Afghanistan's last king to be buried in Kabul

Afghanistan’s last king was to be buried in a hilltop shrine in Kabul today next to his late wife and other members of the royal family.

Mohammad Zahir Shah died yesterday aged 92, ending the last vestige of Afghanistan’s monarchy.

His death triggered three days of national mourning for a man still feted as the “Father of the Nation” since his return from exile after the 2001 fall of the Taliban.

Police increased their presence in the area of Maranjan Hill, where local and foreign dignitaries were expected to pay their last respects for a man who oversaw four decades of relative peace before a 1973 palace coup ousted him and war shattered his country.

Kabul’s police chief said police were stationed at distant high points where militants could launch rocket strikes at the hilltop funeral site.

The king’s body will be taken from his residence on the presidential palace grounds to one of Kabul's main mosques for a prayer ceremony. Then the body will be taken to the hilltop shrine for burial.

Though he was not always effective during his 40-year reign, Zahir Shah is remembered warmly by his conflict-weary countrymen for steering the country without bloodshed.