Description

Mohammad Zahir Shah (1914–2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until his deposition on 17 July 1973. His 40-year reign was the longest since the Durrani Empire's founding in the 18th century.

Zahir Shah expanded Afghanistan's diplomatic relations during the Cold War and began modernizing the country in the 1950s, introducing a new constitution and a constitutional monarchy. His nonpartisan approach brought a period of peace that ended with the Afghan conflict.

In 1973, while he was receiving medical treatment in Italy, his cousin and former prime minister, Mohammad Daoud Khan, overthrew him in a coup, establishing a republic and ending over 225 years of monarchy. Zahir Shah lived in exile near Rome until 2002, returning to Afghanistan after the Taliban's fall. He was honored as Father of the Nation until his death in 2007.