3-070-551 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Scene of the battle near Candahar [in Afghanistan], on Sept. 22, between Ayoub Khan and the Ameer Abdurrahman, 1881. Ayoub Khan of Herat was defeated by the Ameer Abdurrahman of Cabul...a mile from Chilzina, lies old Candahar, destroyed by Nadir Shah in 1735. It is a complete ruin, but its wide ditch and massive ramparts still make it a formidable military position. Here Ayoub placed his guns, his infantry holding the villages and walled inclosures for a mile or more to his left front...The action seems to have gone on without any result for three or more hours, when the Cabulis suddenly opened fire on the Ghazis and Candaharis in their front. This treachery decided the day, the Ghazis and Candaharis broke and fled, and three of the Herati regiments went over to the victor...The tents, baggage, and fourteen guns fell into the victor's hands. The city opened its gates; the bazaars were partially plundered, with many merchants' houses and the Farsiwans' quarters. The next day the villages in the vicinity of the city were given up to plunder, in revenge for their inhabitants joining Ayoub'. From "Illustrated London News", 1881.