Zahir Shah, Muhammad (1914- )

King of Afghanistan 1933-73. Zahir, educated in Kabul and Paris, served in the government 1932-33 before being crowned king. He was overthrown in 1973 by a republican coup and went into exile. He became a symbol of national unity for the Mujahedin Islamic fundamentalist resistance groups.

In 1991 the Afghan government restored Zahir's citizenship.