Portal:Afghanistan

The Afghanistan Portal

Flag of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia 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 36 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 Afghan Empire in the 18th century, 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, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, following which the Republic of Afghanistan was established.

Afghanistan is rich in natural resources, including lithium, iron, zinc, and copper. It is the second-largest producer of cannabis resin, and third largest of both saffron and cashmere. The country is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and a founding member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Due to the effects of war in recent decades, the country has dealt with high levels of terrorism, poverty, and child malnutrition. Afghanistan remains among the world's least developed countries, ranking 182nd on the Human Development Index. Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) is $81 billion by purchasing power parity and $20.1 billion by nominal values. Per capita, its GDP is among the lowest of any country as of 2020^[update]. (Full article...)

Show new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

Ai-Khanoum (/aɪ ˈhɑːnjuːm/, meaning 'Lady Moon'; Uzbek: Oyxonim) is the archaeological site of a Hellenistic city in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The city, whose original name is unknown, was likely founded by an early ruler of the Seleucid Empire and served as a military and economic centre for the rulers of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom until its destruction c. 145 BC. Rediscovered in 1961, the ruins of the city were excavated by a French team of archaeologists until the outbreak of conflict in Afghanistan in the late 1970s.

The city was probably founded between 300 and 285 BC by an official acting on the orders of Seleucus I Nicator or his son Antiochus I Soter, the first two rulers of the Seleucid dynasty. There is a possibility that the site was known to the earlier Achaemenid Empire, who established a small fort nearby. Ai-Khanoum was originally thought to have been a foundation of Alexander the Great, perhaps as Alexandria Oxiana, but this theory is now considered unlikely. Located at the confluence of the Amu Darya (a.k.a. Oxus) and Kokcha rivers, surrounded by well-irrigated farmland, the city itself was divided between a lower town and a 60-metre-high (200 ft) acropolis. Although not situated on a major trade route, Ai-Khanoum controlled access to both mining in the Hindu Kush and strategically important choke points. Extensive fortifications, which were continually maintained and improved, surrounded the city. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? - load more entries

... that background research for Dujanah included interviews with Muslim apostates and a Scottish veteran of Afghanistan?
... that University of Nebraska alumnus M. Khalid Roashan helped draft the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan?
... that the ruined stronghold of Alexandria Ariana, a city founded by Alexander the Great, may lie underneath the citadel of Herat in present-day Afghanistan?

General images - show another

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

Image 1A 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 2Map of Afghanistan 1839–1863, showing the First Anglo-Afghan war, and unification of Afghanistan by Dost Mohammad Khan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 3Songbirds in cages at a farm in Nangarhar Province, used for the pleasure of the site's farmers (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 4Much of the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan was subordinated to the Achaemenid Empire (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 5A map of Afghanistan showing the 2021 Taliban offensive (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 6Afghan musicians in Farah, Afghanistan. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 7Players in a game of buzkashi, the national sport (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 8An Afghan man with a tasbih (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 9Kandahar 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 10King 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 11Arachosia, 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 12Mongol invasions and conquests seriously depopulated large areas of Afghanistan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 13The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620 CE, under the king Khosrow II. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 14Aramaic 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 15Coin 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 16Approximate 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 17Mohammad Zahir Shah in 1963
Image 18Soldiers of the Afghan National Army in 2010, including the ANA Commando Battalion standing in the front.
Image 19Map of Afghanistan (Emirate) and surrounding nations, dated 1860. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 20Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaking before U.S. Congress in June 2004 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 21President Hamid Karzai observing the honor guard of the Afghan armed forces during the 2011 Afghan Independence Day. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 22Elements of Afghan culture including: tabla and harmonium musical instruments, an Afghan carpet, teapot, and sheer pira dessert dessert (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 23Kabul during civil war in 1993 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 24Alexander the Great's Empire in South Asia. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 25Women dancing in traditional dress in San Francisco (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 26Typical Afghan food table (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 27NATO's military terminal at Kabul International Airport (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 28Map of the Hotak Empire during the Reign of Mirwais Hotak, 1715. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 29An Afghan boy with a kite (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 30Women painting at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in Kabul. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 31Approximate maximum extent of the Maurya Empire under Ashoka the Great, around 269–233 BCE, conceptualized as a network of core regios connected by networks of communication and trade, with large areas with peripheral or no Maurya control. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 32The Mahajanapadas, including the Gandhara and Kambojas kingdoms and Achaemenid Empire in West, around c. 500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 33Map 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 34Taliban fighters patrolling Kabul in a Humvee, 17 August 2021 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 35Bronze statuette of Alexander the Great from Bagram, Afghanistan. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 36Painting of Battle of Damghan, illustrating Persian decisive artillery fire against the Afghans in 1729 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 37Present-day location of Afghanistan in Asia (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 38Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan 1997 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 39Modern-day sketch work of Mahmud Hotak. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 40The day after the Marxist revolution on 28 April 1978 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 41Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until October 2001 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 42Kushan territories (full line) and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka (dotted line), according to the Rabatak inscription. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 43Some 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 44Gandhara Kingdom in Early Vedic Period, around 1500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 45Herat Citadel in the western Afghan city of Herat (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 46Map of the region during the 7th century (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 47Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 1982 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 48Timurid Empire at its greatest extent in about 1405 CE. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 49Tents 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 50Ghaznavid Empire at its greatest extent in 1030 CE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 51Outside the Presidential Palace in Kabul, a day after the Marxist revolution on 28 April 1978. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 52Ahmad Shah Massoud, fought against the Taliban until his assassination in 2001. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 53The 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 54Map of the situation in Afghanistan in late 1996; Massoud (red), Dostum (green) and Taliban (yellow) territories. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 55Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani, c. 1757. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 56Hotak Empire, c. 1728. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 57A 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 58From left to right: Abdullah Abdullah, John Kerry and Ashraf Ghani during the 2014 Afghan presidential election (from History of Afghanistan)

edit

Related portals

Religions in Afghanistan

Neighboring countries

Other countries

edit

Selected picture - show another

A view Band-e Amir National Park in the Bamyan Province of Afghanistan

More selected pictures

edit

Topics

edit

Recognized content

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.

Featured articles

Good articles

Featured pictures

3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines - Afghanistan
Meat seller in Kabul
Rosette, Titles of Shah Jahan

edit

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2025-05-07 19:28 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.