History of Afghanistan
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Earliest History
The Middle Eastern region known today as Afghanistan dates back over 50, 000 years. The earliest farming communities here were migrants from Central Asia known as Aryans. Since the middle of the 6th century BC, the region has been ruled and often devastated by various dynasties and fought over by land-hungry conquerors such as Alexander the Great in ancient times and later Genghis Khan.
Prior to the Islamic period of rule which continues still today, Aryana was predominantly a Buddhist region; this religion remained dominant from the 3rd to the 8th century AD. During this time the control of Aryana began under the Kushans, central Asian people, then a Turkic group of central Asians known as White Huns, and eventually lost and split over several kingdoms. Both Buddhist and Hindu religions remained (Shroder VII.A).
A fascinating and yet terrible history of violence developed with the introduction of Islam in the 7th century via Arab rule. By the 10th century, Islam was established throughout Afghanistan by the Ghaznavid king Mahmud, a Muslim ruler. The city of Ghazni became a center for literature and the arts (Shroder VII.B).
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Major Wars and British Influence
Powerful military exploits have plowed through the region of Afghanistan repeatedly over the centuries. Such forceful changes were often violent and bloody. The rulers of Afghanistan faced internal threats from rival leaders and external threats from both Russia and Great Britain. Neither country cared for the interest of the Afghan people during their strategic planning. They would ally themselves with whichever leader might help them gain regional dominance for the purpose of empire building and control over trade routes. Afghanistan was caught in the middle of the "Great Game" between the two empires ("Afghanistan," U.S. Dept. of State).
In defense of British interests, Lord Auckland ordered the first Anglo-Afghan war in 1838, which later became known as "Auckland's Folly," being remembered for the ferocity of Afghans and the destruction of a British army ("Afghanistan," U.S. Dept of State and "Afghanistan History," Afghanan.Net). The British would not acknowledge this plan as an "invasion" but gave a false pretense that their troops were only there to support and protect their choose of a legitimate government under Shuja. Auckland justified his
"intervention" by stating that Britain needed a trustworthy ally on
their western frontier for the welfare of India (which was still under
the empire's domain at this time.) The rule of Shuja was won and Dost Mohammad was displaced, but this political power could not be enforced without the continual support of military power by Britain ("Afghanistan History," Afghanan.Net).
During this war, Britain established a garrison in Kabul and south of the Hindu Kush Mountains. Revolt and civil war within Afghanistan leadership forced Britain to abandon the garrison in 1842 (Shroder VII.C). I love this quote from Abdulla Qazi found within his chronological history timeline because it reveals the extent of British defeat in this conflict: "In January 1842, out of 16,500 soldiers (and 12,000 dependents) only one survivor, of mixed British-Indian garrison, reaches the fort in Jalalabad, on a stumbling pony" (sect. 1839-1842). Yet perhaps because of the brutal defeat, the British reciprocated the brutality by returning to Kabul only long enough to rescue the remaining British prisoners and burn the great bazaar. Death and destruction were the only remains of the British occupation, which caused great bitterness and resentment toward foreign influence among Afghans ("Afghanistan History," Afghanan.Net).
Between 1843 and 1878 rule of the country returned to Dost Mohammad. There were vacillating policies toward Afghanistan during this time. In 1855 the Treaty of Peshawar was signed between Dost Mohammad and British officials, in which both parties agreed to be friendly and respectful of each other's territorial integrity. Britain declared war on Iran in 1856 over the Iranian occupation of Herat, which they quickly won. But this brief encounter prompted Britain to add to the treaty, allowing British entrance into Afghanistan only in order to fight against future conflicts with Iran. They were allies for a brief time. The basic result of all these interactions was that both governments agreed not to intervene with the other's affairs.
Despite a certain measure of good will between the countries, in 1869 Afghan leader Sher Ali would not allow a British envoy into Kabul. Relations became increasingly strained as decisions like this were made. In 1872, Russian advancements caused Afghanistan to seek council from Britain, but they refused to offer assistance. By 1878, British requests to establish a mission in Kabul became demands after repeated denials by Sher Ali, who argued that Russian might also demand the same right. British forward policy forced their control over sections of Afghanistan once again in defense of their position in India. Russia also sought diplomatic relations with Sher Ali in Kabul at this time. Sher Ali was unable to block the Russian envoy, and the British invaded Afghanistan a second time in 1878 because of the Russian negotiations in Kabul ("Afghanistan History," Afghanan.Net).
Britain took control of Afghan foreign relations, but did not attempt an occupation. Instead, Britain invited an internal Afghan ruler to lead internally on their behalf. This ruler was known as the Iron Emir. He "recognized the threat from the expansionistic Russians and the defensive British" (Shroder VII.C). Under his direction, the policy of divide and rule was adopted, and the borders of Afghanistan shrank back to their present-day limits (Shroder VII.C).
In 1919, under the rule of Amanullah, Afghanistan launched the third Anglo-Afghan war in an effort to win back control over foreign affairs from Britain. A peace treaty resulted which recognized Afghanistan's independence.
In 1926 Amanullah assumed the formal title of king. As such, he began issuing reforms to the country's social structure, trying to modernize and westernize the people. His efforts included reforms to adopt western attire, and for women to discard their burkas. Religious and ethnic leaders took great offence to these reforms and revolted, forcing Amanullah out of the country. Order was not restored until 1930, when Muhammad Nadir Shah (mentioned in The Kite Runner) became king. Nadir Shah was assassinated in 1933; however, power and control remained in his family for over the next 40 years. By the early 1950's, the USSR began pouring money into Afghanistan building its economy and military. No assistance was offered from the west (Shroder VII.D).
Much political change continued as the Afghans adopted a new constitution in 1964, leaving behind the absolute monarchy. The military was still heavily dependent upon the USSR, giving Soviets power to train and influence Afghan military officers with radical ideals. 1973 saw a coup led by a cousin to the king that ended the monarchy and declared Afghanistan a republic, followed by even yet more civil unrest and eventually communism. Many historians mark this coup as the defining moment that began Afghanistan's descent into conflict.1 It is during this tumultuous political time that The Kite Runner begins.
On December 25, 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and began a 10-year war in which most Afghan people either died or became refugees (Roberts vii). Though the battle sustained such a long time period, the Soviets eventually withdrew after failure to suppress the mujahidin and widespread Afghan resistance (Roberts xii).
Note
1 Many sources support the assertion that the coup of 1973 marked a critical turning point in the turmoil within Afghanistan because of the abolishment of the monarchy, see "Afghanistan's Turbulent History," Shroder Microsoft, and "Afghan History," Afghanan.Net.
The source of this map is www.worldatlas.com. It is a great reference piece when reading The Kite Runner because it gives you a feel for the terrain as well as anchoring locations in your mind key places referred to in the story.
Facts and Figures
copied from www.worldatlas.com
Name Afghanistan
(long form) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Population 29,929,000
Capital City Kãbul (2.9 million)
Currency Afghani (AFA)
Languages
Afghan Persian (official), Pashtu (official), Turkic languages and local dialects
National Day August 19
Religions Sunni Muslim (80%), Shi'a Muslim (19%)
Geographic Coordinates
Latitude/Longitude (Capital City)
34º 31' N, 69º 11' E
Relative Location Afghanistan is landlocked, and situated in both the northern and eastern hemispheres. It's positioned in the Middle East,
a recognized geographical region of southwestern Asia. It's bordered by
the countries of China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan.
From National Geographic:
Literacy Percent: 36
Life Expectancy: 46
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According to www.worldatlas.com, the flag pictured above was adopted after the Taliban was defeated. The Arabic inscription above the gold mosque translates:
"There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger."
Most Recently
Afghanistan continues to be a troubled, violent country. Several mujahidin groups tried unsuccessfully to form a new government. The groups generally failed and the country perpetually divided inwardly against itself into small factions. Chaos ensued and the only rising power to overcome it was the Taliban, which was initially welcomed by many Afghans (Roberts viii). Soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks on American soil, the rest of the world began to realize the extent of the Taliban's terrible vision and methods. Afghanistan continues to draw much attention to its present situation with aerial attacks by the U.S. and British forces and the occupation of an international coalition military force (Shroder VII.H).
A transitional government was formed after the Taliban and a new constitution was created. The official name today is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The new laws attempt to give equal rights to women, protection of other religious faiths, and elected government officials. I say attempt to because enforcement of all such laws and acceptance by the majority of Afghans is still being worked out. The first Afghan presidential election was held in 2004. Parliamentary elections followed in 2005. Despite these strides, the Taliban still affects the area and the people in Afghanistan remain in unrest. Much mistrust of western countries resides among the people of Afghanistan as a result of decades of war for political gain among them.
It would be inappropriate for this report to completely speak around the religious issues that encompass and saturate the internal conflicts and power struggles over the hundreds of years of Afghanistan's history. Much of the civil unrest the country has experienced is due to fundamental differences of the practice of Islamic law. The conflicts can also be attributed to the factioning of ethnic tribes within the country. Much more detail surrounding these different cultural issues will be explained on this site's cultural page.
