Portal:Afghanistan

The Afghanistan Portal

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Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South 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 predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 35 and 50 million.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires, the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led coalition. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. Because of the various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres, the area was a center for Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani Empire in the 18th century under Ahmad Shah Durrani, although Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first modern Afghan state. Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War; the Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926; this monarchy lasted almost half a century.

The mujahideen won against the Soviets in the Soviet–Afghan War, leading to the Soviets' withdrawal in 1989. The ensuing civil war overthrew the socialist republic and established the Islamic State of Afghanistan through the Peshawar Accord, which could not remain in force and resulted in a second civil war between mujahideen factions in 1992. The Taliban controlled most of the country by 1996, but their Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan received little international recognition before its overthrow in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after capturing Kabul, ending the 2001–2021 war. The Taliban government is widely unrecognized by the international community due to reported violations of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly regarding the treatment of women by the Taliban. (Full article...)

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Saleh in 2011

Amrullah Saleh (born 15 October 1972) is an Afghan politician who served as the first vice president of Afghanistan from February 2020 to August 2021, and acting interior minister from 2018 to 2019. He was the head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) from 2004 to 2010.

A member of the mujahideen during the civil war against Afghanistan's communist government, Saleh later joined Ahmad Shah Massoud's Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban coalition in the northeast of the country. In 1997, Saleh became the head of the Northern Alliance's liaison office inside the Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, handling contacts with international non-governmental organizations and intelligence agencies. As head of the NDS, Saleh directed efforts to infiltrate the Taliban and locate Osama bin Laden. Saleh resigned from the NDS in 2010 amidst worsening relations with President Hamid Karzai, founding Basej-e Milli ("National Movement"), a pro-democracy and anti-Taliban political party, shortly afterward. In March 2017, he was appointed State Minister for Security Reforms by President Ashraf Ghani, serving until his resignation in June of that year. Saleh became the acting Minister of Interior Affairs in December 2018, but resigned less than a month later to become Ghani's running mate for first vice president in the 2019 presidential election. Ghani's ticket won the election, and Saleh became first vice president on 25 February 2020. (Full article...)

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... that Canadian football player Nigel Williams served two tours of duty during the war in Afghanistan?
... that a 2015 issue of the Strawberry Newspaper features Hello Kitty discussing military conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine?
... that Serge de Beaurecueil, having spent a "wretched childhood" dreaming of journeying to a faraway land, became the only Catholic priest in Afghanistan?
... that Polish writer Magdalena Kozak combines military science fiction writing with a career as a parachute-trained paramedic and military officer, with over 300 jumps and service in Afghanistan?
... that a Pakistani teenager had never heard of Islamabad, the capital of his own country, when he was arrested for terrorism in Afghanistan?
... that the murder of a gay man in Afghanistan forced his brother to flee to Turkey and his boyfriend to go into hiding due to harassment from the Taliban?

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

Image 1The day after the Marxist revolution on 28 April 1978 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 2Map of the Hotak Empire during the Reign of Mirwais Hotak, 1715. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 3Women painting at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in Kabul. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 4The Mahajanapadas, including the Gandhara and Kambojas kingdoms and Achaemenid Empire in West, around c. 500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 5Aramaic inscription of Laghman is an inscription on a slab of natural rock in the area of Laghmân, Afghanistan, written in Aramaic by the Indian emperor Ashoka about 260 BCE, and often categorized as one of Minor Rock Edicts of Ashoka. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 6Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani, c. 1757. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 7Map of the region during the 7th century (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 8President Hamid Karzai observing the honor guard of the Afghan armed forces during the 2011 Afghan Independence Day. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 9Approximate maximum extent of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom circa 180 BCE, including the regions of Tapuria and Traxiane in the West, Sogdiana and Ferghana to the North, Bactria and Arachosia to the South. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 10The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620 CE, under the king Khosrow II. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 11King 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 12Map of Afghanistan (Emirate) and surrounding nations, dated 1860. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 13Some 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 14Afghan musicians in Farah, Afghanistan. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 15Map of the situation in Afghanistan in late 1996; Massoud (red), Dostum (green) and Taliban (yellow) territories. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 16Timurid Empire at its greatest extent in about 1405 CE. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 17Outside the Presidential Palace in Kabul, a day after the Marxist revolution on 28 April 1978. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 18Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 1982 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 19Soldiers of the Afghan National Army in 2010, including the ANA Commando Battalion standing in the front.
Image 20Modern-day sketch work of Mahmud Hotak. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 21Kandahar Greek Edicts of Ashoka is among the Major Rock Edicts of the Indian Emperor Ashoka (reigned 269–233 BCE), which were written in the Greek language and Prakrit language. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 22Map of Ghurid territory, before the assassination of Muhammad of Ghor. In the west, Ghurid territory extended to Nishapur and Merv, while Ghurid troops reached as far as Gorgan on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Eastward, the Ghurids invaded as far as Bengal. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 23A map of Afghanistan showing the 2021 Taliban offensive (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 24An Afghan man with a tasbih (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 25Surrender of the Safavids under Mihrab Khan to the Mughal general Qulij Khan Turani at the Siege of Bost (1638). (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 26Gandhara Kingdom in Early Vedic Period, around 1500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 27Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until October 2001 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 28Shoppers examining traditional Afghan rugs in a market in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 29Map of Afghanistan 1839–1863, showing the First Anglo-Afghan war, and unification of Afghanistan by Dost Mohammad Khan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 30Herat Citadel in the western Afghan city of Herat (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 31Present-day location of Afghanistan in Asia (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 32Ahmad Shah Massoud, fought against the Taliban until his assassination in 2001. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 33Bronze statuette of Alexander the Great from Bagram, Afghanistan. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 34Mohammad Zahir Shah in 1963
Image 35NATO's military terminal at Kabul International Airport (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 36Tents 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 37Arachosia, 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 38Kushan territories (full line) and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka (dotted line), according to the Rabatak inscription. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 39Alexander the Great's Empire in South Asia. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 40Women dancing in traditional dress in San Francisco (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 41Mongol invasions and conquests seriously depopulated large areas of Afghanistan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 42Songbirds in cages at a farm in Nangarhar Province, used for the pleasure of the site's farmers (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 43Typical Afghan food table (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 44Kabul during civil war in 1993 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 45Painting of Battle of Damghan, illustrating Persian decisive artillery fire against the Afghans in 1729 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 46Built during the Ghurids in the 12th century, the Friday Mosque of Herat is one of the oldest mosques in Afghanistan. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 47Hotak Empire, c. 1728. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 48Players in a game of buzkashi, the national sport (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 49Coin of Indo-Parthian king Abdagases I (c. 46–60 CE), with Greek legend on the obverse, and Kharosthi legend on the reverse. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 50A letter of the Alchon Hun ruler Mehama, written in the Bactrian language using a cursive Greek script. It says: "Meyam, King of the people of Kadag"; dated to 461–462 CE. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 51Khan Jahan Lodi, a high ranking noble of the Mughal empire, commissioned the first work covering the history of Afghan people, Tarikh-i-Khan-Jahani, which influenced later works on this topic (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 52Much of the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan was subordinated to the Achaemenid Empire (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 53Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan 1997 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 54The Bimaran casket, representing the Buddha surrounded by Brahma (left) and Śakra (right) was found inside a stupa with coins of Azes II inside. British Museum. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 55An Afghan boy with a kite (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 56Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaking before U.S. Congress in June 2004 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 57Taliban fighters patrolling Kabul in a Humvee, 17 August 2021 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 58From left to right: Abdullah Abdullah, John Kerry and Ashraf Ghani during the 2014 Afghan presidential election (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 59Ghaznavid Empire at its greatest extent in 1030 CE (from History of Afghanistan)

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A view of Herat Citadel from atop the premises

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Afghanistan}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

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3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines - Afghanistan
ANA soldier with RPG-7 in 2013-cropped
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Last American Soldier leaves Afghanistan
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Meat seller in Kabul
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Sher Ali (1825-1879) Amir of Afghanistan, photographed in 1869 by John Burke
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