''Shams al-Nahar'' (), variously spelled as Shams ul-Nahar or Shamsul Nahar, was the first printed periodical publication in Afghanistan from 1873 until it ceased operations in 1878. It was published during the rule of Amir Shir Ali Khan. Recognized as the earliest newspaper of the country, it signified the formal beginning of Afghan media history. The periodical was released biweekly in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, though some sources claim it was also available in

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

—two of the official languages widely spoken in Afghanistan. The issue comprised 16 pages. Its establishment is attributed to initiatives to introduce journalism in Afghanistan, with

Jamal al-Din al-Afghani Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (Pashto/), also known as Jamāl ad-Dīn Asadābādī () and commonly known as Al-Afghani (1838/1839 – 9 March 1897), was an Iranian political activist and Islamic ideologist who travelled throughout the Mus ...

playing a central role in its conception. Shams-u-Nahar represented Afghanistan's initial interactions with regional journalism practices and laid the preparations for the subsequent development of media in the country.

History

Shamsul Nahar emerged at a time when Afghanistan was opening itself to regional and global influences, aiming to facilitate dissemination of information and ideas in the public. With an organized network of reporters, both inside Afghanistan and in neighboring regions such as Iran and India, it attempted to showcase a new model of journalism. It was influenced by the foreign newspapers—especially those from Iran and India. The writing style of Shams-u-Nahar was impacted by English journalism practices. One feature was the consistent use of the English term "correspondent" instead of the Persian synonym "guzarushgar," indicating the influence of

Western media Western media is the mass media of the Western world. During the Cold War, Western media contrasted with Soviet media. Western media has gradually expanded into developing countries (often, non-Western countries) around the world. History T ...

terminology on its editorial approach. The newspaper was edited by Mirza Abdul Ali, who served as the

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's Editing, editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is hel ...

until its closure. The periodical managed to publish 40 to 48 issues before being discontinued, a result of both

political instability Political decay is a political theory, originally described in 1965 by Samuel P. Huntington, which describes how chaos and disorder can arise from social modernization increasing more rapidly than political and institutional modernization. Huntin ...

and foreign intervention in the region.

Closure

Shams-u-Nahar ceased publication in 1878 following the outbreak of the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

and the death of Amir Shir Ali Khan. The British occupation during this period played a central role in restricting media activities, fearing that free information flow might incite mass mobilization against

colonial rule Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...

. As a result, the British authorities pressured the Afghan government to halt Shams-u-Nahar, thereby silencing the press for almost three decades. The closure of the

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

suggested a setback in the development of Afghanistan's media history. No significant

publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Convention, articl ...

s emerged until the early 20th century, making Shams-u-Nahar a pioneering yet short-lived venture in Afghan journalism.

History

Closure

References

Further reading