DOCSLIB.ORG

Afghanistan Profile

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Info4Migrants AFGHANISTAN PROFILE 1 AREA 652 864 км2 POPULATION 31 million GDP per capita $695 CURRENCY Afghani Language PASHTO AND DARI 2 MAIN INFORMATION Afghanistan is a country in Asia, bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and China in the far northeast. Capital: Kabul. Other big cities are Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz. Flag Climate: dry, subtropical. Winter in the plains is mild, The flag of Afghanistan has been unstable and the summer is hot. Snow is preserved for changed many times through 6-8 months on altitude over 3000 meters. the years. The last one, adopted in 2004 consists of three vertical stripes in black, red and green, Ethnicity: 40% - Pashtun, 9% - Hazara, 9% - Uzbek, 3.5% - and the coat of arms is places on Aimaq, 2.5% - Turkmen, 2% - Baloch and 4% other them. nationalities. There are about 20 nations, belonging to different language groups. Religion: over 99% of the population is Muslim, 80-85% of which Sunnis, 15-19% - Shia and 1% other religions. Thousands of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are also found in the major cities. Governance: Islamic republic consisting of three branches - the executive, legislative, and judicial. “Afghanistan - Location Map (2013) - AFG - UNOCHA” by OCHA. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http:// 3 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Afghanistan_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_AFG_-_UNOCHA.svg#mediaviewer/File:Afghani- stan_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_AFG_-_UNOCHA.svg FOREIGN RELATIONS During the occupation of Afghanistan from the Soviet Union, most western countries maintained small diplomatic missions in the capital of Kabul. After the withdrawal of the soviet military forces in 1989 many of those missions are closed due to the instability and military combats in the region. In the beginning many countries welcome the establishment of the Taliban regime as a stabilizing alternative to the military groups ruling the country after the collapse of Najibullah government in 1992. But soon after this the attitude changes , as a result of the imposition of the Sharia in the territories controlled by the Talibans and the violent treatment of women who try to work, gain education and even leave their home without being accompanied by a man. The Talibans’ attempts to gain control over Afghanistan’s posts in the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are unsuccessful. Until 2000 only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates acknowledge the Taliban regime as the lawful authority in Afghanistan, but after the attacks in 11.09 the three countries withdraw their support. After the U.S. attack in October 2001 and the Bonn Agreement, the new government of Hamid Karzai begins to reestablish the diplomatic relations with many countries with which Afghanistan used to have good relations, before falling under the Soviet Union’s influence. Presently Afghanistan has good economic relations with many NATO member- countries, especially with the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and Turkey. In 2012 the U.S. defines Afghanistan as an important ally and develops a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries. Afghanistan maintains friendly relations with its neighbors Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China, as well as with other countries in the region - India, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Japan and South Korea. The country continues to develop its diplomatic relations with other countries in the world. In 2002 the UN creates United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) with the aim to support the country to recover after the military actions that had lasted for decades. 4 Photo by taesmileland at freedgitalphotos.net MODERN HISTORY OF AFGHANISTAN In December 2001, after the fall of the Talibans and the formation of the new Afghan government of Hamid Karzai, the UN Security Council sends international security forces (ISAF) in the country to help Karzai administration and guarantee the security of Afghanistan. The Taliban forces start regrouping in Pakistan, while coalition armed forces start entering Afghanistan to help the recovery of the war-torn country. Soon after being taken-off power, the Talibans begin organizing riots in order to regain control over Afghanistan. In the following decade ISAF and the Afghan army organize a number of actions against the Talibans but do not manage to completely cope with them. Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world due to the lack of foreign investments, corruption in the government institutions and constant attacks from the Talibans. Meanwhile the Afghan government manages to establish some democratic structures. Attempts have been made to recover the economy, healthcare, education, transport and agriculture in Afghanistan with the international support. International Security Assistance Force trains the Afghan army and police. Between 2002 and 2012 five million refugees return to the country (including many people who have been forcefully deported from western countries). Towards 2009 in many regions of the country double illegal ruling structures emerge, led by the Talibans. In 2010 the Karzai government tries to lead peaceful negotiations with the Talibans and other military groups, but they refuse to participate in the negotiations and the bomb attacks and assassinations become more frequent. After the assassination of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 in Pakistan, many prominent Afghans are murdered, and the shootings between the Afghanistan and Pakistan borders become more intense. The U.S. warns Pakistan about potential military actions in the country if the government refuses to attack the rebels and blames corrupted government bodies for the increased violence in Pakistan. The Pakistan army starts conducting more regular military attacks on the illegal military groups in the country. After the president elections in 2014, Hamid Karzai withdraws from power and Ashraf Ghani becomes the new president. The war between the U.S. and Afghanistan officially ends on 28.11.2014, but thousands of NATO soldiers remain in the country to train and council the military forces of the Afghan government. 5 Photo by africa at freedgitalphotos.net FACTS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN Coat of Arms The national emblem of Afghanistan is an image of a mosque with mihrab - a semicircular niche in the wall indicating the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. There is inscription on top of the mosque, a quote from Shahada – “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God”, and under it – “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” and the year 1298 as per Hijri (1919) – the year when Afghanistan gained independence from Great Britain. Language There are two official languages in the country – Pashto and Dari – dialect of the Persian language. Persian is the mother language of many Afghan ethnic groups such as Tajiks, Hazaras, and Aimak. Other regional languages, such as Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi and Nuristani are spoken by minority groups across the country and have a formal status, in the regions where they are spoken by the majority. Other languages are Pamiri (Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi and Wakhi), Brahui and Kyrgyz. Many Afghans can speak Photo by David Castillo Dominici at freedigitalphotos.net in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, English and other languages. Governance The constitution of 2003 defines Afghanistan as an Islamic Republic with division of the power in executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive power is carried by the president - directly elected for a five year mandate, and the administration appointed by him. Legislative power is represented by a bicameral National Assembly. The Lower chamber includes 249 members of parliament, elected by direct voting. The Upper chamber consists of 102 representatives – 1/3 appointed by the president, 1/3 – by the provincial councils and 1/3 by the regional councils. Corruption is a major problem for the government administration. “Emblem of Afghanistan” by Original author was Andrew Duhan. Later edits done by Denelson83, Bastique and many others. - Extracted from Image:Flag of Afghanistan.svg which originated from Open Clipart website.. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - http:// 6 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emblem_of_Afghanistan.svg#mediaviewer/File:Emblem_of_Afghanistan.svg FACTS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN Kabul Kabul is the capital and the largest city of Afghanistan. Kabul was founded between 2000 and 1500 B.C. and the history of the town dates back to over a 3000 year period. Due to its strategic location as part of the trade roads in Southern and Central Asia, many battles have been fought for gaining influence over the town. Around 400 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered Kabul during his march against the Persian Empire. In 1220 the hordes of Genghis Khan reach the borders of Afghanistan and the entire territory of present day Afghanistan passes very quickly in the hands and control of the Mongolians. It is assumed that soon after that the city began to be called Kabul. After the invasion of the Soviet troops in the 80s, until today, the town has been the scene of active military actions. Five years after the beginning of the Taliban regime, the Afghan Northern Alliance regains its control over the city and Kabul becomes the capital of the Afghan transitional administration on 20 December 2001. In antiquity Afghanistan is an ancient crossing point of the migration of peoples on the Silk Road. Archeological excavations reveal evidence of people inhabiting the lands of present Afghanistan going back to 50 000 B.C. It is assumed that the development of the cities in the region has begun between 3000 and 2000 B.C. Located on a strategic place between the Middle East, central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan has been the home of many different nations throughout the centuries and a witness of many military campaigns, “Shuja Shah Durrani of Afghanistan in 1839” by James Rattray including those of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan (1818-1854) - The British Library - Online Gallery.
Recommended publications
  • Justice & Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar

    Justice & Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar

    Justice & Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar M AY 2014 Above: Behsud Bridge, Nangarhar Province (Photo by TLO) A TLO M A P P I N G R EPORT Justice and Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar May 2014 In Cooperation with: © 2014, The Liaison Office. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher, The Liaison Office. Permission can be obtained by emailing [email protected] ii Acknowledgements This report was commissioned from The Liaison Office (TLO) by Cordaid’s Security and Justice Business Unit. Research was conducted via cooperation between the Afghan Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC) and TLO, under the supervision and lead of the latter. Cordaid was involved in the development of the research tools and also conducted capacity building by providing trainings to the researchers on the research methodology. While TLO makes all efforts to review and verify field data prior to publication, some factual inaccuracies may still remain. TLO and AWRC are solely responsible for possible inaccuracies in the information presented. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cordaid. The Liaison Office (TL0) The Liaison Office (TLO) is an independent Afghan non-governmental organization established in 2003 seeking to improve local governance, stability and security through systematic and institutionalized engagement with customary structures, local communities, and civil society groups.
  • Adits, Caves, Karizi-Qanats, and Tunnels in Afghanistan: an Annotated Bibliography by R

    Adits, Caves, Karizi-Qanats, and Tunnels in Afghanistan: an Annotated Bibliography by R

    Adits, Caves, Karizi-Qanats, and Tunnels in Afghanistan: An Annotated Bibliography by R. Lee Hadden Topographic Engineering Center November 2005 US Army Corps of Engineers 7701 Telegraph Road Alexandria, VA 22315-3864 Adits, Caves, Karizi-Qanats, and Tunnels In Afghanistan Form Approved REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE 30-11- 2. REPORT TYPE Bibliography 3. DATES COVERED 1830-2005 2005 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER “Adits, Caves, Karizi-Qanats and Tunnels 5b. GRANT NUMBER In Afghanistan: An Annotated Bibliography” 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER HADDEN, Robert Lee 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT US Army Corps of Engineers 7701 Telegraph Road Topographic Alexandria, VA 22315- Engineering Center 3864 9.ATTN SPONSORING CEERD / MONITORINGTO I AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10.
  • The Kingdom of Afghanistan: a Historical Sketch George Passman Tate

    The Kingdom of Afghanistan: a Historical Sketch George Passman Tate

    University of Nebraska Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Books in English Digitized Books 1-1-1911 The kingdom of Afghanistan: a historical sketch George Passman Tate Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/afghanuno Part of the History Commons, and the International and Area Studies Commons Recommended Citation Tate, George Passman The kingdom of Afghanistan: a historical sketch, with an introductory note by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand. Bombay: "Times of India" Offices, 1911. 224 p., maps This Monograph is brought to you for free and open access by the Digitized Books at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books in English by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tate, G,P. The kfn&ean sf Af&mistan, DATE DUE I Mil 7 (7'8 DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, HIS EXCELLENCY BARON HARDINGE OF PENSHURST. VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA, .a- . (/. BY m HIS OBEDIENT, SERVANT THE AUTHOR. il.IEmtev 01 the Asiniic Society, Be?zg-nl, S?~rueyof I~din. dafhor of 'I Seisinqz : A Menzoir on the FJisio~y,Topo~rcrphj~, A7zliquiiies, (112d Peo$Ie of the Cozi?zt~y''; The F/.o?zlic7,.~ of Baluchisia'nn : Travels on ihe Border.? of Pe~szk n?zd Akhnnistnn " ; " ICalnf : A lMe??zoir on t7ze Cozl7~try and Fnrrzily of the Ahntadsai Khn7zs of Iinlnt" ; 4 ec. \ViTkI AN INrPR<dl>kJCTOl2Y NO'FE PRINTED BY BENNETT COLEMAN & Co., Xc. PUBLISHED AT THE " TIMES OF INDIA" OFFTCES, BOMBAY & C.1LCUTT-4, LONDON AGENCY : gg, SI-IOE LANE, E.C.
  • The Road to Afghanistan

    The Road to Afghanistan

    Introduction Hundreds of books—memoirs, histories, fiction, poetry, chronicles of military units, and journalistic essays—have been written about the Soviet war in Afghanistan. If the topic has not yet been entirely exhausted, it certainly has been very well documented. But what led up to the invasion? How was the decision to bring troops into Afghanistan made? What was the basis for the decision? Who opposed the intervention and who had the final word? And what kind of mystical country is this that lures, with an almost maniacal insistence, the most powerful world states into its snares? In the nineteenth and early twentieth century it was the British, in the 1980s it was the Soviet Union, and now America and its allies continue the legacy. Impoverished and incredibly backward Afghanistan, strange as it may seem, is not just a normal country. Due to its strategically important location in the center of Asia, the mountainous country has long been in the sights of more than its immediate neighbors. But woe to anyone who arrives there with weapon in hand, hoping for an easy gain—the barefoot and illiterate Afghans consistently bury the hopes of the strange foreign soldiers who arrive along with battalions of tanks and strategic bombers. To understand Afghanistan is to see into your own future. To comprehend what happened there, what happens there continually, is to avoid great tragedy. One of the critical moments in the modern history of Afghanistan is the period from April 27, 1978, when the “April Revolution” took place in Kabul and the leftist People’s Democratic Party seized control of the country, until December 27, 1979, when Soviet special forces, obeying their “international duty,” eliminated the ruling leader and installed 1 another leader of the same party in his place.
  • The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan

    The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan

    The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan George Fiske Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2012 © 2012 George Fiske All rights reserved ABSTRACT The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan George Fiske This study examines the socioeconomics of state formation in medieval Afghanistan in historical and historiographic terms. It outlines the thousand year history of Ghaznavid historiography by treating primary and secondary sources as a continuum of perspectives, demonstrating the persistent problems of dynastic and political thinking across periods and cultures. It conceptualizes the geography of Ghaznavid origins by framing their rise within specific landscapes and histories of state formation, favoring time over space as much as possible and reintegrating their experience with the general histories of Iran, Central Asia, and India. Once the grand narrative is illustrated, the scope narrows to the dual process of monetization and urbanization in Samanid territory in order to approach Ghaznavid obstacles to state formation. The socioeconomic narrative then shifts to political and military specifics to demythologize the rise of the Ghaznavids in terms of the framing contexts described in the previous chapters. Finally, the study specifies the exact combination of culture and history which the Ghaznavids exemplified to show their particular and universal character and suggest future paths for research. The Socioeconomics of State Formation in Medieval Afghanistan I. General Introduction II. Perspectives on the Ghaznavid Age History of the literature Entrance into western European discourse Reevaluations of the last century Historiographic rethinking Synopsis III.
  • Comparing Camels in Afghanistan and Australia: Industry and Nationalism During the Long Nineteenth Century

    Comparing Camels in Afghanistan and Australia: Industry and Nationalism During the Long Nineteenth Century

    Comparing camels in Afghanistan and Australia: Industry and nationalism during the Long Nineteenth Century Shah Mahmoud Hanifi [James Madison University, Virginia, USA] Abstract: This paper compares the roles of camels and their handlers in state building projects in Afghanistan and Australia during the global ascendance of industrial production. Beginning in the mid-1880s the Afghan state-sponsored industrial project known as the mashin khana or Kabul workshops had significant consequences for camel-based commercial transport in and between Afghanistan and colonial India. Primary effects include the carriage of new commodities, new forms of financing and taxation, re- routing, and markedly increased state surveillance over camel caravans. In Australia the trans-continental railway and telegraph, and other projects involving intra-continental exploration and mining, generated a series of in-migrations of Afghan camels and cameleers between the 1830s and 1890s. The port of Adelaide was the urban center most affected by Afghan camels and cameleers, and a set of new interior markets and settlements originate from these in-migrations. The contributions of Afghan camels and their handlers to state-building projects in nineteenth-century Afghanistan and Australia highlight their vital roles in helping to establish industrial enterprises, and the equally important point that once operational these industrial projects became agents in the economic marginalization of camels and the social stigmatization of the human labour associated with them. __________________________________________________________________ Introduction: camels, political economy and national identities The movement of camels through the Hindu Kush mountain passes was greatly transformed beginning in 1893. That year the Durrani Amir of Kabul Abd al-Rahman signed an agreement with the British Indian colonial official Sir Henry Mortimer Durand acknowledging there would be formal demarcation of the border between their respective vastly unequal powers, one being a patron and the other a client.
  • GEOSTRATEGIC IMPORTANCE of AFGHANISTAN for PAKISTAN IMRAN KHAN* and SAFDAR ALI SHIRAZI**

    GEOSTRATEGIC IMPORTANCE of AFGHANISTAN for PAKISTAN IMRAN KHAN* and SAFDAR ALI SHIRAZI**

    Pakistan Geographical Review, Vol.76, No1, June. 2021, PP 137-153 GEOSTRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF AFGHANISTAN FOR PAKISTAN IMRAN KHAN* and SAFDAR ALI SHIRAZI** *Postdocs Scholar in Department of Geography, University of the Punjab Lahore **Head of the Department of Geography, University of the Punjab Lahore Email: [email protected] & [email protected] ABSTRACT Afghanistan has a special geographical position. The country is located in the economic, cultural and geopolitical important areas of the region. Pakistan and remaining south Asia is in its East and Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in west, Tajikistan and China is located in its north and in its South is Iran and remaining West Asia. Afghanistan connects south Asia and West Asia with Central Asia that is an important thing to understand as South Asian nations are overpopulated and are energy hungry whereas Central Asia has energy resources. Connectivity of Central Asia and South Asia, can open up many opportunities for each other, they have been less able to have beneficial and constructive trade and cultural relations with each other due to the lack of safe transportation routes and necessary communication channels. On the other hand, Afghanistan, being in a special geographical position, can enjoy a great economic opportunity in the field of trade and transit and use it for the development, construction and prosperity of the country. Although efforts have been made over the past few years to take advantage of these opportunities, world nations have so far yielded no tangible results. This article discusses the opportunities and capacities that this geographical location of Afghanistan has provided for Pakistan in the economic and security fields and this article discusses and tries to identify the most important features of the geographical location of Afghanistan that can be effective for the development of Pakistan and Afghanistan in visa versa.
  • My Memoirs Shah Wali Khan

    My Memoirs Shah Wali Khan

    University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Digitized Books Archives & Special Collections 1970 My Memoirs Shah Wali Khan Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ascdigitizedbooks Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Khan, Shah Wali, "My Memoirs" (1970). Digitized Books. 18. http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ascdigitizedbooks/18 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Archives & Special Collections at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Digitized Books by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MY MEMOIRS ( \ ~ \ BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS SARDAR SHAH WALi VICTOR OF KABUL KABUL COLUMN OF JNDEPENDENCE Afghan Coll. 1970 DS 371 sss A313 His Royal Highness Marshal Sardar Shah Wali Khan Victor of Kabul MY MEMOIRS BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS MARSHAL SARDAR SHAH WALi VICTOR OF KABUL KABUL 1970 PRINTED IN PAKISTAN BY THE PUNJAB EDUCATIONAL PRESS, , LAHORE CONTENTS PART I THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE Pages A Short Biography of His Royal Highness Sardar Shah Wali Khan, Victor of Kabul i-iii 1. My Aim 1 2. Towards the South 7 3. The Grand Assembly 13 4. Preliminary Steps 17 5. Fall of Thal 23 6. Beginning of Peace Negotiations 27 7. The Armistice and its Effects 29 ~ 8. Back to Kabul 33 PART II DELIVERANCE OF THE COUNTRY 9. Deliverance of the Country 35 C\'1 10. Beginning of Unrest in the Country 39 er 11. Homewards 43 12. Arrival of Sardar Shah Mahmud Ghazi 53 Cµ 13. Sipah Salar's Activities 59 s:: ::s 14.
  • KURENAI : Kyoto University Research Information Repository

    KURENAI : Kyoto University Research Information Repository

    KURENAI : Kyoto University Research Information Repository Buddhism in North-western India and Eastern Afghanistan, Title Sixth to Ninth Century AD Author(s) VERARDI, Giovanni Citation ZINBUN (2012), 43: 147-183 Issue Date 2012-03 URL http://hdl.handle.net/2433/155685 Right Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University ZINBUN 2011 No.43 Buddhism in North-western India and Eastern Afghanistan, Sixth to Ninth Century AD Giovanni VERARDI North-western India (Maps 1–3) enjoys of, or rather suffers from a peculiar situation in the fi eld of Buddhist and Indian studies. The art of Gandhāra started being known in the second half of the nineteenth century, 1 and soon became the privileged fi eld of research of western scholars. When in 1905 Alfred Foucher published the fi rst volume of L’art gréco- bouddhique du Gandhâra, Gandhāra had already been removed from the body of India as a region apart, despite the fact that Gandhāran Buddhism was construed as a paradigm not only of Buddhist art, but of Buddhism tout court, and Buddhism was obviously part of Indian history. In the early decades of the last century, Indian scholars (who were not sim- ply the babus who provided western scholars with texts and translations, but independent minds deeply involved in the debate on Indian past)2 preferred, with the exception of Bengali intellectuals, to stay away from anything related to Buddhism, a religion that their ancestors had actively opposed.3 Their alienation with regard a ‘Greek’ Buddhism was obviously even greater. The fact that Foucher’s book was written in French further estranged them from the fi eld of Gandhāran studies.
  • Yakaulang and Ribat-E Karvan: a Study on the Historical Geography of Northern Hazarajat, Afghanistan

    Yakaulang and Ribat-E Karvan: a Study on the Historical Geography of Northern Hazarajat, Afghanistan

    論 文 オ リエ ン ト 50-1(2007):53-79 ヤ カ ウ ラ ン グ と リ バ ー テ ・ カ ル ヴ ァ ー ン ― バ ザ ー ラ ジ ャ ー ト北 部 の 歴 史 地 理― Yakaulang and Ribat-e Karvan: A Study on the Historical Geography of Northern Hazarajat, Afghanistan 稲 葉 穣 INABA Minoru ABSTRACT In the 1990's, when the civil war in Afghanistan was still fierce, a series of remarkable findings for Afghan archaeology, especially for historical archaeology, was made. The Buddhist site of the 8th century and accompanying Bactrian inscription unearthed near Tang-e Safedak, a small village lying about 125 km west of Bamiyan, are counted among them. The northern Hazaraj at, to which this Tang-e Safedak belongs, is one of the least documented areas in Afghanistan. The present paper tries to illuminate the history and geography of this area, investigating fragmental information found in the Arabic, Persian and Chinese sources. In the beginning of the 16th century, Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, and in the 19th century, a couple of British military officers, travelled from Herat along the Hari Rud river and reached Yakaulang, which is the present center of northern Hazaraj at. In the 11th century, Ghaznavid Sultan Mas'ud b. Mahmud seems to have taken the same route when he took flight from Dandanagan where the decisive battle between Ghaznavids and Seljuqs was fought. After travelling through the Hari Rud riverine system, Mas'ud halted at a place called Ribat-e Karvan, which was described as a part of Guzgan and about 7 days journey from Ghazni.
  • Title Buddhism in North-Western India and Eastern Afghanistan

    Title Buddhism in North-Western India and Eastern Afghanistan

    Buddhism in North-western India and Eastern Afghanistan, Title Sixth to Ninth Century AD Author(s) VERARDI, Giovanni Citation ZINBUN (2012), 43: 147-183 Issue Date 2012-03 URL http://hdl.handle.net/2433/155685 © Copyright March 2012, Institute for Research in Humanities Right Kyoto University. Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University ZINBUN 2011 No.43 Buddhism in North-western India and Eastern Afghanistan, Sixth to Ninth Century AD Giovanni VERARDI North-western India (Maps 1–3) enjoys of, or rather suffers from a peculiar situation in the fi eld of Buddhist and Indian studies. The art of Gandhāra started being known in the second half of the nineteenth century, 1 and soon became the privileged fi eld of research of western scholars. When in 1905 Alfred Foucher published the fi rst volume of L’art gréco- bouddhique du Gandhâra, Gandhāra had already been removed from the body of India as a region apart, despite the fact that Gandhāran Buddhism was construed as a paradigm not only of Buddhist art, but of Buddhism tout court, and Buddhism was obviously part of Indian history. In the early decades of the last century, Indian scholars (who were not sim- ply the babus who provided western scholars with texts and translations, but independent minds deeply involved in the debate on Indian past)2 preferred, with the exception of Bengali intellectuals, to stay away from anything related to Buddhism, a religion that their ancestors had actively opposed.3 Their alienation with regard a ‘Greek’ Buddhism was obviously even greater. The fact that Foucher’s book was written in French further estranged them from the fi eld of Gandhāran studies.
  • Ethnohistory of the Qizilbash in Kabul: Migration, State, and a Shi'a Minority

    Ethnohistory of the Qizilbash in Kabul: Migration, State, and a Shi'a Minority

    ETHNOHISTORY OF THE QIZILBASH IN KABUL: MIGRATION, STATE, AND A SHI’A MINORITY Solaiman M. Fazel Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology Indiana University May 2017 i Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral Committee __________________________________________ Raymond J. DeMallie, PhD __________________________________________ Anya Peterson Royce, PhD __________________________________________ Daniel Suslak, PhD __________________________________________ Devin DeWeese, PhD __________________________________________ Ron Sela, PhD Date of Defense ii For my love Megan for the light of my eyes Tamanah and Sohrab and for my esteemed professors who inspired me iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This historical ethnography of Qizilbash communities in Kabul is the result of a painstaking process of multi-sited archival research, in-person interviews, and collection of empirical data from archival sources, memoirs, and memories of the people who once live/lived and experienced the affects of state-formation in Afghanistan. The origin of my study extends beyond the moment I had to pick a research topic for completion of my doctoral dissertation in the Department of Anthropology, Indiana University. This study grapples with some questions that have occupied my mind since a young age when my parents decided to migrate from Kabul to Los Angeles because of the Soviet-Afghan War of 1980s. I undertook sections of this topic while finishing my Senior Project at UC Santa Barbara and my Master’s thesis at California State University, Fullerton. I can only hope that the questions and analysis offered here reflects my intellectual progress.