Afghanistan is a mountainous, landlocked country in south-central Asia.
Afghanistan literally means ‘land of the Afghans.’
Carrots were first cultivated in Afghanistan about 3000 years ago. They originally had yellow flesh and a purple exterior.
From ancient times Afghanistan has been the meeting place of civilizations from the West and the East. Migrations and conquests made Afghanistan part of the Persian Empire and then of Alexander the Great’s empire.
From ancient times Afghanistan has been the meeting place of civilizations from the West and the East. Migrations and conquests made Afghanistan part of the Persian Empire and then of Alexander the Great’s empire.
Afghanistan's second largest city, Kandahar, was founded by Alexander the Great.
Arabs introduced Islam in the 7th century and slowly began spreading the new religion. In the 9th and 10th centuries, many local Islamic dynasties rose to power inside Afghanistan.
Islamic culture subsequently achieved brilliant heights under the Afghan or Iranian Ghuri dynasty (1148–1215). The Ghurids gradually extended their rule into northern India but were overwhelmed by the hordes of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, who came down from the north about 1220.
Most of the country remained under Mongol control until the close of the 14th century, when Tamerlane, a Turkoman Mongol conqueror, seized northern Afghanistan
Arabs introduced Islam in the 7th century and slowly began spreading the new religion. In the 9th and 10th centuries, many local Islamic dynasties rose to power inside Afghanistan.
Islamic culture subsequently achieved brilliant heights under the Afghan or Iranian Ghuri dynasty (1148–1215). The Ghurids gradually extended their rule into northern India but were overwhelmed by the hordes of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, who came down from the north about 1220.
Most of the country remained under Mongol control until the close of the 14th century, when Tamerlane, a Turkoman Mongol conqueror, seized northern Afghanistan
Afghanistan first became an independent emirate under the Pathan tribesman Ahmed Shah Durrani in 1747. He established the Durrani Empire which lasted for nearly a century and covered all of Afghanistan as well as parts of Iran, Pakistan and Kashmir.
The first American to enter Afghanistan, was an adventurer named Josiah Harlan (1799-1871). He gained control over the Ghor Province and for a short time lived as the Prince of Ghor. Rudyard Kipling's short story The Man Who Would Be King is believed to be partly based on Harlan.
The Treaty of Rawalpindi, was an armistice made between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan following the Third Anglo-Afghan War, which was signed on August 8, 1919. The United Kingdom recognized Afghanistan's independence and agreed that British India would not extend past the Khyber Pass.
Queen Soraya of Afghanistan fought hard to improve the rights of women in the 1920's. She was also the minister of education for Afghanistan and the first Muslim consort to appear in public with her husband. In 1929 her husband was deposed and all their reforms were undone.
In the 1960s and early 70s - before the Soviet takeover, Afghan women comprised 50% of government workers, 70% of schoolteachers, and 40% of doctors in Kabul. Now the literacy rate for women is 12.6%. Only 6% of women get a high school education.
In the early 1990s, the United States gave Afghan children textbooks filled with militant Islamic teachings to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation.
The Taliban seized Afghanistan's capital Kabul on September 27, 1996 after driving out President Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former leader Mohammad Najibullah. They declared the country an Islamic state.
Afghanistan didn't have a national anthem from 1996 to 2001 since the Taliban considered music to be forbidden (haram) and banned it.
The first American to enter Afghanistan, was an adventurer named Josiah Harlan (1799-1871). He gained control over the Ghor Province and for a short time lived as the Prince of Ghor. Rudyard Kipling's short story The Man Who Would Be King is believed to be partly based on Harlan.
The Treaty of Rawalpindi, was an armistice made between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan following the Third Anglo-Afghan War, which was signed on August 8, 1919. The United Kingdom recognized Afghanistan's independence and agreed that British India would not extend past the Khyber Pass.
 |
| 2nd/5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, North-West Frontier 1923 |
Queen Soraya of Afghanistan fought hard to improve the rights of women in the 1920's. She was also the minister of education for Afghanistan and the first Muslim consort to appear in public with her husband. In 1929 her husband was deposed and all their reforms were undone.
In the 1960s and early 70s - before the Soviet takeover, Afghan women comprised 50% of government workers, 70% of schoolteachers, and 40% of doctors in Kabul. Now the literacy rate for women is 12.6%. Only 6% of women get a high school education.
In the early 1990s, the United States gave Afghan children textbooks filled with militant Islamic teachings to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation.
The Taliban seized Afghanistan's capital Kabul on September 27, 1996 after driving out President Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former leader Mohammad Najibullah. They declared the country an Islamic state.
Afghanistan didn't have a national anthem from 1996 to 2001 since the Taliban considered music to be forbidden (haram) and banned it.
In 2001, United States and coalition forces invaded Afghanistan and overthrow the Taliban government. Two decades later, the Afghan government collapsed as Kabul fell to the Taliban offensive on August 15, 2021. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan became the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, led by the Taliban.
The country is around 251,826 square miles (652,230 square kilometers) in size or area. There are 30 million people in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is a predominantly mountainous country; about three-fourths of its surface consists of uplands.
Afghanistan is one of the most inaccessible countries in the world. The nearest sea, The Arabian Sea, is 300 miles away.
Its population is 37,135,635, which includes the roughly 3 million Afghan citizens living as refugees in both Pakistan and Iran.
The current population growth rate is 2.37%, the highest in the world outside of Africa.
Afghanistan's principle languages are Pushtu 60% and Dari, 30%.
More than 99% of the people of Afghanistan are Muslims, mainly of the Sunni sect.
Agriculture is the main source of income in Afghanistan. The country is known for producing apricots, grapes, melons, pomegranates and several other fresh and dry fruits.
Afghanistan is also known as the world's largest producer of opium. As much as 16% or more of the nation's economy is derived from the cultivation and sale of opium.
The sport of Buzkashi is played on horseback in Afghanistan. It is rather like polo but instead of having a ball and polo sticks, the horsemen try to dump a headless calf in the enemy goal.
Afghanistan and Azerbaijan are only nations whose names begin with an “A”, but doesn't end in an “A”.
Source Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia
The current population growth rate is 2.37%, the highest in the world outside of Africa.
Afghanistan's principle languages are Pushtu 60% and Dari, 30%.
More than 99% of the people of Afghanistan are Muslims, mainly of the Sunni sect.
Agriculture is the main source of income in Afghanistan. The country is known for producing apricots, grapes, melons, pomegranates and several other fresh and dry fruits.
Afghanistan is also known as the world's largest producer of opium. As much as 16% or more of the nation's economy is derived from the cultivation and sale of opium.
The sport of Buzkashi is played on horseback in Afghanistan. It is rather like polo but instead of having a ball and polo sticks, the horsemen try to dump a headless calf in the enemy goal.
Afghanistan and Azerbaijan are only nations whose names begin with an “A”, but doesn't end in an “A”.
Source Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia
No comments:
Post a Comment