splendour, till, from the effect of elevation, the whole fades into a confused and twinkling mass, like stars shining through clouds." According to Christine Noelle, the population of Kabul was estimated to be around 9,000 families, or 50-60,000 residents inside the city. Muhammadzai Consolidation of Power (1834-1837) Dost Mohammad and his campaigns for consolidation of power and further authority in Afghanistan took many years to accomplish, beginning to appoint local sardars to rule provinces for him to grow his popularity amongst territories he had ambitions to conquer. Dost Mohammad would challenge his authority with his nephews who ruled over Jalalabad and Ghazni, continuing to expand his authority. One such opportunity came in early 1834, when Shah Shuja, the former Durrani ruler of Afghanistan, began approaching Kandahar, as the Dil brothers appeased to Dost Mohammad for assistance against Shah Shuja. Rather than mobilizing his forces toward Kandahar, Dost Mohammad led his forces east ward to Siyahsang. His sons Mohammad Akram Khan and Muhammad Akbar Khan were sent to Jalalabad, where they "scattered" the army of Muhammad Zaman Khan, according to the depictions of Noelle. Nonetheless, Dost justified this attack by claiming it under the pretext of raising an army to combat Shah Shuja. Following this, Dost lead his forces to Jagdalak, which was ruled by Muhammad Usman Khan under Zaman Khan. Immediately as Dost Mohammad fielded his armies outside the city, Usman Khan surrendered the city to Dost, under the condition that the city would be spared from a military attack. With Dost Mohammad having now attempted to seize Jalalabad, Zaman Khan entered negotiations with the Peshawar Sardars to support him in case of another attack from Dost in Kabul. However, Sultan Mohammad Khan was unable to provide any aid to Zaman, as Peshawar was under threat from Sikh Armies. Only supported by local chiefs, Zaman Khan found himself unable to field a proper army to contest Dost Mohammad as he marched on Jalalabad. Dost Mohammad seized the city, however offering generous and honorable peace terms. One of these terms were that Dost Mohammad would compensate Zaman Khan with over 150,000 rupees per year. Having now secured Jalalabad, Dost Mohammad appointed Muhammad Akram Khan and Amir Muhammad Khan as governors of the city. The Province of Jalalabad under Dost's rule extended as far as Dakka in Mohmand territory from the Jagdalak pass. The province of Jalalabad alone and the villages of