Aurora Nilsson
Encyclopedia
Aurora Nilsson, also known as Rora Asim Khan (Västerhaninge
1 January 1894 - Södertälje
1972), was a Swedish writer who became known for her autobiographical novel about her experiences in Afghanistan
during her marriage to an Afghan diplomat, Asim Khan, in the 1920s. A novel is based upon her story. Her divorce (1927) was at the time unique in Afghanistan, and her work gives a valuable insight in the life of a harem
in contemporary 1920s Afghanistan, and is likely one of the first given by a Western woman in a marriage to a Muslim man.
. She never did convert, however.
She followed Khan to Afghanistan in 1926. During the journey to Afghanistan, Kahn changed, according to her, from a modern person to a man more and more aware of the Afghan customs the closer they came to Afghanistan, and abused Nilsson two times. In Kabul
, Nilsson was severely shocked about her new living conditions and was not able to adjust herself to them: she was forced to wear a veil
and was not allowed to leave the house except with her husband's permission, nor look out of the windows, or to talk when she visited a shop. She also discovered that her husband had a servant who was in fact his second wife. She aroused a lot of attention.
Her husband was not given any position, because she had not converted, and he gave her permission to visit the government, the royal court, and women in different positions to try to get him a position. In her book, she describes many people as well as many customs and events of contemporary Afghanistan. By help of Khan's aunt, who was a lady-in-waiting
to the queen, she visited the royal court in Paghman
and Darullaman
, and includes descriptions in her book of queen Soraya Tarzi
and the mother of the king, whose name she spells as Ollja Hassrat. Asked by the queen and the king's mother, she talked a lot about European customs with them. She befriended the king's mother, whom she describes as influential and dominant, demonstrated dance and gymnastics for her and acted as her photographer. She failed to acquire a position for Khan, and Khan threatened to kill or to sell her. According to Nilsson, a German woman, the widow of an afridi, Abdullah Khan, had fled to the city with her children from her late husband's successor, was sold on public auction and bought free by the German embassy for 7.000 mark.
In 1927, she managed to be granted a divorce with the support of the German embassy. The divorce was unique, as it was not the custom for a woman to divorce a man. The German embassy helped her to get a room in a hotel while she waited for money from Sweden to leave the country, but her divorce created a scandal
in Kabul, and she was harassed, also by the officials she visited to acquire help. The officials denied divorce on the grounds that she was a Muslim, claimed she needed an Afghan passport to leave the country, and offered her money to return to her former husband. As she arrives at the border, she was again stopped with an offer of money if she returned to marriage. She declined with the words: "No, I do not need any money! I need nothing from Afghanistan! Only my freedom!"
.
The divorce between Khan and Nilsson made Khan "lose face" in Afghan society, and he was thereby prevented from any political post. In 1933, Asim Khan was executed after his assassination of three officials of the British embassy in Kabul. He was motivated by the desire to create conflict between the pro-British king, Mohammed Nadir Shah
, and Great Britain and bring about the fall of Nadir and the reinstallement of the deposed king Amanullah Khan
. His act is considered to have contributed to the deposition of king Nadir later the same year.
Västerhaninge
Västerhaninge is a locality situated in Haninge Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It had 14,060 inhabitants in 2005. It is connected to Stockholm by commuter rail....
1 January 1894 - Södertälje
Södertälje
Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....
1972), was a Swedish writer who became known for her autobiographical novel about her experiences in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
during her marriage to an Afghan diplomat, Asim Khan, in the 1920s. A novel is based upon her story. Her divorce (1927) was at the time unique in Afghanistan, and her work gives a valuable insight in the life of a harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
in contemporary 1920s Afghanistan, and is likely one of the first given by a Western woman in a marriage to a Muslim man.
Marriage
In 1925, Aurora Nilsson from Sweden studied art in Berlin in Germany, where she met and married the student in technique Asim Khan, the son of a former Afghan minister of government, who studied technique at the expense of the Afghan government. The Afghan embassy acknowledged the marriage after Nilsson signed a statement that she would accept Afghan customs and, some time in the future, convert to IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. She never did convert, however.
She followed Khan to Afghanistan in 1926. During the journey to Afghanistan, Kahn changed, according to her, from a modern person to a man more and more aware of the Afghan customs the closer they came to Afghanistan, and abused Nilsson two times. In Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Nilsson was severely shocked about her new living conditions and was not able to adjust herself to them: she was forced to wear a veil
Veil
A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face.One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space...
and was not allowed to leave the house except with her husband's permission, nor look out of the windows, or to talk when she visited a shop. She also discovered that her husband had a servant who was in fact his second wife. She aroused a lot of attention.
Her husband was not given any position, because she had not converted, and he gave her permission to visit the government, the royal court, and women in different positions to try to get him a position. In her book, she describes many people as well as many customs and events of contemporary Afghanistan. By help of Khan's aunt, who was a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to the queen, she visited the royal court in Paghman
Paghman
Paghman is a town in the hills near Kabul, Afghanistan. See also Paghman Gardens. It is center of the Paghman District which has a total population of 120,000 people, and another 20,000 returnees are expected , of which 70% are Pashtuns and 30% Tajiks.. Paghman District is situated in the western...
and Darullaman
Darul Aman Palace
Darul Aman Palace is a European-style palace, now ruined, located about sixteen kilometers outside of the center of Kabul, Afghanistan....
, and includes descriptions in her book of queen Soraya Tarzi
Soraya Tarzi
Soraya Tarzi, known mostly as Queen Soraya, was the Queen of Afghanistan in the early 20th century and the wife of King Amanullah Khan. She is the only woman to appear on the list of rulers in Afghanistan, although wife of King Amanullah Khan...
and the mother of the king, whose name she spells as Ollja Hassrat. Asked by the queen and the king's mother, she talked a lot about European customs with them. She befriended the king's mother, whom she describes as influential and dominant, demonstrated dance and gymnastics for her and acted as her photographer. She failed to acquire a position for Khan, and Khan threatened to kill or to sell her. According to Nilsson, a German woman, the widow of an afridi, Abdullah Khan, had fled to the city with her children from her late husband's successor, was sold on public auction and bought free by the German embassy for 7.000 mark.
In 1927, she managed to be granted a divorce with the support of the German embassy. The divorce was unique, as it was not the custom for a woman to divorce a man. The German embassy helped her to get a room in a hotel while she waited for money from Sweden to leave the country, but her divorce created a scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
in Kabul, and she was harassed, also by the officials she visited to acquire help. The officials denied divorce on the grounds that she was a Muslim, claimed she needed an Afghan passport to leave the country, and offered her money to return to her former husband. As she arrives at the border, she was again stopped with an offer of money if she returned to marriage. She declined with the words: "No, I do not need any money! I need nothing from Afghanistan! Only my freedom!"
Aftermath
After her divorce, Aurora Nilsson returned to Sweden, where she published a book about her experiences (1928). In 1930, Nilsson married ice-hockey player Carl AbrahamssonCarl Abrahamsson
Karl Gustaf Emanuel "Carl, Calle Aber" Abrahamsson was a Swedish track and field athletic, bandy and ice hockey player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics. He was also a coach and captain, mainly in the Swedish club Södertälje SK.Abrahamsson participated in building the bandy section of...
.
The divorce between Khan and Nilsson made Khan "lose face" in Afghan society, and he was thereby prevented from any political post. In 1933, Asim Khan was executed after his assassination of three officials of the British embassy in Kabul. He was motivated by the desire to create conflict between the pro-British king, Mohammed Nadir Shah
Mohammed Nadir Shah
Mohammed Nadir Shah was King of Afghanistan from 15 October 1929 until his assassination in 1933. Previously, he served as Minister of War, Afghan Ambassador to France, and as a general in the military of Afghanistan...
, and Great Britain and bring about the fall of Nadir and the reinstallement of the deposed king Amanullah Khan
Amanullah Khan
Amanullah Khan was the King of the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change...
. His act is considered to have contributed to the deposition of king Nadir later the same year.