Fayz Mohammad Kāteb and Gholām Mohammad Ghobār’s Divergent Allegories of an Afghan Rebellion

Abstract

Recent scholarship on Afghan historiography has shed light on how Afghan historians, particularly from the early twentieth century onwards, have used events such as the First Anglo-Afghan War for the purpose of national narratives. This article deepens this analysis by paying particular attention to how two prominent Afghan historians, Fayz Mohammad Kāteb and Gholām Mohammad Ghobār, rendered the Afghan rebellion that ended the British occupation in the First Anglo-Afghan War. Although Kāteb and Ghobār agreed on the religious nature of the rebellion, they had opposite interpretations regarding its leadership. This study explores how these opposite interpretations reflect a common underlying attempt to use the First Anglo-Afghan War as an historical allegory. As a court historian, Kāteb’s account is a testimony to his patron dynasty’s ability to protect Afghanistan, while Ghobār’s account reflects the author’s conviction in Afghanistan’s readiness for democracy.