Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The ancient history of Afghanistan, also referred to as the pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan, dates back to the prehistoric era and the Helmand civilization around 3300–2350 BCE. Archaeological exploration began in Afghanistan in earnest after World War II and proceeded until the late 1970s during the Soviet–Afghan War .
This history is largely shared with that of Central Asia, Persia, and the Indian subcontinent. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic era, and the country's strategic location along the historic Silk Road has led it to being described, picturesquely, as the ‘roundabout of the ancient world’. [1]
Shortugai (Shortughai), in Darqad District of northern Afghanistan, was a trading colony of the Indus Valley civilization (or Harappan Civilization) established around 2000 BC on the Oxus river (Amu Darya) near the lapis lazuli mines. [1] [2] It is considered to be the northernmost settlement of the Indus Valley Civilization. [3] [4]
The ancient region of Arachosia can be geographically defined as the territory within the drainage basins of the Helmand, Arghandab, Tarnak, and Arghestan rivers: in the north, it incorporated the area surrounding Ghazni; to the south, it was bordered by the Registan desert in the region of Gedrosia; in the west lay the border with Drangiana; and its eastern frontier probably lay at the Bolan ...
Archaeology of Afghanistan, mainly conducted by British and French antiquarians, has had a heavy focus on the treasure filled Buddhist monasteries that lined the silk road from the 1st c. BCE – 6th c. AD. Particularly the ancient civilizations in the region during the Hellenistic period and the Kushan Empire. [2]
Afghanistan accepted the convention on March 20, 1979, making its sites eligible for inclusion on the list. [3] As of 2022, there are two World Heritage Sites in Afghanistan, and a further four on the tentative list. [3] The first site listed was the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, in 2002.
Afghanistan, [d] officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, [e] is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia.It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, [f] Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east.
Mundigak (Pashto: منډیګک) is an archaeological site in Kandahar province in Afghanistan. During the Bronze Age , it was a center of the Helmand culture . It is situated approximately 55 km (34 mi) northwest of Kandahar near Shāh Maqsūd, on the upper drainage of the Kushk-i Nakhud River.