In the 1960s and 70s Afghanistan was depicted in the media as the romantic haven of nomads and a resort for hashish-smoking hippies; in the 80s it was seen as a country where brave warriors fought against the 'evil' Soviet empire, and in the 90s redrawn as a semi-feudal land ruled by warlords and Islamic fundamentalists. In September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States thrust the country to the fore of international politics. The Afghans brings together these different outside perspectives to form one coherent story, telling the dramatic history of the land and peoples of Afghanistan from prehistoric times to the present day. The book discusses a wide variety of subjects including the Indo-Iranian invasions of the second millennium BC, the Persian Achaemenids, Alexander the Great, the Islamic conquest, the Mongols and the rise of the kingdom of Afghanistan in the eighteenth century. The author pays special attention to recent developments, including the Soviet occupation of the country and Taliban rule. Much of the description of the contemporary period is based on the author's own experience of events.
The history also draws on a wide variety of other sources, including archaeological, historical and linguistic materials.For this new paperback edition, the author has provided a new final chapter covering events since 2001, including the fall of the Taliban, state building and foreign intervention in the region. The bibiliography has also been updated.
In the 1960s and 70s Afghanistan was depicted in the media as the romantic haven of nomads and a resort for hashish-smoking hippies; in the 80s it was seen as a country where brave warriors fought against the 'evil' Soviet empire, and in the 90s redrawn as a semi-feudal land ruled by warlords and Islamic fundamentalists. In September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States thrust the country to the fore of international politics. The Afghans brings together these different outside perspectives to form one coherent story, telling the dramatic history of the land and peoples of Afghanistan from prehistoric times to the present day. The book discusses a wide variety of subjects including the Indo-Iranian invasions of the second millennium BC, the Persian Achaemenids, Alexander the Great, the Islamic conquest, the Mongols and the rise of the kingdom of Afghanistan in the eighteenth century. The author pays special attention to recent developments, including the Soviet occupation of the country and Taliban rule. Much of the description of the contemporary period is based on the author's own experience of events.
The history also draws on a wide variety of other sources, including archaeological, historical and linguistic materials.For this new paperback edition, the author has provided a new final chapter covering events since 2001, including the fall of the Taliban, state building and foreign intervention in the region. The bibiliography has also been updated.
List of Illustrations.
Figures.
List of Maps.
Preface.
Up and Down the Hindu Kush.
The Peoples of Afghanistan.
The Early Years.
The Advent of the Indo-Iranian Speaking Peoples.
Archaeology and the Indo-Iranians.
Scythian Horsemen.
Opening up to the West.
The Greeks.
Northern Rulers.
The Reassertion of the Iranian West.
The Advent of Islam.
The Iranian Dynasties.
The Mongols.
Towards the Kingdom of Afghanistan.
The Sadozay Dynasty.
War with Britain.
The Dynasty of Amir 'Abd Al-Rahman Khan.
Changing Afghanistan.
The Years of Communism.
After the Soviets.
Epilogue.
Bibliography.
Index
Willem Vogelsang studied ancient Indian and Iranian languages and cultures at Leiden University in The Netherlands. He is currently Executive Secretary of the Research School of Asian, African and Amerindian Studies at Leiden University and curator for Southwest and Central Asia for the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden. He has worked at various excavations in Syria and Afghanistan, and travelled throughout Afghanistan as a freelance journalist reporting on the Soviet occupation.
"Vogelsang ... has produced a valuable overview of Afghan history and archaeology...[his] book reminds readers that Afghanistan's rich history and culture warrant far more attention than merely as a refuge for 'evil-doers,' and that its people deserve the interest and support of the West even when globalized conflicts are at stake." Choice
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