Afghanistan

The Hindu Kush and the crossroads of the Silk Road

Afghanistan is our southern neighbour, separated from us by the Amu Darya. The Hindu Kush mountains (7,700 m) run through its middle. For thousands of years Silk Road caravans, Alexander's soldiers and Amir Temur's armies passed through here. Afghans are famous for pomegranates, grapes and carpets. The 'Friendship Bridge' leads from Termez into Afghanistan. The country has seen many years of war, and its children dream of peace.

Capital: Kabul. Language: Pashto, Dari.

Afghanistan covers 652,860 km² with 41 million people (Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks — 3 million); landlocked, dominated by the Hindu Kush (Noshaq 7,492 m). Bactria (Balkh — 'mother of cities', Zoroaster), Alexander (330 BC), the Kushans, the Bamiyan Buddhas (6th century, destroyed in 2001), the Ghaznavids, the Timurids (Herat), the Durranis (1747 — the modern state), the 'Great Game' buffer between Britain and Russia (19th century), independence in 1919. The Soviet war 1979–1989, civil war, international forces 2001–2021, Taliban rule since 2021. Economy: agriculture (wheat, fruit, dried fruit — a world exporter of pomegranates and raisins), lithium and copper reserves, carpets. The Hairatan–Termez 'Friendship Bridge' (1982) marks the 144 km border with Uzbekistan along the Amu Darya. The Trans-Afghan railway project (Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar).

Fun facts

• Three million Uzbeks live in Afghanistan — the largest Uzbek community outside Uzbekistan.
• The city of Balkh was called the 'mother of cities' — it is 3,000 years old.
• Afghanistan is one of the world's top exporters of pomegranates and raisins.