In 1220, the Islamic lands of Central Asia were overrun by the
armies of the Mongol invader Genghis Khan (ca. 1155-1227), who
laid waste to many civilizations and created an empire that stretched
from China to the Caspian Sea. But he failed to destroy the strength
of Islam in Central Asia. In fact, by the end of the thirteenth
century, Genghis Khan's descendants had themselves become Muslims.
From the death of Genghis Khan in 1227 until the rise of Timur
(Tamerlane) in the 1380s, Central Asia went through a period of
fragmentation.
A product of both Turkish and Mongol descent, Timur claimed Genghis
Khan as an ancestor. From his capital of Samarkand, Timur created
an empire that, by the late fourteenth century, extended from
India to Turkey. The turn of the sixteenth century brought an
end to Timurid Empire when another Mongol-Turkish ruler overwhelmed
the weak Timurid ruler in Herat. Muhammad Shaybani (also a descendant
of Genghis Khan) and his successors ruled the area around the
Amu Darya for about a century, while to the south and west of
what is now Afghanistan two powerful dynasties began to compete
for influence.
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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