Encyclopaedia of Afghanistan (Afghanistan: The Land and People)

Afghanistan emerged as separate Kingdom in Mid-18th Century under Ahmed Shah Abdali (Durrani), one of the mighty commanders of Nadir Shah of Persia. Despite foreign interventions, various ups and downs, feudal and tribal conflicts as well as frequent violence between the numerous segments of power structure Afghanistan has continued as a geo-political entity till to date. In demographic sense Afghanistan is a plural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country. Pashtuns or Pathans constitute the majority of the people of Afghanistan other major ethnic groups being Hazaras, Tadjiks, Uzbeks, Uigurs and Nuristanis. Islam, Sunni of the Hanafi sect is the state religion to which more than 90% of the people adhere, the remaining being Shias. The main language spoken is Pushtu, and second important language is Dari, a derivative of Persian. Afghanistan has been an area of imperial ambitions and competition throughout medieval and modern history. Great game of competition is being played between western democracies led by the US on the one hand and other fundamentalist groups on the other. After USSR's withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban captured the power. This fundamentalist group Taliban patronised by Osama-bin Laden in connivance with Pakistan later became the arch enemy of America. On the Sept. 11, 2001 Laden master-minded an attack on America's WTC and Pentagon-collapsing the monumental twin towers of WTC and partially damaging the Pentagon. This all was beyond everybody's imagination. In the process of continued civil war the already poor economy of Afghanistan was devastated. The people were left poverty-stricken and paupered. Now in the name of suppressing and eliminating terrorism America is in fierce war in Afghanistan. Till date Taliban is vanished. A new Interim government under Hamid Karzai has already sworn in. Now the process of recreation of a New Afghanistan is on. This work is designed to bring together entire authentic information on Afghanistan. Volumewise organisation of the work is: o Afghanistan: The Land and People o Afghanistan: Customs and Traditions o Kingship in Afghanistan o Communist Rule in Afghanistan o Taliban and Muslim Fundamentalism o US War on Terrorism in Afghanistan & Aftermath.