The Order of the Dooranee Empire was awarded to British field officers and above during the First Afghan War

First Anglo-Afghan War

The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...

 by Shah Shoojah-ool-Moolk

Shuja Shah Durrani

Shuja Shah Durrani was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1803 to 1809. He then ruled from 1839 until his death in 1842. Shuja Shah was of the Sadozai line of the Abdali group of Pashtuns...

 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...

 in gratitude for his restoration to the throne.

The first investiture of the order was held at a grand durbar in the courtyard of the Harem Serai of the Bala Hissar

Bala Hissar

Bala Hissar is an ancient fortress located in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. The estimated date of construction is around the 5th century A.D. Bala Hissar sits to the south of the modern city centre at the tail end of the Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza Mountain...

, Kabul

Kabul

Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...

, on the evening of 17 September 1839. At the time there were not enough decorations prepared but on the day those who were not on duty were presented before the king. The result was that there are numerous variations in the stars and medals as many were subsequently made in India and Europe, particularly in the number of pearls on the order.

There were three classes to the order as to emulate the three classes of the Order of the Bath

Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

. The first and second classes had both a star and a medal while the third consisted of a medal only. The medal of all three classes had the red/green ribbon of the Ghuznee Medal

Ghuznee Medal

The Ghuznee Medal is a British campaign medal that was awarded for participation in the storming of the fortress of Ghuznee in Afghanistan, on 21 to 23 July 1839. This action, the Battle of Ghazni, took place during the First Anglo-Afghan War....

.

1st Class

Medal: A gold Maltese cross with eight points terminating in a gold bead on two crossed swords. In the centre is a green flower on a blue enamel ground with the words "dui-i-dauran" in Persian script, meaning "pearl of the age", the name attributed to the Durrani

Durrani

Durrani or Abdali is the name of a chief Pashtun tribal confederation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Originally known by their ancient name Abdali later as Durrani they have been called Durrani since the beginning of the Durrani Empire in 1747. The number of Durranis are estimated to be roughly 16%...

 dynasty. The enamel centre is encircled by pearls.

Star: A silver star with a smaller Maltese cross in gold overlaid in the same style as the medal with the addition of a diamond on each arm of the gold cross. There are 17 pearls circling the enamel work.

2nd Class

Medal: As the 1st class but with 20 pearls encircling the centre.

Star: A silver star shaped like a Maltese cross with the gold medal overlaid as above but with 18 pearls.

Recipients

This is not an exhaustive list

1st Class

1. Lieut. Col. Sir Alexander Burnes
   Alexander Burnes
   Captain Sir Alexander Burnes was a Scottish traveller and explorer who took part in The Great Game. He was nicknamed Bokhara Burnes for his role in establishing contact with and exploring Bukhara, which made his name.-Early life:He was born in Montrose, Scotland, to the son of the local provost,...
   
   
2. Lieut. General Sir Willoughby Cotton
   Willoughby Cotton
   Lieutenant General Sir Willoughby Cotton GCB, KCH was a British soldier. During his career, Cotton played major roles in the First Anglo–Burmese War, the 1831-32 slave revolt in Jamaica and the First Anglo-Afghan War....
   
   
3. Lord Auckland
   George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland
   George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, GCB, PC was a British Whig politician and colonial administrator. He was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served as Governor-General of India between 1836 and 1842....
   
   
4. Lieut. General Sir John Keane
   John Keane, 1st Baron Keane
   John Keane, 1st Baron Keane, GCB, GCH was a British soldier.Keane was born in Belmont, Ireland, the second son of Sir John Keane, 1st Baronet. He joined the British Army as an Ensign at age 11 in 1792. He rose the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the 60th Foot and commanded a brigade in the...
   
   
5. Sir William Hay Macnaghten
   William Hay Macnaghten
   Sir William Hay Macnaghten, 1st Baronet was a British civil servant in India, who played a major part in the First Anglo-Afghan War....
   
   
6. Lieut. Col. Sir Claude Martin Wade
   Claude Martin Wade
   Colonel Sir Claude Martin Wade C.B. Agent to the Governor- General for theAffairs of the Punjab and North-West Frontier, 1823-1840 accessed July...
   
   
7. Major General Sir Thomas Willshire

2nd Class

1. Lieut. Col. Robert Arnold
2. Lieut. Col. JG Beaumgardt
3. Major A Campbell
4. Major Patrick Craigie
5. Major William Garden
6. Lieut. Col. Keith
7. Lieut. Col. Macdonald
8. Major General Sir James Outram
   Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet
   Lieutenant General Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet GCB KSI was an English general who fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and is considered a British hero.-Early life:...
   
   
9. Major General James Parsons
10. Major Alexander Peat
11. Major General Abraham Roberts
    Abraham Roberts
    General Sir Abraham Roberts GCB was a British Army General who served nearly 50 years in India.Roberts had two sons, both who obtained the highest ranks in the British Army...
    
    
12. Major General Sir Robert Henry Sale
    Robert Henry Sale
    Major General Sir Robert Henry Sale GCB was a British Army officer who commanded the garrison of Jalalabad during the First Afghan War and was killed in action during the First Anglo-Sikh War....
    
    
13. Lieut. Col. J Scott
14. Major General Edward Simpson
15. Lieut. Col. Stephenson
16. General Sir Joseph Thackwell
17. Lieut. Col. George Thomson
18. Major Elliot D'Arcy Todd
19. Lieut. Col. Hugh Wheeler

3rd Class

1. Major General Augustus Abbott
   Augustus Abbott
   Major-General Augustus Abbott was an army officer in the British East India Company. He was the eldest of several prominent brothers. He served in various military campaigns including the First Anglo-Afghan War...
   
   
2. Major William Alexander
3. Captain William Anderson
4. Superintending Surgeon James Atkinson
   James Atkinson (Persian scholar)
   James Atkinson was a surgeon, artist and Persian scholar - "a Renaissance man among Anglo-Indians" - Early life :Atkinson was born in Darlington, County Durham, England, the son of a woolcomber...
   
   
5. Captain JDD Bean
6. Colonel David Birrell
7. Lieut. Col. Bulstrode Bygrave
8. Lieut. Col. Neil Campbell
9. Lieut. Col. Charles Carmichael Smyth
10. Lieut. Col. Richard Carruthers
11. Major CJ Connyngham
12. Captain Edward Barry Conolly
13. Lieut. Col. Croker
14. Lieut. Col. David Cuninghame
15. Lieut. Col. Charles Robert Cureton
16. Lieut. Col. Daly
17. Captain David Davidson
18. Lieut. Col. William Dennie
19. Major Deshon
20. Major General Thomas Douglas
21. Superintending Surgeon J Forsyth
22. Major J Fraser
23. Captain H Garbett
24. Major C Griffiths
25. Major Crawford Hagart
26. Major Henry Hancock
27. Major John Hay
28. Lieut. Col. John Herring
29. Captain Hugh Johnson
30. General Sir George St Patrick Lawrence
31. Major Robert Leech
32. Mr PB Lord
33. Lieutenant Frederick Mackeson
34. Lieut. Col. James Maclaren
35. Lieut. Col. McDowell
36. Lieut. Col. GHM McGregor
37. Captain James McGregor
38. Major Thomas McSherry
39. Colonel Thomas Monteath
40. Lieut. Col. Joseph Orchard
41. Lieut. Col. John Pennycuick
42. Lieut. Col. William Persse
43. Lieut. Col. Peter Pew
44. Major Edward Pottinger
45. Lieut. Col. Sir HC Rawlinson
46. Captain James Nathaniel Rind
47. Lieut. Col. Henry Salter
48. Captain Edward Sanders
49. Lieut. Col. Bentham Sandwith
50. General Sir Richmond Shakespeare
51. Lieut. Col. LR Stacy
52. Lieut. Col. Foster Stalker
53. Major Robert Thomas
54. Major John Thompson
55. Lieut. Col. Tronson
56. Captain Hamilton Wade
57. Captain A Wall
58. Major General George Warren
59. Lieut. Col. John Weston
60. Lieut. Col. CB Wheeler
61. Captain Foster Wheler
62. Colonel GP Wymer
63. Captain AGFJ Younghusband