Hazarajat

Bamiyan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital city is also called Bamiyan. Bamiyan city is the largest city in the Hazarajat region of Afghanistan, and is the cultural capital of the Hazara ethnic group that predominates in the area. In antiquity, central Afghanistan was strategically placed to thrive from the Silk Road caravans which criss-crossed the region trading between the Roman Empire, China and India. Bamiyan was a stopping off point for many travellers. It was here where elements of Greek, Persian and Buddhist art were combined into ...

Including:

• Bamiyan Province - Politics

Read more here: » Bamiyan Province: Encyclopedia - Bamiyan Province

The Hindu Kush, Hindū Kūsh, Hindoo Koosh or Hindukush (هندوکش in Persian) is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in Balawaristan (Northern Areas of Pakistan). It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and the Himalaya. Hindu Kush - Nomenclature. The name Hindu Kush is usually applied to the whole of the range separating the basins of the Kabul and Helmand Rivers from that of the Amu Darya (or ancient Oxus), or, more specifically, ...

Including:

• Hindu Kush - Nomenclature
• Hindu Kush - Mountains

Read more here: » Hindu Kush: Encyclopedia - Hindu Kush

Although Shariah courts existed in urban centers after Ahmad Shah Durrani established an Afghan state in 1747, the primary judicial basis for the society remained in the tribal code of the Pashtunwali until the end of the nineteenth century. Sporadic fatwas (formal legal opinions) were issued and occasional jihads were called not so much to advance Islamic ideology as to sanction the actions of specific individuals against thei ...

See also:

Islam in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan - Early History, Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a, Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis, Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis, Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice, Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam, Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

Read more here: » Islam in Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam

Historically, the Hazara seem to have mainly Mongoloid origins with some Caucasoid admixture, as evidenced by physical attributes and parts of the culture and language. It is commonly believed that the Hazara are descendants of Genghis Khan's army, which marched into the area during the 12th century. Proponents of this view hold that many of the Mongol soldiers and their families settled in the area and remained there after the Mongol empire dissolved in the 13th century, c ...

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Hazara, Hazara - History and origins, Hazara - Language, Hazara - Religion, Hazara - Political

Read more here: » Hazara: Encyclopedia II - Hazara - History and origins

On April 27, 1978 a coup was initiated, reportedly by Hafizullah Amin while he was under house arrest. Mohammed Daoud Khan was killed the next day. The communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) gained control and on May 1 Nur Mohammed Taraki became President. The country was then renamed the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), which lasted until 1992. The PDPA had split into several factions in 1967, soon after its founding. Ten years later the efforts of the Soviet Union had brought back together the Khal ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978

The name Hindu Kush is usually applied to the whole of the range separating the basins of the Kabul and Helmand Rivers from that of the Amu Darya (or ancient Oxus), or, more specifically, to that part of the range to the northwest of Kabul which was called the (Indian) Caucasus by the historians with Alexander. It was also referred to by the Greeks as the "Paropamisos". The origin of the term "Hindu Kush" (and whether it translates as "Hindu Killer") is a point of contention. The earliest known use of this name was by the famou ...

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Hindu Kush, Hindu Kush - Nomenclature, Hindu Kush - Mountains

Read more here: » Hindu Kush: Encyclopedia II - Hindu Kush - Nomenclature

Ghazni is made up of 16 districts (District Centers are given in parentheses). (statistics taken from http://www.aims.org.af ) Malistan, Jaghuri, Nawur, parts of Qarabagh, Dih Yak and Jaghatu are part of the Hazara area known as the Hazarajat. The ethnic make-up of the province is mostly Pashtun with Hazaras and Tajiks also present. ...

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Ghazni Province, Ghazni Province - Political and Social Geography, Ghazni Province - History

Read more here: » Ghazni Province: Encyclopedia II - Ghazni Province - Political and Social Geography

Kabul ultimately fell to the mujahedin because the factions in its government had finally pulled it apart. Until demoralized by the defections of its senior officers, the army had achieved a level of performance it had never reached under direct Soviet tutelage. It was a classic case of loss of morale. The regime collapsed while it still possessed material superiority. Its stockpiles of munitions and planes would provide the victorious mujahedin with the means of waging years of highly destructive war. Kabul was short of fuel and food at the ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992

About 19% of Afghans are Shi'as. The most numerous Shi'a sect in Afghanistan is the Imami Hazara living in the Hazarajat of central Afghanistan, and the Imami Farsiwan of Herat Province. Mixtures occur in certain areas such as Bamiyan Province where Sunni, Imami and Ismaili may be found. Imami Shi'a are also found in urban centers such as Kabul, Kandahar, Ghazni, and Mazar-i-Sharif where numbers of Qizilbash and Hazara reside. Urban Shi'a are successful small business entrepr ...

See also:

Islam in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan - Early History, Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a, Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis, Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis, Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice, Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam, Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

Read more here: » Islam in Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a

Islam represents a potentially unifying symbolic system which offsets the divisiveness that frequently rises from the existence of a deep pride in tribal loyalties and an abounding sense of personal and family honor found in multitribal and multiethnic societies such as Afghanistan. Islam is a central, pervasive influence throughout Afghan society; religious observances punctuate the rhythm of each day and season. In addition to a central Friday mosque for weekly communal prayers which are not obligatory but generally attended, smalle ...

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Islam in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan - Early History, Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a, Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis, Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis, Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice, Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam, Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

Read more here: » Islam in Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice

In the fall of 1994 a Muslim "student militia" came forth vowing to cleanse the nation of the excesses sullying the jihad. Their avowed intention was to bring in a "pure" Islamic state subject to their own strict interpretations of the Shariah. Many of the leaders of this movement called the Taliban (seekers or students of Islam) were one-time mujahidin themselves, but the bulk of their forces are comprised of young Afghan refugees trained in Pakistani madrassas (religious schools), especially those run by the Jamiat-e Ulema-e Islam Pakistan ...

See also:

Islam in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan - Early History, Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a, Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis, Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis, Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice, Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam, Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

Read more here: » Islam in Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

With the failure of the communist hardliners to take over the Soviet government in August 1991, Mohammad Najibullah's supporters in the Soviet Army lost their power to dictate Afghan policy. The effect was immediate. On September 13, the Soviet government, now dominated by Boris Yeltsin, agreed with the United States on a mutual cut off of military aid to both sides in the Afghan civil war. It was to begin January 1, 1992. The post-coup Soviet government then attempted to develop political relations with the Afghan resistance. In mid- ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991

Sufism has considerable influence in Afghanistan, in both rural and urban settings, especially among the middle classes of larger villages, town and cities. Three Sufi orders are prominent: the Naqshbandiya founded in Bokhara, the Qadiriya founded in Baghdad, and the Cheshtiya located at Chesht-i-Sharif east of Herat. Among the Naqshbani, Ahmad al Faruqi Kabuli, born north of Kabul, acquired renown for his teachings in India during the reign of the Moghul Emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century. Sometime during the nineteenth century m ...

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Islam in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan - Early History, Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a, Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis, Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis, Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice, Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam, Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

Read more here: » Islam in Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis

The Ismaili Shi'a are also known as Seveners because in the eighth century their leaders rejected the heir designated by the sixth Imam, Jafar al Sadiq (d.765), whom the Imami accepted. Ismaili communities in Afghanistan are less populous than the Imami who consider the Ismailis heretical. They are found primarily in and near the eastern Hazarajat, in the Baghlan area north of the Hindu Kush, among the mountain Tajik of Badakhsh ...

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Islam in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan - Early History, Islam in Afghanistan - Ithna Ashariya Twelver or Imami Shi'a, Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis, Islam in Afghanistan - Sufis, Islam in Afghanistan - Meaning and Practice, Islam in Afghanistan - Politicized Islam, Islam in Afghanistan - Taliban

Read more here: » Islam in Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Islam in Afghanistan - Ismailis

The accords did not bring peace to Afghanistan. There was little expectation among its enemies or the Soviet Union that the Kabul government would survive. Its refusal to collapse introduced a three-year period of civil war. The Geneva process failed to prevent the further carnage which a political solution among Afghans might have prevented or lessened. It failed partially because the Geneva process prevented participation by the Afghan resistance. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) occupied Afghanistan's seat at the United ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace

As the Afghan-Soviet war became more destructive, internal refugees flocked to Kabul and the largest of the provincial cities. Varying estimates (no authentic census was taken) put Kabul's population at more than 2 million by the late 1980s. In many instances villagers fled to Kabul and other towns to join family or lineage groups already established there. At least 3, perhaps 4, million Afghans were thus subject to government authority and hence exposed to PDPA recruitment or affiliation. Its largest membership claim was 160,000, sta ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities

In attempts to broaden support, the PDPA created organizations and launched political initiatives intended to induce popular participation. The most ambitious was the National Fatherland Front (NFF), founded in June 1981. This umbrella organization created local units in cities, towns and tribal areas which were to recruit supporters of the regime. Village and tribal notables were offered inducements to participate in well publicized rallies and programs. The party also gave affiliated organizations that enrolled women, youth and city work ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support

The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan began as midnight approached on December 24, 1979. They organised a massive military airlift into Kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and 3 divisions of almost 8,500 men each. Within two days, they had secured Kabul, deploying a special Soviet assault unit against Darulaman Palace, where elements of the Afghan army loyal to Hafizullah Amin put up a fierce, but brief resistance. With Amin's death at the palace, Babrak Karmal, exiled leader of the Parcham f ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979

Outside observers usually identify the two warring groups as "fundamentalists" and "traditionalists." Rivalries between these groups continued during the Afghan civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal. The rivalries of these groups brought the plight of the Afghans to the attention of the West, and it was they who received military assistance from the United States and a number of other nations. The fundamentalists based their organizing principle around mass politics and included several divisions of the Jamiat-i-Islami. The le ...

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Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces

The PDPA was also never able to rid itself of internal rivalries. Burdened by obvious evidence that the Soviets oversaw its policies, actively dominated the crucial sectors of its government, and literally ran the war, the PDPA could not assert itself as a political force until after the Soviets left. In the civil war period that followed, it gained significant respect, but its internal disputes worsened. Born divided, the PDPA suffered virtually continuous conflict between its two major factions. The Soviets imposed a public truce up ...

See also:

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Communists take power 1978, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Opposition forces, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet invasion December 1979, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The search for popular support, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Internal refugees: flight to the cities, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Mohammad Najibullah 1986-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Soviet decision to withdraw 1986-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The Geneva accords 1987-1989, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The failure to bring peace, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Pakistan's attempt at a political solution 1987-1988, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Stalemate: The Civil War 1989-1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The demise of the Soviet Union 1991, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The fall of Kabul April 1992, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - The United Nations plan for political accommodation

Read more here: » Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Factionalism: Khalq and Parcham