Herat (1793–1863) in the context of "Timur Shah Durrani"

Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai, (23 December 1792 – 9 June 1863) nicknamed the Great Emir, was the founder of the Barakzai dynasty and one of the prominent rulers of Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War. With the decline of the Durrani dynasty, he succeeded his brother Sultan Mohammad Khan, and became the Emir of Afghanistan in 1826. An ethnic Pashtun, he belonged to the Mohammadzai branch of the Barakzai tribe. He was the 11th son of Payandah Khan, chief of the Barakzai Pashtuns, who was killed in 1800 by King Zaman Shah Durrani.

At the beginning of his rule, the Afghans lost their former stronghold of Peshawar Valley in March 1823 to the Sikh Khalsa Army of Ranjit Singh at the Battle of Nowshera. The Afghan forces in the battle were led by Mohammad Azim Khan, half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan. By the end of his reign, he had reunited the principalities of Kandahar and Herat with Kabul. Dost had ruled for a lengthy 36 years, a span exceeded only by Mohammad Zahir Shah more than a century later.

Kamran Mirza Durrani (Pashto/Persian: کامران میرزا دورانی) was the last Durrani ruler of Herat from 1826 to 1842. He was the son and successor of Mahmud Shah Durrani (r. 1801–1803, 1809–1818). During Kamran Mirza's early life, a lengthy struggle for control of the capital Kabul occurred between his father and his father's half-brother, Shah Shujah Durrani (r. 1804–1809). In this period, Kamran Mirza governed the city of Kandahar, while his uncle Firuz al-Din Mirza ruled Herat under Iranian suzerainty. When Firuz al-Din rebelled in 1814, Kamran Mirza suppressed the revolt.

In 1818, the Durrani minister Fateh Khan Barakzai deposed Firuz al-Din as ruler of Herat; his troops then plundered the city, and his brother Dost Mohammad Khan raped Kamran Mirza's sister. In revenge, Kamran Mirza captured Fateh Khan and had him executed, which prompted a rebellion by Fateh Khan's brothers. This forced Mahmud Shah and Kamran Mirza to retreat to Herat, the last Durrani stronghold. In 1826, Kamran Mirza became the ruler of Herat after defeating his father, who then withdrew from politics. In an attempt to strengthen Iranian control of Herat, the Iranian crown prince Abbas Mirza besieged Herat in 1833. Although Abbas Mirza died during the siege, Kamran Mirza acknowledged Iran's nominal suzerainty. A second siege took place in 1837–1838 under Mohammad Shah Qajar (r. 1834–1848), but British intervention forced the Iranians to withdraw. After the British embassy left Herat, Kamran Mirza renewed his allegiance to Iran in 1841.