Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of
Central Asia and
South Asia . Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by
Pakistan to the
east and south ,
Iran to the
west ,
Turkmenistan to the
northwest ,
Uzbekistan to the
north ,
Tajikistan to the
northeast , and China to the
northeast and east . Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains
in the north and
the southwest , which are separated by the
Hindu Kush mountain range.
Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital. According to the World Population review, ,
Afghanistan's population is 43 million. The
National Statistics Information Authority of Afghanistan estimated the population to be 32.9 million .
Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the
Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the
graveyard of empires , the land has historically been home to various peoples and
has witnessed numerous military campaigns , including those by
the Persians ,
Alexander the Great , the
Maurya Empire ,
Arab Muslims , the
Mongols , the
British , the
Soviet Union , and
a US-led coalition . Afghanistan also served as the source from which the
Greco-Bactrians and the
Mughals , amongst others, rose to form major empires. The various conquests and periods in both the
Iranian and
Indian cultural spheres. the area was a center for
Zoroastrianism , Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the
Durrani Afghan Empire in the 18th century, although
Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first
modern Afghan state . Dost Mohammad died in 1863, days after
his last campaign to unite Afghanistan , and Afghanistan was consequently
thrown back into civil war . During this time, Afghanistan became a
buffer state in the
Great Game between the
British Empire and the
Russian Empire . From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the
First Anglo-Afghan War . However, the
Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory and the successful establishment of British political influence. Following the
Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent
Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926 under
Amanullah Khan . This monarchy lasted almost half a century, until
Zahir Shah was
overthrown in 1973 , following which the
Republic of Afghanistan was established.
Afghanistan is rich in natural resources, including
lithium ,
iron ,
zinc , and
copper . It is the second largest producer of
cannabis resin , and third largest of both
saffron and
cashmere . The country is a member of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and a founding member of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation . Due to the effects of war in recent decades, the country has dealt with high levels of
terrorism ,
poverty , and
child malnutrition . Afghanistan remains among the world's
least developed countries , ranking 180th in the
Human Development Index . Afghanistan's
gross domestic product (GDP) is $81 billion by
purchasing power parity and $20.1 billion by nominal values. Per capita, its GDP is amongst the lowest of any country . (
Full article... )
Mahendra Pratap , centre, with (left to right)
Maulavi Barkatullah ,
Werner Otto von Hentig , Kazim Bey, and Walter Röhr. Kabul, 1916
The
Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition , also known as the
Kabul Mission , was a
diplomatic mission to
Afghanistan sent by the
Central Powers in 1915–1916. The purpose was to encourage Afghanistan to declare full independence from the
British Empire , enter
World War I on the side of the Central Powers, and attack
British India . The expedition was part of the
Hindu–German Conspiracy , a series of Indo-German efforts to provoke a nationalist revolution in India. Nominally headed by the exiled
Indian prince
Raja Mahendra Pratap , the expedition was a joint operation of
Germany and
Turkey and was led by the German Army officers
Oskar Niedermayer and
Werner Otto von Hentig . Other participants included members of an Indian nationalist organisation called the
Berlin Committee , including
Maulavi Barkatullah and
Chempakaraman Pillai , while the Turks were represented by
Kazim Bey , a close confidante of
Enver Pasha .
Britain saw the expedition as a serious threat. Britain and its ally, the
Russian Empire , unsuccessfully attempted to intercept it in
Persia during the summer of 1915. Britain waged a covert intelligence and diplomatic offensive, including personal interventions by the
Viceroy
Lord Hardinge and
King George V , to maintain Afghan neutrality. (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
The following are images from various Afghanistan-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Women dancing in traditional dress in
San Francisco (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 2
Vishnu Nicolo Seal representing
Vishnu with a worshipper (probably
Mihirakula ), 4th–6th century CE. The inscription in cursive
Bactrian reads: "
Mihira ,
Vishnu and
Shiva ".
British Museum . (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 3
Gandhara Buddhist reliquary with content, including
Indo-Parthian coins. 1st century CE.
Image 4
Herat Citadel in the western Afghan city of
Herat (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 6 Players in a game of
buzkashi , the national sport (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 7 Map of Afghanistan 1839–1863, showing the First Anglo-Afghan war, and unification of Afghanistan by Dost Mohammad Khan (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 8 Map of Afghanistan (
Emirate ) and surrounding nations, dated 1860. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 9 Much of the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan was subordinated to the Achaemenid Empire (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 11 A map of Afghanistan showing the
2021 Taliban offensive (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 12 An Afghan boy with a kite (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 14 Some of the popular Afghan dishes, from left to right: 1. Lamb grilled kebab (
seekh kabab ); 2.
Palao and salad; 3.
Tandoori chicken ; and 4.
Mantu (dumplings). The Afghan cuisine includes a blend of Central Asian, Eastern Asian, South Asian and the Middle Eastern cuisines. Nearly all Afghan dishes are non-spicy. (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 15 The
Mahajanapadas , including the
Gandhara and
Kambojas kingdoms and
Achaemenid Empire in West, around c. 500 BCE (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 16 The day after the Marxist revolution on April 28, 1978 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 17 The
Bimaran casket , representing the
Buddha surrounded by
Brahma (left) and
Śakra (right) was found inside a
stupa with coins of
Azes inside.
British Museum . (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 18 Modern-day sketch work of
Mahmud Hotak (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 19 A
miniature from
Padshahnama depicting the surrender of the
Shia
Safavid garrison of Kandahar in 1638 to the
Mughal army of
Shah Jahan commanded by Kilij Khan. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 20 Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 1982 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 21 Elements of Afghan culture including:
tabla and
harmonium musical instruments, an
Afghan carpet , teapot, and
sheer pira dessert (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 23 Women painting at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in
Kabul . (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 24 Timurid Empire at its greatest extent in 1405 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 25 Soldiers of the
Afghan National Army in 2010, including the
ANA Commando Battalion standing in the front.
Image 26 Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan 1997 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 27 Alexander Empire in South Asia (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 29 Present-day location of Afghanistan in Asia (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 30 Typical Afghan food table (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 31 Outside the
Presidential Palace in
Kabul , a day after the
Marxist revolution on April 28, 1978. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 32 Kushan territories (full line) and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka (dotted line), according to the Rabatak inscription (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 34 Hotaki Empire, 1728 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 35 Map of Ghurid territory, before the assassination of
Muhammad of Ghor . In the west, Ghurid territory extended to
Nishapur and
Merv , while Ghurid troops reached as far as
Gorgan on the shores of the
Caspian Sea . Eastward, the Ghurids invaded as far as
Bengal . (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 36
Songbirds in cages at a farm in
Nangarhar Province , used for the pleasure of the site's farmers (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 37 Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until October 2001 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 38
Arachosia ,
Aria and
Bactria were the ancient
satraps of the
Achaemenid Empire that made up most of what is now Afghanistan during 500 BCE. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 39 Map of the region during the 7th century (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 40 Gandhara Kingdom in
Early Vedic Period , around 1500 BCE (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 41 Taliban fighters patrolling Kabul in a
Humvee , 17 August 2021 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 42 Former Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf sent more troops against the
United Front of
Ahmad Shah Massoud than the Afghan Taliban. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 43
Mongol invasions and conquests seriously depopulated large areas of Afghanistan (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 44 Alexander's troops beg to return home from India in plate
3 of 11 by Antonio Tempesta of Florence, 1608. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 45
King
Yaqub Khan with Britain's Sir
Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari , 26 May 1879, on the occasion of the signing of the
Treaty of Gandamak (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 46 Tents of Afghan
nomads in the northern
Badghis Province of Afghanistan. Early peasant farming villages came into existence in Afghanistan about 7,000 years ago. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 47 Map of the Hotak Empire during the Reign of
Mirwais Hotak , 1715. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 48 Map of the situation in Afghanistan in late 1996;
Massoud (red),
Dostum (green) and
Taliban (yellow) territories. (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 49 Kabul during civil war in 1993 (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 50 Ghaznavid Empire at its greatest extent in 1030 CE (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 51 An Afghan man with a
tasbih (from
Culture of Afghanistan )
Image 52 The
Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under
Khosrow II (from
History of Afghanistan )
Image 53 Approximate maximum extent of the
Greco-Bactrian kingdom circa 180 BCE, including the regions of
Tapuria and
Traxiane to the West,
Sogdiana and
Ferghana to the north,
Bactria and
Arachosia to the south. (from
History of Afghanistan )
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