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A turbulent past as well as a chaotic present describes the countryof Afghanistan perfectly.

Humans have been living in and around Afghanistan's region for atleast 50,000 years. It has been suggested that the area was home tosome of the earliest farming communities in the world.

It was invaded and conquered (over the centuries) by the Persians,Greeks,Arabs, Mongols, Tartars andBritish.Today the country is deeply involved inAmerica'son-going worldwide war on terrorism.

During the 7th century AD, Arab Muslims brought Islam toAfghanistan, turning the region into the primary focal point of theMuslim world. By the 11th century the remaining non-Muslim areashad all adopted Islam.

The Mongol barbarians and Genghis Khan stormed through Afghanistanin the year 1219 annihilating cities and villages along the way.The Mongols dominated the region, driving the locals to ruralsocieties, until the Timurid dynasty took control in 1370.

By the 16th century, and lasting until the early 18th century,Afghanistan fell under the rule of three regional kingdoms: Khanateof Bukhara in the north, Shi'a Safavids in the west, with theremaining area was controlled by the Delhi Sultanate.

TheAfghan citizens began to grow restless under their leadership, andin 1709 a successful revolt headed by Mirwais Hotak (widelyrecognized as Afghanistan's George Washington) overthrew thePersians.

In 1722, Mirwais Hotak's son Mahmud took an army with him toPersia, eradicated the capital of Isfahan, and hedeclaredtobe King of Persia.

Naturally, this displeased the citizens of Persia, and they refusedto align with the new Afghan rulers. After the massacre ofthousands, a battle between the Persians and Afghans developed, andin 1729 the Persians pushed out the Hotaki dynasty.

Ahmad Shah Durrani was appointed head of state in 1747, and hassince become recognized as the founder of the modern state ofAfghanistan. Along with the Afghan army, Durrani was responsiblefor conquering the entirety of present-day Afghanistan, as well asPakistan,the Khorasan and Kohistan provinces ofIran,and Delhi inIndia.

Following Durrani's death in 1772, his son, Timur Shah Durrani,assumed control of the region, and transferred the capital fromKandahar to Kabul in 1776.

Instability surfaced in the early 1800s as the Sikhs in the eastand the Persians in the west threatened the Afghan Empire. ThePersians were successfully held back, but the Sikhs defeatedAfghan's present ruler, Fateh Khan, at the Battle of Attock.

Prior to the invasion, Fateh Khan had divided 21 of his brothers inruling positions throughout the empire, and after his death thebrothers divided the provinces between themselves.

Excerpt from:
Afghanistan Map / Geography of Afghanistan / Map of ...