Motto:لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله Lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh, Muhammadun rasūlu llāh "There is no god butGod;Muhammad is the messenger of God." (Shahadah)
Afghanistan is currently governed by theTaliban, after thecollapse of the internationally recognizedIslamic Republic of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021. In early times people passed through it with animals and other goods as it connected China and India withCentral Asia and theMiddle East. More recently, Afghanistan has been damaged by many years of war. There are not enough jobs.
The country is around251,826 square miles (652,230 square kilometres) in size. There are 40.976 million people in Afghanistan. There are about 3 million Afghanrefugees (people who had to leave the country) in Pakistan and Iran. In 2011Kabul, had about 3,691,400 people living in it.[34]
United Nations Human Rights Councildecided in October 2021 toappoint an independent expert, known as a United Nations special rapporteur on Afghanistan, to find out aboutviolations carried out by the Taliban and others who are now part of a big conflict.[35]
The economy does not have growth (as April 2024), of that kind that is calledGDP growth, according to Worldbank.org.[36] In regard to themining industry: In 2024, Chinese engineersbroke ground for amine; "The deposit isestimated to [... have] 11.5 million tons ofcopperore".[37]
Snow-capped Koh-i-Baba mountains inBamyan Province of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has manymountains. The mountains are called theHindu Kush andHimalayas. The tallest mountain in Afghanistan isMount Nowshak. There areplains (which have soil that is good for growing plants) andfoothills. Parts of the country are also dry, especially theRegistan Desert. Afghanistan has snow andglaciers in the mountains.Amu Darya is the big water stream, or river.
Afghanistan has acontinental climate with hot summers and cold winters. Having no water sometimes causes problems forfarmers. Sandstorms happen a lot in thedesert.[39]
Many years ofwar,hunting, and years of no water have killed animals in Afghanistan. There used to betigers in Afghanistan, but now there aren't any. Bears and wolves are almost gone.[38]
Many people have moved through or invaded the land of Afghanistan. Today's people of Afghanistan are known asAfghans.
The largestgroup of people are thePashtuns. These make up about half the population.[40]Tajiks are the second-largestethnic group, making up about one-fifth of the population.[41] Before the 20th century, Tajiks were called Sarts[42] and some come fromIranian peoples.[43] Most Pashtuns are also related to the Iranian peoples. Some Pashtuns and Tajiks marry each other but at the same time they are rivals. The third-largest group are theHazaras. They are native to theHazaristan area in central Afghanistan. The country's other groups include theUzbek,Aimaq,Turkmen,Nuristani,Baloch, andPashayi.[38]
Afghanistan is a largelyrural country. This means there are only a few major cities. About one fifth of the population live in cities.Kabul, the capital, is the largest city. It is south of theHindu Kush range and alongside theKabul River. Other cities areKandahar,Herat,Mazar-e Sharif, andJalalabad. The rural population is made up offarmers andnomads. The farmers live mainly in small villages along the rivers. The nomads live in tents while moving from place to place with their animals and belongings. Some people live in the high central mountains. Some live in the deserts in the south and southwest. Millions of people left Afghanistan to get away from the wars that happened in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Most of them went toPakistan andIran.
Afghanistan is in thepath of important trade routes that connect southern and easternAsia toEurope and theMiddle East. Because of this, many empire builders have tried to rule over the area. Signs that theseemperors were near Afghanistan still exist in many parts of the country.[45] Afghanistan is near what used to be theSilk Road. The peoples of Afghanistan helped develop majorworld religions, traded and exchanged manyproducts, and sometimes controlled politics and culture in Asia.[46]
Archaeologists digging a cave inBadakhshan discovered that people lived in the country as early as 100,000 years ago. They found the skull of aNeanderthal, or early human, as well as tools from about 30,000 years ago. In other parts of Afghanistan, archaeologists uncoveredpottery and tools that are 4,000 to 11,000 years old—evidence that Afghans were among the first people in the world to grow crops and raise animals.[47]
A Stone Female Figurine, known asBactrian Princess, fromBactria, north of Afghanistan, about 4,000 years ago
Farmers and herders settled in the plains surrounding theHindu Kush as early as 7000B.C. These people may have grown rich off thelapis lazuli they found along riverbeds, which they traded to early city sites to the west, across theIranian plateau andMesopotamia. As farms and villages grew these ancient people startedirrigation (digging ditches for water so it flows to crops) that allowed them to grow crops on the northern Afghanistan desert plains. Thiscivilization (advanced state of organization) is today called BMAC (Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex), or the "Oxus civilization".[48]
TheOxus civilization expanded as far east as western edge of theIndus Valley during the period between 2200 and 1800B.C.[49] These people, who were the ancestors of the Indo-Aryans, used the term "Aryan" to identify their ethnicity, culture, and religion. Scholars know this when they read the ancient texts of these people; theAvesta of Iranic peoples and theVedas of Indo-Aryans.[50][51]
Zoroaster, the founder of theZoroastrian religion, the world's earliestmonotheistic religion, (meaning a religion believing in one god) lived in the area (somewhere north of today's Afghanistan), around 1000B.C.[52]
Kushans spreadBuddhism fromIndia in the 1st century BCE, and Buddhism remained an important religion in the area until theIslamic conquest in the 7th century CE.[57]
TheBuddhas of Bamiyan were giant statues, a reminder of Buddhism in Afghanistan. They were destroyed by theTaliban in 2001. There were international protests. The Taliban believe that the ancient statues wereun-Islamic and that they had a right to destroy them.
Arabs introducedIslam in the 7th century and slowly began spreading the new religion. In the 9th and 10th centuries, many local Islamicdynasties rose to power inside Afghanistan. One of the earliest was theTahirids, whose kingdom includedBalkh andHerat; they established independence from theAbbasids in 820. The Tahirids were succeeded in about 867 by theSaffarids ofZaranj in western Afghanistan. Local princes in the north soon becamefeudatories of the powerfulSamanids, who ruled fromBukhara. From 872 to 999, north of the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan enjoyed a golden age under Samanid rule.[58]
In the 10th century, the localGhaznavids turnedGhazni into their capital and firmly established Islam throughout all areas of Afghanistan, except theKafiristan region in the northeast.Mahmud of Ghazni, a great Ghaznavidsultan, conquered theMultan andPunjab region, and carried raids into the heart ofIndia.Mohammed bin Abdul Jabbar Utbi, a historian from the 10th century, wrote that thousands of "Afghans" were in the Ghaznavid army.[59][60] The Ghaznavid dynasty was replaced by theGhorids ofGhor in the late 12th century, who reconquered Ghaznavid territory in the name of Islam and ruled it until 1206. The Ghorid army also included ethnic Afghans.[59]
Afghanistan was recognized asKhorasan, meaning "land of the rising sun," which was a prosperous and independent geographic region reaching as far as theIndus River.[61][62]
All the major cities of modern Afghanistan were centers of science and culture in the past. The New Persianliterature arose and flourished in the area. The early Persian poets such asRudaki were from what is now Afghanistan. Moreover,Ferdowsi, the author ofShahnameh, the nationalepic of Iran, andRumi, the famousSufi poet, were also from here. It has produced scientists such asAvicenna,Al-Farabi,Al-Biruni,Omar Khayyám,Al-Khwarizmi, and many others who are widely known for their important contributions in areas such asmathematics,astronomy,medicine,physics,geography, andgeology. It remained the cultural capital of Persia until the devastatingMongol invasion in the 13th century.[63][64]
Timur, the Turkic conqueror, took over in the end of the 14th century and began to rebuild cities in this region. Timur's successors, theTimurids (1405–1507), were great patrons of learning and the arts who enriched their capital city ofHerat with fine buildings. Under their rule Afghanistan enjoyed peace and prosperity.
Between south of the Hindu Kush and the Indus River (today's Pakistan) was the native land of the Afghan tribes. They called this land "Afghanistan" (meaning "land of the Afghans"). The Afghans ruled the rich northern Indian subcontinent with their capital atDelhi. From the 16th to the early 18th century, Afghanistan was disputed between theSafavids ofIsfahan and theMughals ofAgra who had replaced theLodi andSuri Afghan rulers in India. The Safavids and Mughals occasionally oppressed the native Afghans but at the same time the Afghans used each empire to punish the other. In 1709, theHotaki Afghans rose to power and completely defeated the Persian Empire. Then they marched towards the Mughals of India and defeated them with the help of theAfsharid forces underNader Shah Afshar.
In 1747, after Nader Shah of Persia was killed, a great leader namedAhmad Shah Durrani united all the different Muslim tribes and established the Afghan Empire (Durrani Empire). He is considered the founding father of the modern state of Afghanistan[47] whileMirwais Hotak is the grandfather of the nation.
During the 1800s, Afghanistan became abuffer zone between two powerful empires, theBritish Indian Empire and theRussian Empire. As British India advanced into Afghanistan, Russia felt threatened and expanded southward across Central Asia. To stop the Russian advance, Britain tried to make Afghanistan part of its empire but the Afghans fought wars with British-led Indians from 1839 to 1842 and from 1878 to 1880. After the third war in 1919, Afghanistan underKing Amanullah gained respect and recognition as a completely independent state.
The creation of Pakistan in 1947 as its eastern neighbor created problems. In 1973, political crises led to the overthrow of the king. The country's new leader ended the monarchy and made Afghanistan arepublic. In 1978, aCommunist political party supported by theSoviet Union seized control of Afghanistan's government. This move sparked rebellions throughout the country. The government asked the Soviet Union for military assistance. The Soviets took advantage of the situation andinvaded Afghanistan in December 1979.
Most people in Afghanistan opposed the sudden Soviet presence in their country. For nearly a decade, anti-Communist Islamic forces known asMujahideen were trained in Pakistan to fight the Soviets and the Afghan government. TheUnited States and other anti-Soviet countries supported the Mujahideen. In the long war, over one million Afghan civilians were killed. The Soviet Army also lost more than 15,000 soldiers in that war. Millions of Afghans left their country to stay safe in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. In 1989 the Soviet Army withdrew the last of its troops.
After the Soviets left in 1989, theAfghan Civil War started; different Afghan warlords began fighting for control of the country. The warlords received support from other countries, including neighboring Pakistan and Iran. A very conservativeIslamic group known as theTaliban emerged in an attempt to end the civil war. By the late 1990s the Taliban had gained control over 95% of Afghanistan. A group known as theNorthern Alliance, based in northern Afghanistan near the border with Tajikistan, continued to fight against the Taliban.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan according to their strict version ofIslamic law. People whom the Taliban believedviolated these laws were given cruel punishments. In addition, the Taliban completely restricted the rights of women. Because of such policies, most countries refused to recognize the Taliban government. OnlyPakistan,Saudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates accepted them as the official government. The Taliban also angered other countries by allowing suspectedterrorists to live freely in Afghanistan. Among them wereOsama bin Laden and members of theal-Qaeda terrorist network. In September 2001, the United States blamed bin Laden for theterrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. The Taliban refused to hand him over to the United States. In response, the United States and its allies launched a bombing campaign against al-Qaeda in October 2001. Within months the Taliban abandoned Kabul, and a new government led byHamid Karzai came to power, but fighting between the Taliban and US-led armies continued. Taliban fighters have gone into Afghanistan from neighboring Pakistan. Afghans accused Pakistan's military of being behind the Taliban militants but Pakistan rejected this and stated that a stable Afghanistan is in Pakistan's own interest.
In December 2004, Hamid Karzai became the firstdemocratically elected president of Afghanistan.[33]NATO began rebuilding Afghanistan, including its military and government institutions. Many schools and colleges were built. Freedom for women improved. Women can study, work, drive, and run for office. Many Afghan women work as politicians, some are ministers while at least one is a mayor. Others have opened businesses, or joined the military or police. Afghanistan's economy has also improved dramatically, and NATO agreed in 2012 to help the country for at least another 10 years after 2014. Afghanistan improved diplomatic ties with many countries in the world and continues.
A United States "team led by" [then] "Deputy Special RepresentativeTom West and [a] topUSAID humanitarian official" had meetings, in Qatar in October 2021, with Afghanistani officials.[79]Women's rights was asubject during the talks.[80]
In Norway, the Taliban government were permitted (2025) to re-open an embassy inthe capital; The embassy is staffed byafirst secretary; Norway will not accept a new ambassador, because of the current[81] situation ofhuman rights in Afghanistan. Earlier (January 2022),Norway's ambassador visited Afghanistan - and had meetings with Taliban - during a two-day visit.Representatives of the Taliban leadership [came] to Norway and [met] diplomats from different countries, during 23.-25. January.[82][83] Norway stopped (as of 2022's first quarter) supporting with money, the authorities of Afghanistan.[83] Previously, Norwegian diplomats had at least two meetings with Taliban in Doha, in 2021's fourth quarter;[84][85][86] The talks are abouthumanitarian aid andevacuation.[87]
↑The last census in Afghanistan was conducted in 1979, and was itself incomplete. Due to theongoing conflict in the country, no official census has been conducted since.[4]
↑Other demonyms that have been used are Afghani,[10] Afghanese and Afghanistani (seeAfghans for further details)[11]
↑Afghanistan is a pureautocracy, with all law ultimately originating from the supreme leader. Consensus rule was initially used among the Taliban, but was phased out as the supreme leader monopolized control in the months following the 2021 return to power.[16][17][18] There is an advisoryLeadership Council, however its role is in question as the supreme leader has not convened it for many months (as of March2023),[update] and increasingly rules by decree.[19]
↑ The last census was conducted in 1979. Sources disagree about the current population:
Madadi, Sayed (6 September 2022)."Dysfunctional centralization and growing fragility under Taliban rule".Middle East Institute.Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved28 November 2022.In other words, the centralized political and governance institutions of the former republic were unaccountable enough that they now comfortably accommodate the totalitarian objectives of the Taliban without giving the people any chance to resist peacefully.
Sadr, Omar (23 March 2022)."Afghanistan's Public Intellectuals Fail to Denounce the Taliban".Fair Observer.Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved28 November 2022.The Taliban government currently installed in Afghanistan is not simply another dictatorship. By all standards, it is a totalitarian regime.
↑Oxford Analytica (10 March 2023). "Senior Afghan Taliban figures move to curb leader".Expert Briefings. Emerald Expert Briefings.oxan–db (oxan–db).doi:10.1108/OXAN-DB276639.[Akhundzada] has not convened the Taliban's Leadership Council (a 'politburo' of top leaders and commanders) for several months. Instead, he relies on the narrower Kandahar Council of Clerics for legal advice.
"Ethnic groups".BBC News. Retrieved7 June 2013.Pashtun: Estimated to be in excess of 45% of the population, the Pashtuns have been the most dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan.
Brown, Keith; Sarah Ogilvie (2009).Concise encyclopedia of languages of the world. Elsevie. p.845.ISBN978-0-08-087774-7. Retrieved24 September 2010.Pashto, which is mainly spoken south of the mountain range of the Hindu Kush, is reportedly the mother tongue of 60% of the Afghan population.
Hawthorne, Susan; Bronwyn Winter (2002).11 September 2001: feminist perspectives. Spinifex Press. p.225 of 500.ISBN978-1-876756-27-7. Retrieved24 September 2010.Over 60 percent of the population in Afghanistan is Pashtun, known locally as Pathan, who by and large support the Taliban.
↑"Tajik".Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved6 November 2011.There were about 5,000,000 in Afghanistan, where they constituted about one-fifth of the population.
↑John Leyden; William Erskine, eds. (1921)."Events Of The Year 910 (1525)".Memoirs of Babur. Packard Humanities Institute. p.5. Archived fromthe original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved30 June 2012.
12"Article Sixteen of the Constitution of Afghanistan". 2004. Archived fromthe original on 28 October 2013. Retrieved13 June 2012.From among the languages of Pashto, Dari, Uzbeki, Turkmani, Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani, Pamiri (alsana), Arab and other languages spoken in the country,Pashto and Dari are the official languages of the state.
↑Hiebert, F., Cambon, P., 2008, AFGHANISTAN Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, page 56, Washington, National Geographic,ISBN978-1-4262-0295-7
↑Hiebert, F., Cambon, P., 2008, AFGHANISTAN Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, page 58, Washington, National Geographic,ISBN978-1-4262-0295-7
↑Hiebert, F., Cambon, P., 2008, AFGHANISTAN Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, page 73, Washington, National Geographic,ISBN978-1-4262-0295-7
↑[R. Ghirshman, L’Iran et la migration des Indo-aryens et des Iraniens, Leiden, 1977.]
↑"Khurasan", The Encyclopaedia of Islam, page 55. Brill. 1967. Retrieved22 October 2010.In pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, the term "Khurassan" frequently had a much wider denotation, covering also parts of what are now Soviet Central Asia and Afghanistan; early Islamic usage often regarded everywhere east of western Persia, sc. Djibal or what was subsequently termed 'Irak 'Adjami, as being included in a vast and ill-defined region of Khurasan, which might even extend to the Indus Valley and Sind.
↑"Khorasan".Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved21 October 2010.historical region and realm comprising a vast territory now lying in northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, and northern Afghanistan. The historical region extended, along the north, from the Amu Darya (Oxus River) westward to the Caspian Sea and, along the south, from the fringes of the central Iranian deserts eastward to the mountains of central Afghanistan. Arab geographers even spoke of its extending to the boundaries ofIndia.
↑From the Alleyways of Samarkand to the Mediterranean Coast (The Evolution of the World of Child and Adolescent Literature,Afghanistan,Poopak Niktalab , printed 2019 , Faradid Publishing
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