Conquerors whose names till today are still
synonymous with notions of great empires as well as
great travellers and adventurers- all of whom were
desirous of and lured by, Afghanistan, for its
geopolitical importance, and, in turn, due to the
confluence of the various civilisations- its
history, culture and religions. As you continue
reading the itinerary, you'd find many names- both
conquerors and travellers- to be familiar, each
having had a hand in shaping the history and future
of Afghanistan or had a turn in immortalizing the
country in the popular imagination.
The mainspring of so many of the world's greatest
religions- the Kushans brought Buddhism and
constructed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Balkh(or Bactria)
was believed to be the central seat of
Zoroastrianism while Mazar-i-Sharif (capital of
Balkh province) is believed by Afghans to be the
tomb of Hazrat Ali, one of the Four Caliphs during
the Islamic Golden Age.
The history of the city of Balkh might serve as an
instruction, and a summation of Afghan history in a
microcosm. At the height of its power, the city of
Balkh was believed to have rivalled the most
prosperous (and now, almost-mystical) cities of the
era- Ecbatana, Nineveh and Babylon. Later centuries
saw the various contestations for power over the
city, leading to the destruction of the city's
infrastructure and finally, as if the city had given
up on itself, or rather as if nature had found a way
to repel all those who'd coveted the city, was
devastated by floods and malaria.
The site of hundreds of Buddhist temples with costly
Buddha statues led by Kashmiri Brahmins (Pramukh,
with the Arabicized form being Barmak, as we later
know as Barmakids) and which later provided
political asylum to fleeing Persian emperor Yedzgird
from the armies of Caliph Umar. The 13th century
however saw Genghis Khan raiding Balkh and the
levelling of all the buildings capable of defense,
an act repeated once more by Timurlane in the 14th
century. Henceforth, various figures, ranging from
the Uzbeks to Aurangzeb and Nadir Shah later fought
for dominance over the city. However, as if to
signify the waning of a civilisation, the city
suffered from an outbreak of malaria following a
flood and the administrative seat was transferred
from Balkh to the neighbouring city of
Mazar-e-Sharif.
Contemporary history speaks of wars fought by the
Mojahedeen against the Soviets, tales of bravery of
one-eyed mullahs, the idealistic roots of the
Taliban, the atrocities committed by the same after
and the devastation of Afghanistan by American
forces post 9-11.
Photo courtesy of Yan Boechat