Sardar Sultan Mohammad Khan Barakzai, (1795 – 1861) also known as Ghazi Sultan Mohammad Talaei, through his epithet as the Golden Sultan, was an Afghan chief minister and regent. He was a powerful half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan, the eventual ruler of Afghanistan who seized control of Kabul from him. Prior to and during the reign of Dost Mohammad Khan, Sultan Mohammad Khan Telai was chief minister and governor of various regions of Afghanistan, including Kabul, Peshawar and Kohat. He was the first of the Musahiban, a Mohammadzai dynasty that began with him and ruled Afghanistan for more than 150 years, in various forms such as emir, king or president from 1823 to 1978.
An ethnic Pashtun, Mohammad Khan Talaei was the 15th son of Sardar Payeida Khan (chief of the Barakzai tribe), who was killed in 1799 by Zaman Shah Durrani. Sultan Muhammad Khan's grandfather was Hajji Jamal Khan. Sultan Mohammad Khan's wealth, along with his immense love for fine goods like luxurious robes, led to his family giving him his nickname "Telai", meaning golden.
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Early history and background
Sultan Mohammad Khan was born in 1795 to an influential Pashtun family in Kandahar, Durrani Empire (present-day Kandahar, Afghanistan). His father, Payinda Khan, was chief of the Barakzai tribe and an aristocrat with the title "Sarfraz Khan" in the Durrani dynasty. Their family can be traced back to Abdal (the founder of the Abdali tribe) through Hajji Jamal Khan, Yousef, Yaru, Mohammad, Omar Khan, Khisar Khan, Ismail, Nek, Daru, Saifal, and Barak. Abdal had four sons, Popal, Barak, Achak, and Alako.
Political power
Sultan Muhammad Khan assumed rule of Kabul in 1824 from Yar Mohammad Khan Barakzai and held it until 1826 when he was expelled by Dost Mohammad Khan. Following his exile, he governed over Peshawar from 1826-1828 and Kohat from 1828-1834. He and the Muhammadzai leaders in general were known for having a great number of wives in order to unify the Afghan tribes and ethnic groups. In 1838, Afghanistan was invaded by the British who had captured Kandahar and Kabul by the end of 1839. Sultan Mohammad later reconciled with Dost Mohammad.
Death
He died in 1861, and his mausoleum rests on Maranjan Hill in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Notable descendants
Nadir Shah, King of Afghanistan, great grandson of Emir Sultan Mohammed Khan Telai through his father Colonel Prince Yousuf Khan
Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan, son of King Nader Shah
Prince Daoud Khan, Prime minister and first President of Afghanistan
Prince Abdul Aziz Khan Telai, General, Governor of Badakhshan and Kandahar
Prince Abdul Qayyum Khan, Governor of Hazarajat, Governor of various Central Afghan Provinces; oldest son of Prince Abdul Aziz Khan and father of Prince Abdul Khalek Khan Telai
Prince Amir Muhammad Khan Telai, General, sided with the British during the third Anglo Afghan War proclaimed himself as Emir in a failed coup d´état against Amanullah Khan; military alliance with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the All India Muslim League; son of Prince Abdul Aziz Khan
Prince Assadullah "Sharza" Telai, General in the US Air Force; son of Prince Amir Muhammad Khan Telai
Brigade General Prince Abdul Ghaffar Khan Telai, Commander of the Royal Brigade of his cousin HM King Nadir Shah; Carried out the executions of the Amanist Charkhi family, who successfully managed to assassinate HM King Nadir Shah through a Hazara ally; son of Prince Abdul Aziz Khan Telai
Prince Abdul Khalek Khan Telai, Afghanistan´s first Physics Professor, Afghan Ambassador to the UN, Chief of Staff of his relative Daoud Khan, son of Prince Abdul Qayyum Khan Telai
