Portal:Afghanistan

More information List of selected articles ...

The Afghanistan Portal

Flag of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 35 and 50 million.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires, the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led coalition. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. Because of the various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres, the area was a center for Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani Empire in the 18th century under Ahmad Shah Durrani, although Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first modern Afghan state. Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War; the Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926; this monarchy lasted almost half a century.

The mujahideen won against the Soviets in the Soviet–Afghan War, leading to the Soviets' withdrawal in 1989. The ensuing civil war overthrew the socialist republic and established the Islamic State of Afghanistan through the Peshawar Accord, which could not remain in force and resulted in a second civil war between mujahideen factions in 1992. The Taliban controlled most of the country by 1996, but their Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan received little international recognition before its overthrow in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after capturing Kabul, ending the 2001–2021 war. The Taliban government is widely unrecognized by the international community due to reported violations of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly regarding the treatment of women by the Taliban. (Full article...)

Show new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

Map of the Helmand drainage basin

The Helmand river, also historically known as the Etymandros, is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primary watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin. It originates in the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush mountains in the northeastern part of Maidan Wardak Province, where it is separated from the watershed of the Kabul River by the Unai Pass. The Helmand feeds into the Hamun Lake on the border of Afghanistan and Iran. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? - load more entries

... that the murder of a gay man in Afghanistan forced his brother to flee to Turkey and his boyfriend to go into hiding due to harassment from the Taliban?
... that St. Martin's Church, Zillis, used ultramarine imported from medieval Afghanistan as a pigment for its painted ceiling?
... that Polish writer Magdalena Kozak combines military science fiction writing with a career as a parachute-trained paramedic and military officer, with over 300 jumps and service in Afghanistan?
... that a 2015 issue of the Strawberry Newspaper features Hello Kitty discussing military conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine?
... that Canadian football player Nigel Williams served two tours of duty during the war in Afghanistan?
... that Serge de Beaurecueil, having spent a "wretched childhood" dreaming of journeying to a faraway land, became the only Catholic priest in Afghanistan?

General images - show another

The following are images from various Afghanistan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1From left to right: Abdullah Abdullah, John Kerry and Ashraf Ghani during the 2014 Afghan presidential election (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 2Painting of Battle of Damghan, illustrating Persian decisive artillery fire against the Afghans in 1729 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 3The day after the Marxist revolution on 28 April 1978 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 4Kushan territories (full line) and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka (dotted line), according to the Rabatak inscription. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 5Gandhara Kingdom in Early Vedic Period, around 1500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 6Kabul during civil war in 1993 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 7Songbirds in cages at a farm in Nangarhar Province, used for the pleasure of the site's farmers (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 8Built during the Ghurids in the 12th century, the Friday Mosque of Herat is one of the oldest mosques in Afghanistan. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 9Ethno-linguistic map of Afghanistan 1997 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 10Timurid Empire at its greatest extent in about 1405 CE. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 11Tents of Afghan nomads in the northern Badghis Province of Afghanistan. Early peasant farming villages came into existence in Afghanistan about 7,000 years ago. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 12Typical Afghan food table (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 13Map of Afghanistan (Emirate) and surrounding nations, dated 1860. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 14Surrender of the Safavids under Mihrab Khan to the Mughal general Qulij Khan Turani at the Siege of Bost (1638). (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 15Approximate maximum extent of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom circa 180 BCE, including the regions of Tapuria and Traxiane in the West, Sogdiana and Ferghana to the North, Bactria and Arachosia to the South. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 16Afghan musicians in Farah, Afghanistan. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 17President Hamid Karzai observing the honor guard of the Afghan armed forces during the 2011 Afghan Independence Day. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 18Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaking before U.S. Congress in June 2004 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 19Map of the Hotak Empire during the Reign of Mirwais Hotak, 1715. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 20Hotak Empire, c. 1728. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 21Outside the Presidential Palace in Kabul, a day after the Marxist revolution on 28 April 1978. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 22Some of the popular Afghan dishes, from left to right: 1. Lamb grilled kebab (seekh kabab); 2. Palao and salad; 3. Tandoori chicken; and 4. Mantu (dumplings). The Afghan cuisine includes a blend of Central Asian, Eastern Asian, South Asian and the Middle Eastern cuisines. Nearly all Afghan dishes are non-spicy. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 23An Afghan man with a tasbih (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 24A map of Afghanistan showing the 2021 Taliban offensive (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 25Alexander the Great's Empire in South Asia. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 26Soldiers of the Afghan National Army in 2010, including the ANA Commando Battalion standing in the front.
Image 27Ghaznavid Empire at its greatest extent in 1030 CE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 28The Mahajanapadas, including the Gandhara and Kambojas kingdoms and Achaemenid Empire in West, around c. 500 BCE (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 29Map of Afghanistan 1839–1863, showing the First Anglo-Afghan war, and unification of Afghanistan by Dost Mohammad Khan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 30Mongol invasions and conquests seriously depopulated large areas of Afghanistan (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 31Much of the area corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan was subordinated to the Achaemenid Empire (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 32Herat Citadel in the western Afghan city of Herat (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 33Aramaic inscription of Laghman is an inscription on a slab of natural rock in the area of Laghmân, Afghanistan, written in Aramaic by the Indian emperor Ashoka about 260 BCE, and often categorized as one of Minor Rock Edicts of Ashoka. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 34Kandahar Greek Edicts of Ashoka is among the Major Rock Edicts of the Indian Emperor Ashoka (reigned 269–233 BCE), which were written in the Greek language and Prakrit language. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 35Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani, c. 1757. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 36An Afghan boy with a kite (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 37The Bimaran casket, representing the Buddha surrounded by Brahma (left) and Śakra (right) was found inside a stupa with coins of Azes II inside. British Museum. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 38NATO's military terminal at Kabul International Airport (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 39Map of the situation in Afghanistan in August 2001 until October 2001 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 40Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 1982 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 41King Yaqub Khan with Britain's Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari, 26 May 1879, on the occasion of the signing of the Treaty of Gandamak (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 42Coin of Indo-Parthian king Abdagases I (c. 46–60 CE), with Greek legend on the obverse, and Kharosthi legend on the reverse. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 43Women dancing in traditional dress in San Francisco (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 44Mohammad Zahir Shah in 1963
Image 45Modern-day sketch work of Mahmud Hotak. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 46Present-day location of Afghanistan in Asia (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 47Ahmad Shah Massoud, fought against the Taliban until his assassination in 2001. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 48Shoppers examining traditional Afghan rugs in a market in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 49Khan Jahan Lodi, a high ranking noble of the Mughal empire, commissioned the first work covering the history of Afghan people, Tarikh-i-Khan-Jahani, which influenced later works on this topic (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 50Bronze statuette of Alexander the Great from Bagram, Afghanistan. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 51Women painting at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in Kabul. (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 52The Sasanian Empire at its greatest extent c. 620 CE, under the king Khosrow II. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 53Players in a game of buzkashi, the national sport (from Culture of Afghanistan)
Image 54Map of the region during the 7th century (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 55Map of the situation in Afghanistan in late 1996; Massoud (red), Dostum (green) and Taliban (yellow) territories. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 56Arachosia, Aria and Bactria were the ancient satraps of the Achaemenid Empire that made up most of what is now Afghanistan during 500 BCE. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 57A letter of the Alchon Hun ruler Mehama, written in the Bactrian language using a cursive Greek script. It says: "Meyam, King of the people of Kadag"; dated to 461–462 CE. (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 58Taliban fighters patrolling Kabul in a Humvee, 17 August 2021 (from History of Afghanistan)
Image 59Map of Ghurid territory, before the assassination of Muhammad of Ghor. In the west, Ghurid territory extended to Nishapur and Merv, while Ghurid troops reached as far as Gorgan on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Eastward, the Ghurids invaded as far as Bengal. (from History of Afghanistan)

edit

Related portals

Religions in Afghanistan

Neighboring countries

Other countries

edit

Selected picture - show another

Tulipa gesneriana, the national flower of Afghanistan

More selected pictures

edit

Topics

edit

Recognized content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Afghanistan}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

Featured articles

Good articles

Featured pictures

3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines - Afghanistan
ANA soldier with RPG-7 in 2013-cropped
British Army Soldier in Full Kit in Afghanistan MOD 45152579
British Army Soldier in Full Kit in Afghanistan MOD 45152581
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II - 32156159151
Last American Soldier leaves Afghanistan
M777 Light Towed Howitzer 1
Meat seller in Kabul
Rosette, Titles of Shah Jahan
Sher Ali (1825-1879) Amir of Afghanistan, photographed in 1869 by John Burke
Stielers Handatlas 1891 59

edit

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Deleted articles| Last updated: 2026-07-03 19:16 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.