Leaders of the Afghan Mission in Kabul 1916

September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 teamht #MaulanaBarkatullahBhopali #BarkatullahBhopali, #RajaMahendraPratap

Leaders of the Afghan Mission in Kabul 1916

This photograph shows the multi-national representatives of the Afghan Mission. From left to right, they are the Ottoman Sultan’s representative Kâzım Orbay, Leutnant von Hentig, the Hindu Indian Nationalist leader Mahendra Pratap, Oberleutnant Oskar Niedermayer and the Islamic Indian Nationalist Maulavi Barkatullah.

The Afghan Mission in Kabul 1915/16

From left to right the photograph shows :- Kâzım Orbay, Werner von Hentig, Walter Röhr, #RajaMahendraPratap, Kurt Wagner, Oskar Niedermayer, Günther Voigt and #BarkatullahBhopali.

Photo © Stiftung Bibliotheca Afghanica#AzaadiKiNishaniyan pic.twitter.com/DBuSo1wrId

— Heritage Times (@HeritageTimesIN) August 12, 2018

Walter Röh, Kurt Wagner, Günther Voigt are in Back Side from left to Right.

In the background are the German and Ottoman flags.

On the left, Major Kâzım Orbay wears an olive green Ottoman army officers uniform with the black lambs wool Kalpak hat. On his left breast is the Prussian Order of the Crown, awarded to him by von Hentig.

Next to Orbay is Leutnant Werner von Hentig wearing the uniform of an Officer of the Prussian Cuirassiers as in the previous photograph. He has his spiked helmet on his lap.

In the centre is Mahendra Pratap, the leader of the Indian nationalists. He wears a long Indian gown over a Western suit and a white turban. Again, some of these may be items made for the expedition by Afghan tailors. At his throat is the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle second class which he had been awarded by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Oberleutnant Oskar Niedermayer sits to the side of Pratrap. He wears the 1907 Landespolizei uniform as seen in the previous photograph.

Maulavi Barkatullah is on the far right. He wears and suit and tie with a black lambs wool hat. These may be items have been carefully brought across the Persian desert or made for the expedition by Afghan tailors upon their arrival. It may be a round or diamond shaped medal at his throat (such as the non-Christian Prussian Order of the Red Eagle) or perhaps simply a pendant.