same day Hamoud was able to assume the title of sultan, more indebted to the British than ever.<br/><br/> Hamoud demanded that slavery be banned in Zanzibar and that all the slaves be freed.
Sayyid Sir Hamoud bin Mohammed Al-Said, GCSI, (1853 - July 18, 1902) (ruled August 27, 1896 - July 18, 1902) (Arabic: حمود بن محمد‎) was the British-controlled Omani sultan of the protectorate of Zanzibar, who outlawed slavery on the island.<br/><br/> Hamoud became sultan with the support of the British consul, Sir Basil Cave, upon the death of Hamad bin Thuwaini. Before he could enter the palace, another potential contender for the throne, Khalid bin Barghash, seized the palace and declared himself sultan. The British responded the next day, August 26, 1896, by issuing an ultimatum to Khalid and his entourage to evacuate the palace by 9:00 am on August 27. When he refused, British warships fired on the palace and other strategic locations in the city, destroying them and causing Khalid and his group to flee. According to the Guinness Book of World Records the resultant Anglo-Zanzibar War was the shortest war in history, and the same day Hamoud was able to assume the title of sultan, more indebted to the British than ever.<br/><br/> Hamoud demanded that slavery be banned in Zanzibar and that all the slaves be freed.
Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud ben Mohammed Anoun, Moorish Ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I — This image is a reproduction of an Elizabethan painting of the Moorish Ambassador who visited Queen Elizabeth I of England from Barbary in 1600 to propose an alliance against Spain.
Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan or Daud Khan (July 18, 1909 – April 27, 1978) was Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963, later becoming the President of Afghanistan. He overthrew the monarchy of his first cousin Mohammed Zahir Shah and declared himself as the first President of Afghanistan from 1973 until his assassination in 1978 as a result of the Saur Revolution led by the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Daoud Khan was known for his progressive policies, especially in relation to the rights of women, and for initiating two five-year modernization plans.
Mohammed Nadir Shah (born Mohammed Nadir; April 9, 1883 - November 8, 1933), was king of the Kingdom of Afghanistan from October 15, 1929 until his assassination in 1933. He and his son Mohammed Zahir Shah, who succeeded him, are sometimes referred to as the Musahiban.
Mohammad Afzal Khan (1811 - October 7, 1867) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1865 to 1867. The oldest son of Dost Mohammed Khan, Afzal Khan seized power from his brother Sher Ali Khan three years after their father's death. Following Afzal Khan's death the following year, Sher Ali Khan was reinstated as Amir of Afghanistan. He was an ethnic Pashtun and belonged to the Barakzai tribe.
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia (اOctober 1919 – 27 July 1980), ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979. He was the second and last monarch of the House of Pahlavi of the Iranian monarchy. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi held several titles: His Imperial Majesty, Shahanshah (King of Kings, Emperor), Aryamehr (Light of the Aryans) and Bozorg Arteshtārān (Head of the Warriors).<br/><br/> Mohammad Reza Shah came to power during World War II after an Anglo-Soviet invasion forced the abdication of his father Reza Shah. During his reign, the Iranian oil industry was nationalized under Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, and Iran marked the anniversary of 2,500 years of continuous monarchy since the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. The Shah's White Revolution, a series of economic and social reforms intended to transform Iran into a global power, succeeded in modernizing the nation, nationalizing many natural resources, and extending suffrage to women.<br/><br/> A secular Muslim himself, the Shah gradually lost support from the Shi'a clergy of Iran, particularly due to his strong policy of modernization, secularization, conflict with the traditional class of merchants known as bazaari, and recognition of Israel. Various additional controversial policies were enacted, including the banning of the communist Tudeh Party, and a general suppression of political dissent by Iran's intelligence agency, SAVAK. Amnesty International reported that in 1978 Iran had as many as 2,200 political prisoners, a number which multiplied rapidly as a result of the revolution.<br/><br/> Several other factors contributed to strong opposition to the Shah among certain groups within Iran, the most notable of which were the U.S. and UK backed coup d'état against Mosaddegh in 1953, clashes with Islamists, and increased communist activity. By 1979, political unrest had transformed into a revolution which, on 16 January, forced the Shah to leave Iran. Soon thereafter, the Iranian monarchy was formally abolished, and Iran was declared an Islamic republic. Facing likely execution should he return to Iran, he died in exile in Egypt, whose President, Anwar Sadat, had granted him asylum.
Mohammed Zahir Shah (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973. Following his return from exile he was given the title 'Father of the Nation' in 2002 which he held until his death. Had he not been deposed in 1973, he would have reigned for a total of 73 years and he would have been one of the longest reigning monarchs of all time.
The Battle of Badr (Arabic: غزوة بدر‎), fought Saturday, March 13, 624 AD (17 Ramadan, 2 AH in the Islamic calendar) in the Hejaz region of western Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia), was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in Muhammad's struggle with his opponents among the Quraish in Mecca. The battle has been passed down in Islamic history as a decisive victory attributable to divine intervention, or by secular sources to the strategic genius of Muhammad. It is one of the few battles specifically mentioned in the Qur'an. Most contemporary knowledge of the battle at Badr comes from traditional Islamic accounts, both hadiths and biographies of Muhammad, recorded in written form some time after the battle.<br/><br/> Prior to the battle, the Muslims and Meccans had fought several smaller skirmishes in late 623 and early 624, as the Muslim ghazawāt (prophet-led battles) had become more frequent. Badr, however, was the first large-scale engagement between the two forces. Advancing to a strong defensive position, Muhammad's well-disciplined force broke the Meccan lines, killing several important Quraishi leaders including Muhammad's chief antagonist, 'Amr ibn Hishām. For the early Muslims the battle was the first sign that they might eventually defeat their enemies among the Meccans. Mecca at that time was one of the richest and most powerful cities in Arabia, fielding an army three times larger than that of the Muslims. The Muslim victory also signalled to other tribes that a new power had arisen in Arabia and strengthened Muhammad’s position as leader of the often fractious community in Medina.
Edward William Lane (1801-76) was a British Orientalist, translator and Arabic scholar who lived in Ottoman Cairo from 1825-28. So fascinated was he with Egypt, he dressed as an Ottoman Turk and spent much time sketching the backstreets of Cairo. Upon his return to England he translated the novel ‘Arabian Nights’ [‘1001 nights’] and ‘Selections from the Qur’an’.
George Sale (1697, Canterbury, Kent, England–1736, London, England) was an Orientalist and practising solicitor, best known for his 1734 translation of the Qur'an into English.<br/><br/> Sale reputedly spent 25 years in Arabia, thus acquiring his knowledge of the Arabic language and customs.