The Arab Servants of Sir Alexander Burnes

The two men shown in this print were servants of Sir Alexander Burnes (1805–1841), a British political agent in Kabul, Afghanistan. Burnes was an important ally in Britain’s efforts to secure influence and power in the strategic border regions of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 1838 Emily Eden’s brother, Lord Auckland, the governor-general of India, embarked on a course of action in Afghanistan—against the advice of Burnes—that eventually led to the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842).

 Eden wrote of the Arab companions of Sir Alexander Burnes: “It is believed that these men were connected with the Arab Tribes in and near Cabool [Kabul], descendants of the original Arab conquerors, at the time of the introduction of Mohamedanism [Islam] into Afghanistan. These tribes still remain separate from the general Afghan population of the country.”