An authoritative study of the administrative, social, and economic structure of Afghanistan at the beginning of the twentieth century. Government and Society in Afghanistan covers a decisive stage in the country’s history. The period covered—the reign of the “Iron” Amir Rahman Khan—was in many ways the beginning of modern Afghanistan as a cohesive nation. It was under the Amir that its borders were established, its internal unification completed, and the modern concept of nationhood implanted. Hsan Kawun Kakar considers both the internal and the external forces that influenced Afghanistan’s development. Thus, modernization, centralization, and nationalization are seen as both defensive reactions to European imperialism and a necessary step toward capital formation and industrialization. The first part of the book covers the government of the Amir, from the personality of the ruler to a comprehensive overview of taxation and local government. The second part views these economic and social institutions from the perspective of the major segments of the populace—including nomads, townsmen, tribes, women, slaves, landowners, mullahs, merchants, and others.

Through years of neglect, deliberate modernization, and the effect of decades of war, Kabul’s architectural history has virtually disappeared. By meticulous use of all available records including written works, photographs, films, and oral reminiscences, Kabul: A History 1773-1948 provides a remarkably complete and unsurpassed account of the city’s history as seen through its built environment, from the pleasure gardens of the 16th and 17th century Mughals to the efforts of the Saduza’i and Muhammadza’i rulers of the 18th-20th centuries to turn this one-time resort town into a thriving capital city at the center of a country of enormous diversity. Thoroughly documented and well-illustrated, the book reveals the rich cultural legacy of a city of global importance.

The classic reference work that provides annually updated information on the countries of the world.

This work is a chronological account of the struggle between the Afghan Amirs of Kabul and the Manghit Dynasty of Bukhara for Balkh province (wilayat) during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Drawing extensively on India Office Records, Persian and native oral sources, the book provides a unique insight into an important, but little-studied Central Asian region. Structured around the history of Maimana's Mingid dynasty, the book details the various military campaigns, whilst also examining critically Britain and Russia's role in the 'Afghanisation' of Balkh during the period of the 'Great Game'. The work is especially significant to historians since it questions conventional perceptions of Central Asia during the era of European imperialism. It examines too Balkh's social and economic situation. It includes numerous maps, charts, photographs and dynastic charts.

The creation of Afghanistan in 1880, following the Second Anglo-Afghan War, gave an empowering voice to the Pashtun people, the largest ethnic group in a diverse country. In order to distil the narrative of the state's formation and early years, a Pashtun-centric version of history dominated Afghan history and the political process from 1880 to the 1970s. Alternative discourses made no appearance in the fledgling state which lacked the scholarly institutions and any sense of recognition for history, thus providing no alternatives to the narratives produced by the British, whose quasi-colonial influence in the region was supreme. Since 1970, the ongoing crises in Afghanistan have opened the space for non-Pashtuns, including Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks, to form new definitions of identity, challenge the official discourse and call for the re-writing of the long-established narrative. At the same time, the Pashtun camp, through their privileged position in the political settlements of 2001, have attempted to confront the desire for change in historical perceptions by re-emphasising the Pashtun domination of Afghan history. This crisis of hegemony has led to a deep antagonism between the Pashtun and non-Pashtun perspectives of Afghan history and threatens the stability of political process in the country.

The Middle Eastern bazaar is much more than a context for commerce: the studies in this book illustrate that markets, regardless of their location, scale, and permanency, have also played important cultural roles within their societies, reflecting historical evolution, industrial development, social and political conditions, urban morphology, and architectural functions. This interdisciplinary volume explores the dynamics of the bazaar with a number of case studies from Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, Nablus, Bursa, Istanbul, Sana'a, Kabul, Tehran, and Yazd. Although they share some contextual and functional characteristics, each bazaar has its own unique and fascinating history, traditions, cultural practices, and structure. One of the most intriguing aspects revealed in this volume is the thread of continuity from past to present exhibited by the bazaar as a forum where a society meets and intermingles in the practice of goods exchange-a social and cultural ritual that is as old as human history.