The days of the king were so different, Afghans say. They remember happy school days, weekend picnics, nights spent watching Gone with the Wind or listening to Tom Jones records.
And they remember what it was like to live in peace.
Nostalgia's prism is always colored. But these memories, offered by Afghans in the border city of Quetta this week as their nation faces yet another threat of conflict, are a bit different.
There is talk that 28 years after a bloodless coup unseated him, exiled King Mohammad Zaher Shah may be preparing for an encore appearance in the nation he once ruled.
"The king stands as a symbol of unity among most Afghans. At this time, there is no one else in sight who can take his place," says Haji Dilbar, a turbaned former nomad only two years younger than the 86-year-old former king.
As the US prepares for a possible strike at the ruling Taliban for refusing to hand over alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, world leaders are warning that the Taliban's days in power are numbered.
That has drawn attention to Zaher Shah as the one man who could unify Afghan factions to form a new system of government -- with or without him back on the throne. Zaher Shah has lived in exile near Rome since 1973.
In Quetta, a dusty city about 40km southeast of the Afghan border, many Afghans seem to like the idea, if for no other reason than they remember the king's time as an era of peace.
"We had schools, and no Afghan had to pay for an education. It was all free," said Hamid Kerzai, a former deputy foreign minister.
After the Taliban came to power, schools for girls were closed. Boys could obtain only religious education. And most forms of light entertainment like music and cinema were banned.
Not so during Zaher Shah's 20-year reign, Kerzai says. He remembers seeing Gone With the Wind on the big screen and listening to Tom Jones music with friends.
"We led full lives. There was little difference between the way we lived and what other teenagers around the world were doing," Kerzai said.
Even some Afghans who grew up in poverty remember the past as the good times.
"We were poor, but things were good. Not everyone had electricity or running water, but we had something more important. We had peace," said Dilbar, who fled with his family to Pakistan after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
Much of the nostalgia is probably due to the fact that when compared to his successors, the king looks pretty good.
After he left, three presidents were assassinated, including Mo-hammed Daoud, who ousted him. The Soviets left in 1989 and the communist government they left behind fell three years later.
The new rulers fought among themselves, destroying Kabul and killing thousands of civilians. They were ousted by the Taliban in 1996 and have been fighting the hard-line religious militia ever since.
That makes many older Afghans long for a simpler time and a quiet life.
"My father was a preacher who owned a small bookshop that made just enough to support our family of six children," Hamidullah Sahaf, 44, said. "We didn't have much, but everyone had the freedom to do their own things. No one would bother you."
Sahaf has been back to his hometown, Kandahar, twice since the Taliban emerged.
"The people aren't the same, and even the places have changed," he said. "The Taliban push people around and someone is watching every move you make."
Even Dilbar admits the king's rule was not perfect.
"He didn't do anything to develop the country," he said. "We didn't have dams, there was little agriculture. While other countries were making cars, we couldn't even make a wheelbarrow. Many things were neglected."
"Maybe he couldn't do much for Afghanistan, but he is like an old father to every Afghan," Dilbar said. "He is the only person acceptable to nearly all ordinary Afghans."
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