Kabul, Afghanistan ? On his first stop since returning to his homeland, Former Afghan king Mohammad Zaher Shah made an emotional visit to the grave of his father Friday, looking with dismay at a once glorious crypt wrecked by war.

Accompanied by interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai, the former king prayed over the grave of his father, Nader Shah, who was assassinated before his sons’ eyes 68 years ago. Nearby, a man recited verses from the Quran, Islam’s holy book.

Former Afghan King Zaher Shah kisses 7-year-old Ahmed, the son of Gul Aga Sherzai, right, the governor of Kandahar province, in Kabul, Afghanistan, during his Friday visit to the tomb of his father, the late King Zaher Shah. Shah returned Thursday to Afghanistan after 29 years in exile.

It was Zaher Shah’s first venture outside his heavily guarded house since he returned Thursday to Afghanistan, ending 29 years in exile in Italy. Hundreds of Afghans lined the streets as his motorcade sped by.

On its way to the grave as the sun began to set, the motorcade passed building after building riddled with gunfire and gutted by explosions from three decades of warfare. The last time Zaher Shah was in Kabul, the city was at peace.

A changed world

He found his father’s crypt once elaborate with columns and a metal dome heavily damaged by rockets and gunfire. When he stepped into the hall, he paused for a moment and gazed up at the gaping holes in the ceiling.

Visibly distressed, his face dropped.

Zaher Shah also received a steady stream of visitors at the two-story house that was refurbished for his use. Dozens of Afghan guards stood outside along with several international peacekeepers, who said they would remain there during the ex-king’s first day to ensure his safety.

The former king spent much of the day receiving friends at home, said an aide, Azim Nasser-Zia. He also gazed at snowcapped mountains that he longed to see for years.

“He is fine, very good, cheerful,” Nasser-Zia said.

The former king’s homecoming is part of a U.N.-sponsored agreement on Afghanistan’s future that was forged last December in Germany. It called on Zaher Shah to convene a loya jirga, or grand council, to choose a new government in June.

A unifying force

Zaher Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 succeeding his slain father to 1973, when he was overthrown by his cousin in a palace coup. The years that followed were marked by utter devastation, and many hope the former king can serve as a unifying figure as the country struggles to overcome decades of war.

“I want to serve the people of Afghanistan,” Zaher Shah told his countrymen on Kabul television Thursday night.

Since his arrival, he has met with Afghanistan’s ministers of foreign affairs, interior and commerce as well as with Rashid Dostum and Gul Agha, two of the country’s most powerful warlords Dostum in the north and Agha in the south.

Karzai, a distant relative of the former king, accompanied him on his trip from Rome along with about 80 other people. Appearing alongside Zaher Shah on Afghan television, Karzai called on millions of refugees in Pakistan and Iran to follow his example and return home.

Zaher Shah was the last monarch of the 200-year-old Durrani dynasty. He says he has no intention of trying to regain his throne.

The extraordinary security for the former king underscores the fact that the Central Asian nation’s quest for stability is far from complete.

Zaher Shah had been expected to arrive in March, but his homecoming was delayed after U.S. and Italian officials got word of possible plots to assassinate him.

About 140 Afghan officers from the interior ministry were guarding Zaher Shah. Twenty were stationed inside his house.

Maj. Mark Roberts, a British peacekeeper, said the interim government would be taking full control of Zaher Shah’s security.

“The security has been very good, so now we’re backing off,” he said.

Still, Roberts said, the ex-king’s entourage has been told they can contact the international peacekeeping force any time they wish. “They have our phone number,” he said.