Humaira Begum
Encyclopedia
Humaira Begum was the wife of Mohammed Zahir Shah
and the last Queen consort
of Afghanistan
on 7 November 1931. Together they had six sons and two daughters.
her husband was proclaimed King and Humaira became Queen consort of Afghanistan.
In 1946 Queen Humaira created the Women's Society which was the first ever women's institute in Afghanistan. In 1959 she supported the call by the Prime minister Mohammed Daoud Khan
for women to voluntary removal the veil
by removing her own.
undergoing eye surgery as well as therapy for lumbago, his cousin and former Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud Khan staged a coup d'état and established a republican government. Daoud Khan had been removed from office by Zahir Shah a decade earlier. In the August following this coup, Zahir Shah abdicated rather than risk an all-out civil war.
Humaira and Zahir Shah spent their twenty-nine years in exile in Italy living in a relatively modest four-bedroom villa in the affluent community of Olgiata on Via Cassia
, north of the city of Rome
. The king never had feathered any nests in foreign bank accounts, and he depended on the generosity of friends.
Her body was returned to Afghanistan and was greeted at the airport by military personnel, tribal representatives in traditional robes, and cabinet ministers from Hamid Karzai
's government. Memorial and funeral services were also held for her in two Kabul mosques. Her remains were buried in the Royal Mausoleum
in Kabul.
Mohammed Zahir Shah
Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973...
and the last Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Marriage
Humaira Begum was the daughter of Sardar Ahmad Shah Khan and his first wife Zarin Begum. She married her cousin the Crown Prince of Afghanistan Mohammed ZahirMohammed Zahir Shah
Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973...
on 7 November 1931. Together they had six sons and two daughters.
- Princess Bilqis Begum (born 17 April 1932)
- Crown Prince Muhammed Akbar Khan (4 August 1933 - 26 November 1942)
- Crown Prince Ahmad Shah (born 23 September 1934)
- Princess Maryam Begum (born 2 November 1936)
- Prince Muhammed Nadir Khan (born 21 May 1941)
- Prince Shah Mahmoud Khan (15 November 1946 - 7 December 2002)
- Prince Muhammed Daoud Pashtunyar Khan (born 14 April 1949)
- Prince Mir Wais Khan (born 7 January 1957)
Queen of Afghanistan
On 8 November 1933 after the assassination of her father in law Mohammed Nadir ShahMohammed Nadir Shah
Mohammed Nadir Shah was King of Afghanistan from 15 October 1929 until his assassination in 1933. Previously, he served as Minister of War, Afghan Ambassador to France, and as a general in the military of Afghanistan...
her husband was proclaimed King and Humaira became Queen consort of Afghanistan.
In 1946 Queen Humaira created the Women's Society which was the first ever women's institute in Afghanistan. In 1959 she supported the call by the Prime minister Mohammed Daoud Khan
Mohammed Daoud Khan
Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan or Daud Khan was Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and later becoming the President of Afghanistan...
for women to voluntary removal the veil
Veil
A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face.One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space...
by removing her own.
Exile
In 1973, while her husband Mohammed Zahir Shah was in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
undergoing eye surgery as well as therapy for lumbago, his cousin and former Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud Khan staged a coup d'état and established a republican government. Daoud Khan had been removed from office by Zahir Shah a decade earlier. In the August following this coup, Zahir Shah abdicated rather than risk an all-out civil war.
Humaira and Zahir Shah spent their twenty-nine years in exile in Italy living in a relatively modest four-bedroom villa in the affluent community of Olgiata on Via Cassia
Via Cassia
The Via Cassia was an important Roman road striking out of the Via Flaminia near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii traversed Etruria...
, north of the city of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The king never had feathered any nests in foreign bank accounts, and he depended on the generosity of friends.
Death
Just weeks before she was to return to Afghanistan and be reunited with her husband who recently had returned, Begum was admitted to hospital with breathing problems and heart trouble and died two days later.Her body was returned to Afghanistan and was greeted at the airport by military personnel, tribal representatives in traditional robes, and cabinet ministers from Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
's government. Memorial and funeral services were also held for her in two Kabul mosques. Her remains were buried in the Royal Mausoleum
Royal Mausoleum
-Mausoleums around the World:*Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii*Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania* Royal Mausoleum in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, Czech republic: burial place of emperors Ferdinand I and Maximilian II and empress Anna of Bohemia and Hungary....
in Kabul.