Sultan Mohammad Khan

Sardar Sultan Mohammad Khan Barakzai, (1795 – 1861) also known as Ghazi Sultan Mohammad Talaei, through his epithet as the Golden Sultan, was an Afghan chief minister and regent. He was a powerful half-brother of Dost Mohammad Khan, the eventual ruler of Afghanistan who seized control of Kabul from him. Prior to and during the reign of Dost Mohammad Khan, Sultan Mohammad Khan Telai was chief minister and governor of various regions of Afghanistan, including Kabul, Peshawar and Kohat. He was the first of the Musahiban, a Mohammadzai dynasty that began with him and ruled Afghanistan for more than 150 years, in various forms such as emir, king or president from 1823 to 1978.

An ethnic Pashtun, Mohammad Khan Talaei was the 15th son of Sardar Payeida Khan (chief of the Barakzai tribe), who was killed in 1799 by Zaman Shah Durrani. Sultan Muhammad Khan's grandfather was Hajji Jamal Khan. Sultan Mohammad Khan's wealth, along with his immense love for fine goods like luxurious robes, led to his family giving him his nickname "Telai", meaning golden.