# Order of the Durrani Empire

The Order of the Durrani Empire (Nishan-i-Daulat-i-Durrani) was awarded to British field officers and above during the First Afghan War by Shah Shujah Durrani of Afghanistan 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, Kabul, 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. 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.

## 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 "durr-i-durran" in Persian script, meaning "pearl of the age", the name attributed to the Durrani 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.

## 3rd Class

Medal: As the 1st class but with 14 pearls encircling the centre.

## Recipients

This is not an exhaustive list
1st Class
* Lieut. Col. Sir Alexander Burnes
* Lieut. General Sir Willoughby Cotton
* Lord Auckland
* Lieut. General Sir John Keane
* Sir William Hay Macnaghten
* Lieut. Col. Sir Claude Martin Wade
* Major General Sir Thomas Willshire
2nd Class
* Lieut. Col. Robert Arnold
* Lieut. Col. JG Beaumgardt
* Major A Campbell
* Major Patrick Craigie
* Major William Garden
* Lieut. Col. Keith
* Lieut. Col. Macdonald
* Major General Sir James Outram
* Major General James Parsons
* Major Alexander Peat
* Major General Abraham Roberts
* Major General Sir Robert Henry Sale
* Lieut. Col. J Scott
* Major General Edward Simpson
* Lieut. Col. Stephenson
* General Sir Joseph Thackwell
* Lieut. Col. George Thomson
* Major Elliot D'Arcy Todd
* Lieut. Col. Hugh Wheeler
3rd Class
* Major General Augustus Abbott
* Major William Alexander
* Captain William Anderson
* Superintending Surgeon James Atkinson
* Captain JDD Bean
* Colonel David Birrell
* Lieut. Col. Bulstrode Bygrave
* Lieut. Col. Neil Campbell
* Lieut. Col. Charles Carmichael Smyth
* Lieut. Col. Richard Carruthers
* Major General John Christie
* Major CJ Connyngham
* Captain Edward Barry Conolly
* Lieut. Col. Croker
* Lieut. Col. David Cuninghame
* Lieut. Col. Charles Robert Cureton
* Lieut. Col. Daly
* Captain David Davidson
* Lieut. Col. William Dennie
* Major Deshon
* Major General Thomas Douglas
* Superintending Surgeon J Forsyth
* Major J Fraser
* Captain H Garbett
* Major C Griffiths
* Major Crawford Hagart
* Major Henry Hancock
* Major John Hay
* Lieut. Col. John Herring
* Captain Hugh Johnson
* General Sir George St Patrick Lawrence
* Major Robert Leech
* Mr PB Lord
* Lieutenant Frederick Mackeson
* Lieut. Col. James Maclaren
* Lieut. Col. McDowell
* Lieut. Col. GHM McGregor
* Captain James McGregor
* Major Thomas McSherry
* Colonel Thomas Monteath
* Lieut. Col. Joseph Orchard
* Lieut. Col. John Pennycuick
* Lieut. Col. William Persse
* Lieut. Col. Peter Pew
* Major Edward Pottinger
* Lieut. Col. Sir HC Rawlinson
* Captain James Nathaniel Rind
* Lieut. Col. Henry Salter
* Captain Edward Sanders
* Lieut. Col. Bentham Sandwith
* General Sir Richmond Shakespeare
* Lieut. Col. LR Stacy
* Lieut. Col. Foster Stalker
* Major Robert Thomas
* Major John Thompson
* Lieut. Col. Tronson
* Captain Hamilton Wade
* Captain A Wall
* Major General George Warren
* Lieut. Col. John Weston
* Lieut. Col. CB Wheeler
* Captain Foster Wheler
* Colonel GP Wymer
* Captain AGFJ Younghusband