Mahmud Tarzi

Mahmud Beg Tarzi was born on August 23, 1865, in Ghazni into the Mohammadzai royal clan. Exiled to the Ottoman Empire for twenty years by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, Tarzi absorbed modern European journalism, literature, and political science in Damascus and Istanbul.

Returning to Kabul in 1902, Tarzi launched the legendary newspaper Siraj al-Akhbar (The Lamp of the News, 1911–1919), serving as the intellectual crucible for the 'Young Afghan' reform movement. He translated Jules Verne's novels into Persian and served as Foreign Minister under King Amanullah, leading diplomatic negotiations with Soviet Russia, Great Britain, and European powers until retiring to Istanbul.