Nasrullah Khan watching a naval brigade march at Maidan in Calcutta [Kolkata]
A black and white landscape photograph showing Nasrullah Khan (Shahzada, or crown prince, of Afghanistan) sat in a carriage watching a naval brigade of HMS Hyacinth march past at the Maidan in Calcutta [Kolkata].
The British entertained Nasrullah during visits to British India and Britain as part of a wider diplomatic strategy to retain influence over Afghanistan. The country was never formally colonised but the British sought to control its foreign affairs during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, fearing Russia might gain influence and threaten their Indian empire to the south.
When this picture was taken, Nasrullah was a crown prince. He later became Emir of Afghanistan, in February 1919, but only reigned for one week.
The British entertained Nasrullah during visits to British India and Britain as part of a wider diplomatic strategy to retain influence over Afghanistan. The country was never formally colonised but the British sought to control its foreign affairs during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, fearing Russia might gain influence and threaten their Indian empire to the south.
When this picture was taken, Nasrullah was a crown prince. He later became Emir of Afghanistan, in February 1919, but only reigned for one week.