Afghanistan

 

                                            INTRO: AFGHAN HISTORY TIMELINE

    Afghanistan has a long history It is located in the heart of central Asia and it was always a cross road for merchants who crossed from Egypt to India and China and from China, South Asia merchants used to go and do business in European, Arabian and African countries. But sometimes it studded a Problem for rulers and Emperors, and  sometimes studded as a Buffer between the two super-powers usually standing as a “Buffer” means that Afghans get cursed by the superpowers. In History of Afghanistan NO- Body took the Control of this by means of force. It has always been the same story, Its only if Afghans let them to, sometimes they let them "take over" (By "take over" does not mean enemy wins, during 1800 of British is a great example) or cross the country but “they CAN’T stay”. After years of studying this country and its history, I am 100% sure about of what I just said and hopefully would educate anyone who is new in the world History.
This is designed in a very smooth way. The more You read the more interesting it will get and it starts from Basic and If you want More in detail then keep reading. I promise you will get to know everything you need to know about Afghans. 
 
Timeline:

-50,000 BC - 20,000 BC Stone Age      Archaeologists have identified evidence of stone age technology in Aq Kupruk (balkh), and Hazar Sum.  Plant remains at the foothill of the Hindu Kush mountains indicate, that North Afghanistan was one of the earliest places to domestic plants and animals.

-8000 BCE-- The Agricultural Revolution made possible permanent settlements and the creation of complex civilizations. The Iranian plateau became the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations in history.

-5000 BCE- 3500 BCE Evidence of early nomadic iron age in Aq Kapruk IV.

-3500 BCE- 2500BCE (BMAC) Bactria-Margiana_Archaeological_Complex Afghanistan was the fifth civilization. Archaeological evidence have shown that this land had trades and was the cross roads between Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Civilizations later with Europeans (Greeks and Romans), also Chinese. It is speculated by the lapis lazuli Mined only in Afghanistan (Semi precious stone valued for it's deep blue color) in King Tutankhamen's (King Tat) death mask is an indication that trade existed between Afghanistan and Egypt by the 15th Century B.C. Not much of Work was done on this civilization since founded in 1970s duo to The Afghan civil wars.

-2500-2000BCE  Afghanistan got its first name Aryana  (Ancient Afghanistan). Aryana was stretched from Eastern Iran to NWFP or so say West of Indus river (Afghan land) Look at Durand Line. Afghanistan's first King King Yama. The city of Kabul thought to have been established during this time. Rig Veda the first Book of Sanskrit was created in Afghanistan around this time. Sanskrit makes many references to this land, which indicates, as its real home. Some Archaeologists believe that Aria ancient (Herat) was the Capital of the new united country.

-2000BCE Aryans Invaded Iran from its base Aria (Now Herat).

-2000-1400 BCE Aryans invades India and bringing Sanskrit to Hindu civilization.

-1200-600  BCE The prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) founded the religion known as Zoroastrianism with his holy book Avesta written, was once called "old Bactrian." in North of Afghanistan ( now called Balkh). The principal beliefs included the existence of a supreme deity called Ahura Mazda and a cosmic struggle between the spirit of good, Spenta Mainyu, and the spirit of evil, Angra Mainyu. Later adherents to Zoroastrianism are represented by the Parsees of India and the Gabars of Iran.

-1000BCE    A Pashtun tribe Yusifzai legend later held that about this time King Saul’s son, Jeremiah, had a daughter named Afghana whose descendants made their way to Central Asia (Afghanistan Kandahar) today there are a large number of Pushtuns fromYusifzai tribe who clamed to be the 10th lost tribes of Israel .

-728-550 BCE Part of Medes Empire. For the First time in History A Real Empire was made and Afghanistan Became part of it. It is believed to by a enjoyable time for Afghanistan Medes Empire According to Iranians this was one of the "good" periods where Persians Iran and Afghanistan lived “peacefully"   

-600 BCE     Zoroaster introduced a new religion in Bactria (Balkh), also known as ancient Afghanistan. Zoroastrianism is a Monotheistic religion. And the Book Of Avesta was created (see 1200-600BCE)

-522-486 BCE     Darius the Great expanded the Achaemenid (Persian) empire to its peak, when it took most of Afghanistan, including Aria (Herat), Bactria (Balkh, and present-day Mazar-i-Shariff),  Margiana (Merv), Sattagydia (Ghazni to the Indus river), Kobar (Kabul) Arachosia (Kandahar, Quetta), and Drangiana (Sistan).The Persian empire was  plagued by constant bitter and bloody  tribal revolts from Afghans living in Arachosia, Kobar, and Bactria

-333BCE Alexander the great took most of Asia Minor (today Turkey). He run to retreat and arrange an strong (Bactrian) Afghan made army but after 5-7 years his dead body was exposed and founded by Alexander out-side of Bactria (Balkh). It was in this Year The King of Persia, Darius III believed to Killed by Afghans in Bactria (Balkh). It was a heavy hit for Afghans for their bad behaviour (see 256-130 BC - Graeco-Bactrian).

-330BCE Alexander reached Persopolis, the capital of Persia, and burned it.

-329-326BCE   Hellenistic period. After conquering Persia, Alexander the Great invaded Afghanistan. He conquered Afghanistan, but failed to really subdue its people. Constant revolts plagued Alexander.
 

-326-325BCE    Revolts plagued Alexander and he left little more behind than a city with his Afghan name, Kandahar.

-323 BCE  After the dead of Alexander His captain ruled Bactria (Northern Afghanistan) now called Balkh a Province of Afghanistan and a small number of greeks immigrated in the area.

-312 BC - 260 BC Seleucids Empire

-256-130 BC - Graeco-Bactrian for some reason Afghanistan was in good mood they didn't mined who ruled as long as they are happy anyways the reason its called "Graeco" because of the ruler were Greek or Greek Mixed Farsian but it had noting to do with the state of Greek. In this period the trade between Greek and Afghanistan was a lot this can be seen in their arts and usually from Greek books that this country is called Greeko-Bactrian since Alexander's time when Alexander married Roxana for the control of Land (some people say it was love) and the name remained with them “Greeco Bactrian”. Anyways In this Period a small community of Greeks liked Afghan-Persians better then Iranians and so did Afghans and they lived a peaceful for the first time that had never happened in history again. (Even in this time Persian continually attacked Greeks for revenge Bactria was never involved only when the country was under attack)

-170 BCE-160BCE   The Bactrian--Parthian era of Afghanistan.

-171 BCE- 11CE  Phil-Hellenistic period.

-12 CE-105 CE Anti-Hellenistic Period

-50 CE  Kushan Empire. Aryan tribe from north of Afghanistan Afghanistan united under King Kanishka. As He captures south of Afghanistan and west of India the Graeco-Buddhist Gandharan culture reach its height in theses areas.

-200-400CE  A giant statue of Buddha was made at Bamiyan (Bamian) some 100 miles west of Kabul. It was destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

-220 CE     Kushan empire fragmented into petty dynasties.

-226 In Iran Zoroastrianism was revitalized as a state religion under the Sassanians

-250-300CE    The smaller Buddha at Bamiyan (Bamian), 114 feet high, dated to about this time. It was a gigantic magnification of a Gandhara image. It was destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

-400 CE White Huns under the King Efgasian the Epthalite started invading other countries starting from Iran and last to India cycled European countries and returned back to Afghanistan with a short period of time.

-450-600CE  The large Buddha at Bamiyan, 170 feet tall, was constructed. It was an enlargement of an Indian Buddha of the Gupta period.

-425 AD --550 AD Independent Yaftalee  rule in Afghanistan.Yaftalee Dynasty -Established in northern Hindu Kush region of Takhar, this dynasty gains control over the majority of present day Afghanistan by 425.

-449CE The Armenians held a General Assembly to ponder the Persian edict that demanded conversion to Zoroastrianism. They chose to remain Christian and their leaders were summoned to Persia to answer to the king. The leaders opted to yield under heavy pressure but were renounced on their return home.

-451CE  Apr 13, A Persian Army of 300,000 men under Mushkan Nusalavurd arrived at a place between Her and Zarevand (now Khoy and Salmast in Iran) to face the Armenian forces.
-550 CE Persians reasserted control over all of what is now Afghanistan. Revolts by various Afghan tribes followed.

-632 CE    Hiuan-tsang, an Chinese pilgrim, visited the great Buddhas of Bamiyan

-629 CE A Chinese pilgrim reported seeing a 1000-foot reclining Buddha at Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

-652 CE     Arabs introduced Islam couldn’t control the rest of its people so they left the power to their own hands.

-727 CE Houei-tch’ao, a Korean pilgrim, visited the great Buddhas of Bamiyan.

-781 CE Yakib ben Laith, a Saffarid prince from an eastern Iranian dynasty, stripped the sanctuaries of Bamiyan of their metal idols.

-860 BC - 960 BC Samanid (Turkestan) A peaceful Muslim nation

-962-1030 Afghanistan Islamic era was established with the Ghaznavid Dynasty.  Mahmood of Ghazna took control of all Afghanistan and West of India and All of Iran reaching its Height to Arabian sea and Indian ocean Bring back lots of Booty It was said to be that this was the best Times of Afghanistan.

-962-1140 Under the Ghaznavid Dynasty Afghanistan became the center of Islamic power and civilization. Many Scientists discoveries were made and, Dari or (Farsi) Poetry came to its height. In the times of Ghaznavid Artists were awarded for their creations and discoveries.

-971-1030 Machmud of Ghazni, ruler of Afghanistan. He made annual invasions to northern India where he pillaged temples, captured slaves, and transported his goods back by elephant. His library had a large collection of erotic manuscripts and he shared his palace with 400 poets.

-980 Ibn Sina (Afghan scientist) was born in Balkh.

-1010  Firdawsi, a Persian poet, completed the “Shanameh,” or “Book of Kings.” It is an epic of more than

-50,000 rhyming couplets weaving the history of ancient shahs with myth and legend.

-1019 Machmud of Ghazni, a kingdom in central Asia, invaded India and took so many captives that the prices of slaves plummeted for several years. He invade India annually for 25 years.

-1123 Omar Khayyam born in, Khurasan (a former name of Afghanistan) a farsi poet and mathematician, died in Khurasan now Iran. The province of Khurasan remained under occupation since 1833 CE and some part were taken by Russia around 19 century

-1030 Mahmud Ghazni died. Conflicts between various Ghaznavid rulers arose and as a result the empire started to crumple.

-1100-1200 Era of the 12 century Persian poet Nizami of Ganja

-1140 Duo to many conflicts Ghorid leaders from central Afghanistan captured and burned Ghazni, then moved on to conquer India.
 
-1207 Jalal ud-din Rumi (Jelaluddin Rumi, d.1273), Afghan poet and mystic was born in Balkh, Afghanistan.

-1219-1221 Genghis invaded Afghanistan. Many conflicts took place in this land. He invaded Afghanistan many time to subdue its people even thought he never subdued its people he still went on and took Changed his name to Genghis Khan.

-1221 Genghis Khan razed the city of Bamiyan and exterminated its inhabitants.
 
-1273 Marco Polo crosses Afghanistan on his voyage from Italy to China to discover the “Silk Route”. Revolts and battles between smaller kingdoms mark the next two centurie

-1332-1370 Descendants of earlier Ghorid rulers reasserted control over Afghanistan.

-1369-1405 Timur (aka Timur Lang or Timur Lenk or Tamerlane, so-named because of a lame leg) ruled from Samarkand.

-1370 CE Tamerlane crowned as King in Balkh north of Afghanistan

-1380 CE married sister of Mashud ( King of Kabul)

-1394 Tamerlane made friendship with Afghanistan he became King by all of what is now Afghanistan.

-1398 Timur (Tamerlane) sacks Delhi

-1405- 1447 Shah Rukh son of Timur half Afghan with mixed Genghis blood took control of his father’s empire and made Herat  the center of Persia. It was a Peaceful time for Afghanistan.

-1418 The Gawhar Shad Mosque in Meshed, Iran was completed by the wife of Shah Rukh.

-1438 –1506 Husayn Bayqarah died in 1469 was the king of Herat  and the last of Timurid ruler.

-1451 An Afghan named Buhlul invaded Delhi with some large tribal men, and seized the throne. He founded  the Lodi dynasty.

-1504-1519 Babur was chosen as King in Kabul and  and Invaded India with 12, 000 Afghan men in he founded of the Mughal dynasty in India, and his base in Kabul until 1519 It was a good time for East of Afghanistan After the capture of Rich India lots of wealth came from Delhi but bad for the west of Afghanistan because Persians took control and time to time many wars brooked out with Persian over the land.

-1526 Apr 21, Mongol Emperor Babur annihilated Indian Army of Ibrahim Lodi by strong Afghan men. King of Kabul, established in this year the Mughal dynasty at Delhi.

-1530 Babur died in December 26 His A garden was made after his name in Kabul The Zahir-ud-din Mohammad Babur Shah Gerden.

-1530 The Kingdome of Babur died from Kabul with his dead

-1535 The son of Babur, Humayun tried to retake Kabul

-1540 May 17, Afghan chief Sher Khan defeated Mongol Emperor Humayun at Kanauj.

-1520 born and Died 1579  Bayazid Roshan , an Afghan intellectual, lived. He revolted against the power of the Moguls government he clamed that Mogul were using Afghan people and pretended to be an Afghan but enjoying life in India and not sharing the wealth with Kabul anymore.

-1576 Safavad of Iran started squeezing Afghanistan

-1581 Akbar, Mughal Emperor the grandson of Babur, made friendship with Afghans and he was given the allowance of crossing Afghanistan and ranging war with Safavad of Iran.

-1613-1689 Khushhal Khan Khattak was an Afghan warrior-poet. He initiated a national uprising against the foreign Moghul government.

-1622 the worst time for Kandahar. Safavid of Iran eventually ruled Kandahar.

-1678-1707 Aurangzeb the king of Maghul was the 1st Muslim ruler to fire his cannon at the giant Buddhas at Bamiyan.

-1708 Mir Wais, a forerunner of Afghan independence and, brought Kandahar out of Dark Ages and made it independent of Safavid Persia that had ruled it since 1622.

-1715 Mir Wais died peacefully, and lies in a mausoleum  outside of Kandahar.

-1722 Mar 8, Afghan monarch Mir Mahmud blamed Safavad of disturbing Afghan people to convert from Sunni Muslim to She’a Muslim He announced Jehad a religious war and occupied almost all of Iran and many people were killed and mosques, Zoroastrian temples and cities were destroyed.

-1722 Oct 12, Shah Sultan Husayn surrendered the Persian capital of Isfahan to Afghan rebels after a seven month siege. Mir Wais' son, Mir Mahmud of Afghanistan, had invaded Persia and occupied Isfahan. At the same time, the Durranis revolted, and terminated the Persian occupation of Herat.

-1725 Apr 25, Mir Mahmud was mysteriously killed after going mad. Afghans started to lose control of Iran.

-1736 Nadir Shah (head of Khorasan) took over southwest Afghanistan, and southeast Iran.

-1738 Nadir Shah took the rest of Iran and Afghanistan with the help of Ahmad Shah Abdal . This was the best times of both Iran and Afghanistan. For the first time In History of the Persia, Persians United under one King. Which was impossible to Imagine.

-1739 Nadir Shah of Persia invades India and briefly seizes Delhi

-1747 Nadir Shah (head of Persia) was assassinated Persian blame each other for the Murder From Afghan’s side, Afghans say Nadir Shah was killed by Iranian She’as because he was Sunni and from Khorasan (A former name of Afghansiatan) and had close ties with Afghan Tribes. But Iranians Say No Nadir Shah was killed because Afghans had a plan to get Independents and Most of them point at Ahmad Shah A very close man of Nadir Shah. At the same year Ahmad Shah Durrani ran out of Iran with 5,000 men scared of his life in damager and from that on the Afghans rose once again. Afghans, under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani) chosen by Loa Jigra (tribal meeting) as a Shah or (King) retook Kandahar, and established modern Afghanistan.

-1747 Ahmad Shah Abdali (d.1773) consolidated and enlarged Afghanistan. He defeated the Moghuls in the west of the Indus, and he took Herat away from the Persians. Ahmad Shah Durrani's empire extended from Central Asia to Delhi, from Kashmir to the Arabian sea. It became the greatest Muslim empire in the second half of the 18th century.

-1750 Khurasan [was renamed] Afghanistan.

-1757 Jan 28, Ahmed Shah, the first King of Afghanistan, occupied Delhi and annexed the Punjab.

-1773-1793 Rule of Timur Shah. The capital of Afghanistan was transferred from Kandahar to Kabul because of tribal opposition. Constant internal revolts occurred.

-1793-1801 Rule of  Zaman Shah. Constant internal revolts continued.

-1795 Iranians invaded Khurasan (province) now in Iran.

-1801-1803 Rule of  Mahmood. Constant internal revolts continued.

-1803-1809          Rule of  Shah Shujah.

-1805 Persian attack on Herat failed. Internal fighting continued

-1809-1818 Mahmood returned to the throne. War with Persia--indecisive victory. Internal fighting continued.

-1819-1826 Sons of Timur Shah struggle for the throne--Civil War--anarchy. Afghans lost Sind permanently to British.

-1824 William Moorcroft, East India Co. head of 5,000 acre horse farm at Pusa, India, arrived in Peshawar, Afghanistan, while enroute to Bukhara, Uzbekistan, to trade for horses. He got killed in Balkh while returning to India.

-1826 Dost Mohammad Khan born in Kabul took Kabul, and established control.

-832-1833 Iran moved into Khurasan (province), and threatened Herat. Afghans defend Herat successfully.

-1834 May, Afghans lost Peshawar to the Sikhs; later they crushed  the Sikhs under the leadership of Akbar Khan, who defeated the Sikhs near Jamrud, and killed the great Sikh general Hari Singh. However, they failed to retake Peshawar due to disunity and bad judgment on the part of Dost Mohammad Khan from the people of Peshawar.

-1836 Dost Mohammad Khan was proclaimed as Amir al-mu' Minin, commander of the faithful. He was well on the road toward reunifying the whole of Afghanistan when the British, in collaboration with an ex-king (Shah Shuja),  invaded Afghanistan.

-1839 A British army marched to Kabul and replaced Dost Mohammad, the Amir of Afghanistan, with a more docile ruler. Britain had decided that Persian and Russian intrigues posed a threat to their control of India.

-1839-1842 First Anglo-Afghan War. After some resistance, Amir Dost Mohammad Khan surrendered to the British and was deported to India.

-1839-1842 Shah Shuja was installed as Afghan "puppet king" by the British.

-1842 First Afghan war Jan 12, Akbar Khan, Afghan hero, was victorious against the British. Killed. Out ot 16,000 only one was realest. According to British it was 16,000 but only 4,000 were solders the rest were dependents, But Indian say it was around 26,000 because they too had Indian relative in the war. In reality Afghans did not count how many and asked British to take their bodies. The Question should be asked What were the Dependents (waves, kids and survivors) were Doing in a country at war?

-1842 The British forced their way through the Khyber Pass. At mid-night they recaptured Kabul and burned down the Great Bazaar in hour before Afghans unite they run back in to India leaving back a letter to Afghan stating it was a respond for the killing of British Army (First Afghan Anglo-war)

-1843 After the annihilation of British troops, Afghanistan once again became independent, and the exiled Amir, Dost Mohammad Khan came back and occupied the royal throne.

-1843-1863 Dost Mohammad Khan occupied the royal throne.

-1845 Afghan hero,  Akbar Khan died.

-1855 Dost Mohammad Khan signed a peace treaty with British India.

-1859 British took Baluchistan, and Afghanistan became completely landlocked.

-1863-1866 Sher Ali, Dost Mohammad Khan's son, succeeded to the throne.

-1865 Russia  took  Bukhara, Tashkent, and Samerkand.

-1866-1867 Mohammad Afzal occupied Kabul and proclaimed himself Amir.

-1867 Oct, Mohammad Afzal died.

-1867-1868 Mohammad Azam succeeded to the throne.

-1868 Mohammad Azam fled to Iran

-1868-1879 Sher Ali reasserted control

-1873 Russia established a fixed boundary between Afghanistan and it's new territories. Russia promised to respect Afghanistan's territorial integrity.

-1878 The new amir, Dost Mohammad’s son, signed a treaty of friendship with Russia. British Gen’l. Frederick “Little Bobs” Roberts was sent with an army to force Afghanistan into a treaty ceding foreign policy to the British. The treaty was concluded but the British envoy was murdered.

-1879 Oct 12, British troops occupied Kabul city for some very short time.

-1879 Sher Ali died in Mazar-i-Shariff, and Amir Muhammad Yaqub Khan took over until October 1879. Amir Muhammad Yaqub Khan gave up the following Afghan territories to the British: Kurram, Khyber, Michni, Pishin, and Sibi. Afghans lost these territories

-1879 General Roberts returned to Kabul to hang some Afghans in punishment for the murder of a British envoy. Roberts was besieged and another British force in southern Afghanistan was almost annihilated. Roberts retreated in a march from Kabul to Kandahar.

-1880 July, In the Battle of Maiwand an Afghan woman named Malalai carried the Afghan flag forward after the soldiers carrying the flag were killed by the British. She becomes a heroine for her show of courage and valor. The 1892 Kipling poem “Barracks Room Ballads” recalled the Battle of Maiwand.

-1880 Abdur Rahman took throne of Afghanistan as Amir.

-1880 In the 2nd Anglo-Afghan war Start of second Anglo-Afghan War. The British invaded and the Afghans quickly  put up a strong resistance. The Numbers are not known In Afghan History Book it say it was more then 120,000 British men but I couldn’t find anywhere in History Books (Man they are so good at hiding things) and if you find something they will say it was all Indians.

-1880 The British, shortly after the accession of the new Amir, withdrew from Afghanistan, although they retained the right to handle Afghanistan's foreign relations

-1880 A small number of  non- Muslims in Nuristan converted to Islam

-1885 The Panjdeh Incident. Russian forces seize the Panjdeh Oasis, a piece of Afghan territory north of the Oxus River. Afghans tried to retake it, but were finally forced to allow the Russians to keep Panjdeh, and the Russians promised to honor Afghan territorial integrity in the future.

-1893 The Durand line fixed borders of Afghanistan with British India for 100 years splitting Afghan tribal areas, leaving half of these Afghans in what is now Pakistan. Durand line (expired in 1993 when Afghanistan was in war but Pakistan didn’t gave up the land is very rich 70 % of Pakistan’s resources comes from Afghan land so why should they) even today most Afghan ignore the Border and cross Pakistan that’s because Kabul Government doesn’t know that there is a country called Pakistan the refused to since 1947. And If the name (Paki) is mentioned they Automatically think of them as British slaves.

-1895 Afghanistan's northern border was fixed and guaranteed by Russia.

-1896 Emir Abdul Rachman converted another small number of eastern kafirs to Islam by force.

-1901 Abdur Rahman died and his son Habibullah succeeded him.

-1907 Russia and Great Britain signed the convention of St. Petersburg, in which Afghanistan was declared outside Russia's sphere of influence.

-1914 Mohammad Zahir Shah, later king, was born. He was crowned at age 19, ousted in 1963 and deposed in 1973.

-1918 Tarzi (Afghan Intellectual) introduced modern Journalism into Afghanistan with the creation of several newspapers.

-1919. Afghanistan declared war on British and attacked India Killed as many as 200,000 according to Afghan History Book. But I couldn’t find anything from British. They have a excuse 1. World war I started 2. They attacked Unknowingly. 3. As a result of World war I we took- out most of our Army From India and that’s why there was no respond from British side. 4. Afghans are crazy people like a beasts Its a waste of men and time.

-1919 Afghanistan was recognized as a sovereign nation independence from British control of foreign affairs of Afghanistan.