Musahiban


The Musahiban derived from Persian مصاحب Muṣāḥib, meaning "courtier" or "aide de camp" are a Mohammadzai family who founded an Afghan dynasty which ruled from 1929 to 1978. They are the descendants of Sultan Mohammad Khan Telai. They were the last rulers of the Mohammadzai dynasty before being overthrown in the Saur Revolution.

Name and origins

The family are descendants of Sultan Mohammad Khan, nicknamed "Telai" which means "possessor of gold" or "golden", a nickname he was given because of his love of fine clothing. His younger brother was Dost Mohammad Khan. Telai had a son named Yahya and Yahya's son, Sardar Mohammad Yusuf Khan, founded the Yahya-khel clan which was later named the Musahiban. According to Amin Saikal, "by 1905, Yossef and his brother, Asef, became the Amir's Musahiban-e Khas, from which originated the tribe name Musahiban".

Policies

The Musahiban have historically been known for a step-by-step, culturally progressive and tribally sensitive, evolution for the modernization and opening up of Afghanistan in contrast to the often more radically accelerated strategies promoted in the past.