Out of the Samanid Dynasty came the first great Islamic empire
in Afghanistan, the Ghaznavid, whose warriors, raiding deep into
the Indian subcontinent, assured the domination of Sunni Islam
in what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of India. The
most renowned of the dynasty's rulers was Mahmud, who consolidated
control over the areas south of the Amu Darya then carried out
devastating raids into India--looting Hindu temples and seeking
converts to Islam. With his booty from India, he built a great
capital at Ghazni, founded universities, and patronized scholars.
Mahmud was recognized by the caliph in Baghdad as the temporal
heir of the Samanids. By the time of his death, Mahmud ruled the
entire Hindu Kush region as far east as the Punjab as well as
territories far north of the Amu Darya. However, as occurred so
often in this region, the demise in 1130 of this military genius
who had expanded the empire to its farthest reaches was the death
knell of the dynasty itself. The rulers of the Kingdom of Ghor,
southeast of Herat, captured and burned Ghazni, just as the Ghaznavids
had once conquered Ghor. Not until 1186, however, was the last
representative of the Ghaznavids uprooted by the Ghorids from
his holdout in the Punjab.
The Ghorids controlled most of what is now Afghanistan, eastern
Iran, and Pakistan, while parts of central and western Iran were
ruled by the Seljuk Turks. Around 1200, most Ghorid lands came
into the hands of the Khwarazm Turks who had invaded from Central
Asia across the Amu Darya.
Country
name Afghanistan conventional long form Islamic State of
Afghanistan conventional short form Afghanistan local long
form Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form Afghanestan former Republic of Afghanistan
Area
- total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Terrain
- mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Climate
- arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Geography
- landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide
the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in
the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Waterways
- 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Natural hazards - damaging earthquakes
occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Information
Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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