Durrani Dynasty

The Durrani dynasty, also known as the Sadozai dynasty, was a Pashtun ruling family that founded the Durrani Empire in 1747. Established by Ahmad Shah Durrani in Kandahar, Afghanistan, the dynasty united Pashtun tribes and, at its peak, controlled modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of northeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India, including the Kashmir Valley. Ahmad Shah and his Sadozai descendants were significant rulers in the latter half of the 18th century. The Durrani dynasty was eventually succeeded by the Barakzai dynasty in 1823.