Timur Shah’s mausoleum, Kabul. Photo 430-3 (40) ISLAM IN AFGHANISTAN In mediaeval times, the territory now known as Afghanistan generally formed part of the Persian world, both culturally and politically. But while Iran has been predominantly Shi‘ite since the early 16th century, when the Safavid dynasty came to power, the Afghans or Pathans, have continued to be Sunni Muslims, like most of their neighbours in the Central Asian republics. In general, Afghan Islam is marked by conservatism, including steadfast adherence to Prayers and invocations. Persian MS. Or. 14257 the Hanafi school of law. Religious leaders have traditionally provided the chief inspiration for resistance to foreign occupation. Popular handbooks of worship and doctrine in the Pashto language include Makhzan al-Islam, by Akhund Darweza (d. 1638), and Rashid al-bayan, in verse, completed in 1716 by Mulla Rashid of Langarkot. The high standards of penmanship and manuscript illumination attained in the 15th to 16th centuries are exemplified in a collection of prayers and invocations, copied in 1512 by Hamid, a calligrapher from Herat. Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, continues to enjoy substantial influence, in cities as well as in rural areas. In most respects, the ideology of the Taliban regime was at the opposite extreme. Eminent religious figures of Afghanistan’s past include scholar-poets such as Khwaja ‘Abd Allah Ansari (d. 1088), whose shrine at Gazurgah outside Herat is still a favourite place to worship, meditate, or just visit; Shaykh Ahmad-i Jam (d. 1141); and Hakim Sana’i of Ghazni (d. ca. 1131). The mosque and tomb of Ghulam Husayn Hazratji, a 17th century saint, at Kandahar attracted many visitors. Rattray, a Victorian writer and artist, described the building and painted a watercolour of it. Another monument that is characteristically Afghan in form is the mausoleum of Timur Shah (reigned 1772–93), in Kabul. Rashid al-bayan. Pashto MS. I.O. Islamic 4829 Mosque of Hazratji, Kandahar. Painting by James Rattray. X.562.