Portal:Afghanistan

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The Afghanistan Portal

Location of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central 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 predominately mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. , its population is 40.2 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic era, and the country's strategic location along the historic Silk Road has led it to being described, picturesquely, as the ‘roundabout of the ancient world’. Known as the Graveyard of Empires, the land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and most recently by an American-led coalition. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. The various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres made the area a center for Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam throughout history.

On 15 August 2021, the country was captured by the Taliban, which marked the end of the 2001–2021 war, the longest war in US history. This led to the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani and reinstating the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. The US–Taliban deal, signed on 29 February 2020 in Qatar, was one of the critical events that caused the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Following the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of air attacks and deprived the ANSF of a critical edge in fighting the Taliban insurgency, leading to the Taliban takeover of Kabul. Soon after, former first vice president Amrullah Saleh declared himself the caretaker president of Afghanistan and announced the resistance against the Taliban. (Full article...)

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ISAF military vehicle passing by an Afghan shepherd in Kapisa Province of Afghanistan in 2007.

Environmental issues in Afghanistan predate the political turmoil of the past few decades. Forests have been depleted by centuries of grazing and farming, practices which have only increased with modern population growth. In Afghanistan, environmental conservation and economic concerns are not at odds; with over 44% of the population dependent on herding or farming, the welfare of the environment is critical to the economic welfare of the people. In 2007, the World Health Organization released a report ranking Afghanistan as the lowest among non-African nations in deaths from environmental hazards. (Full article...)

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... that Iranian women's rights activist Mastoureh Afshar organized the second Eastern Women's Congress, held in Tehran in 1932, which drew delegates from Afghanistan to Zanzibar?
... that Kabul City Center is the only building in Afghanistan that is equipped with working escalators?
... that after travelling around 8,300 km (5,200 mi) from Afghanistan to Ireland, Muzamil Sherzad was named a member of Ireland's squad for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup?
... that Turkish soldier Abdur Rahman Peshawari was appointed as Turkey's ambassador to Afghanistan in part due to his knowledge of Pashto and Persian?
... that Mark Ormrod was the first UK soldier to survive a triple amputation during the War in Afghanistan?
... that 27 Afghan peace activists of the People's Peace Movement were kidnapped and later freed by the Taliban in late December 2019?

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The following are images from various Afghanistan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Map of the Hotak Empire during the Reign of Mirwais Hotak, 1715. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 2Gandhara Buddhist reliquary with content, including Indo-Parthian coins. 1st century CE.
Image 3Mohammad Zahir Shah in 1963
Image 4The Mahajanapadas, including the Gandhara and Kamboja regions c. 500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 5A 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 6Players in a game of buzkashi, the national sport (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 7Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 1982 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 8Approximate 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)
Image 9Map of Afghanistan (Emirate) and surrounding nations, dated 1860. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 10Map of the region during the 7th century (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 11Map of the situation in Afghanistan in late 1996; Massoud (red), Dostum (green) and Taliban (yellow) territories. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 12An Afghan man with a tasbih (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 13An Afghan boy with a kite (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 14Tents 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 15Soldiers of the Afghan National Army in 2010, including the ANA Commando Battalion standing in the front.
Image 16Ghaznavid Empire at its greatest extent in 1030 CE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 17Much of the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan was subordinated to the Achaemenid Empire (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 18The Durrani Empire at its maximum extent under Ahmad Shah Abdali. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 19Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan 1997 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 20Outside the Presidential Palace in Kabul, a day after the Marxist revolution on April 28, 1978. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 21NATO's military terminal at Kabul International Airport (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 22Modern-day sketch work of Mahmud Hotaki (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 23Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaking before U.S. Congress in June 2004 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 24Typical Afghan food table (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 25Kushan territories (full line) and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka (dotted line), according to the Rabatak inscription. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 26The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620, under Khosrow II (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 27King 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 28The day after the Marxist revolution on April 28, 1978 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 29Kabul during civil war in 1993. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 30The 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 31President Hamid Karzai observing the honor guard of the Afghan armed forces during the 2011 Afghan Independence Day. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 32Afghan musicians in Farah, Afghanistan. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 33Women painting at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in Kabul. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 34Present-day location of Afghanistan in Asia (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 35From left to right: Abdullah Abdullah, John Kerry and Ashraf Ghani during the 2014 Afghan presidential election (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 36Arachosia, 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 37Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf sent more troops against the United Front of Ahmad Shah Massoud than the Afghan Taliban. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 38Songbirds in cages at a farm in Nangarhar Province, used for the pleasure of the site's farmers (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 39Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until October 2001 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 40Timurid Empire at its greatest extent in 1405 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 41Herat Citadel in the western Afghan city of Herat (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 42Some 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 43Taliban fighters patrolling Kabul in a Humvee, 17 August 2021 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 44Elements of Afghan culture including: tabla and harmonium musical instruments, an Afghan carpet, teapot, and sheer pira dessert (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 45Vishnu 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 46Mongol invasions and conquests seriously depopulated large areas of Afghanistan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 47Hotaki Empire, 1728 (from History of Afghanistan)

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Some popular dishes in Afghan cuisine, from left to right: Lamb grilled kebab (seekh kabab), Kabuli palaw and salad, Tandoori chicken and Mantu (dumplings)

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