History

Early Afghanistan was known as Aryana starting 1st to

5th Century, later on became as Khurasan which finally
changed to Afghanistan,
Afghanistans capital was Kandahar, then the capital of
Afghanistan changed to Kabul,
Crossroad between different civilizations.
522 BCE--486 BCE- Persia conquered Afghanistan
329 BCE 326 BCE- Alexander the Great of Macedonia
conquered Afghanistan
652- Arabs introduce Islam.
History
1332-Descendants of Ghorid rulers conquer
Afghanistan.
1613-1689- Uprising against Moghul government.
1736 - Nadir Shah (head of Persia) occupies parts of
Afghanistan.
1747- Shah is assassinated. Afghans, establish modern
Afghanistan
1773- 1793- Rule of Timur Shah. Internal revolts.
1826- Dost Mohammad Khan establishes control.
1836- Britain invades.
1843- Annihilation of British troops= Afghanistan is
independent again.
1934- USA formally recognizes Afghanistan.
1994-Taliban militia are born
2001- Taliban destroy historical momentums.
Geography Afghanistan is
located in
Hearth/North of
Asia,
Afghanistan
has 34
provinces,
Afghanistan
has 7
Neighboring
Countries,
(India, China,
Pakistan, Iran,
Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan &
Turkmenistan)
Geography
Afghanistan is a Mountain country,
The Second big Mountain of the World is located in
Afghanistan.
Pamir Mountain is the Second Big Mountain of The World
Climate
Afghanistan has clearly defined seasons:
summers are hot and winters can be bitterly
cold.
Summer temperatures as high as 49 C (120 F)
have been recorded in the northern valleys.
Midwinter temperatures as low as -9 C (15 F)
are common around the 2000-m (6600-ft) level
in the Hindu Kush.
The climate in the highlands varies with
elevation. The coolest temperatures usually
occur on the heights of the mountains.
Most of the precipitation falls between the
months of October and April.
 Religion

Islam
Others

The official religion in Afghanistan is Islam, which is

practiced by over 99% of its citizens. As high as 80% of the
population follow Sunni Islam. The remaining are Shias.
 Demographics
Population: around 32 million as of 2015
The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multilingual
society.

Languages of Afghanistan
Pashtuns =
42%
Dari(Afghan Persian) = 50%
Pashto = 35% Tajik = 27%
Uzbek and Turkmen = 11%
30 others including = 4% Hazara = 9%
Balochi and Pashai
Uzbek = 9%

Aimak = 4%
Kabul, Afghanistan
The capital of Afghanistan as well as its largest
city, located in the eastern section of the
country
Also spelled Cabool, Caubul, Kabol, or Cabul.
Kabul town, lying on the skirt of a mountain ,has
a balanced relationship with an open terrain
with agricultural, pastoral and wet lands.
The interaction with the other cities and people
coming to settle and rule this town also broth
along architectural influences, styles and
craftsmanship, which have actually added to
the qualities of settlement in the old quarter of
Kabul.
Afghan Architecture
 Gardens of Babur, Kabul, Afghanistan
developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and
18th centuries throughout the ever-changing
extent of their empire in Medieval India.
Amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkic and Indian
architecture
buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and
character, including large bulbous domes,
slender minarets at the corners, massive halls,
large vaulted gateways and delicate
ornamentation
India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Taj Mahal Agra, is the most recognized structure
of Mughal architecture.
Gardens Of Babur
Bagh-e Babur
Marble screen was
erected around the
group of tombs, and a
mosque built on the
terrace below
Built of a mix of
traditional hand-laid
earth (pakhsa) and sun-
dried bricks on stone
foundations
techniques still widely
used in rural construction
in Afghanistan
INSCRIPTION:
"only this mosque of beauty, this temple
of nobility, constructed for the prayer of
saints and the epiphany of cherubs, was
fit to stand in so venerable a sanctuary as
this highway of archangels, this theatre of
heaven, the light garden of the
godforgiven angel king whose rest is in
the garden of heaven, Zahiruddin
Muhammad Babur the Conqueror."[

Small Mosque inside the Garden

 Notable Islamic architectural types include the
early Abbasid buildings, T-Type mosques
Influenced by Roman, Byzantine and all other
lands which the Muslims conquered in the 7th
and 8th centuries
Further east, it was also influenced by Chinese
and Indian architecture as Islam spread to
Southeast Asia
Principal Islamic architectural types are: the
Mosque, the Tomb, the Palace and the Fort.
Green Mosque, Balkh, Afghanistan
Square or rectangular in plan with an enclosed
courtyard and a covered prayer hall
Green Mosque (Balkh)
Main building displays a
typical Timurid
architectural style
Main courtyard has been
well preserved allowing
people to pray in the
open spaces
Blue, Brick, Ceramic,
Green, Masonry, Mosaic,
Pointed Arch,
Polychrome Tiles, Stone,
Turquoise Balk, Afghanistan
Housing
Traditional House
MATERIAL: mud ( A good insulation
material), timber and clay
All the windows are facing south
side to gain the maximum amount
of sunlight during the winters.
Flat roof
Clustered buildings of this
residential area are sharing walls to
reduce exposure to cold winds.
It generally has one entrance, with
a greeting room just inside the door.
Nearby is a large visiting area, used
particularly when male guests are
present.
Housing
Traditional House
The people use the local materials
to build these houses, with no
plumbing or proper sewer systems.
The kitchen contains an
underground oven, where bread is
commonly baked, and heat is used
for warmth during cold weather.
In rural areas, life is centered on the
Qalla, a walled compound where
the extended family parents, wife ,
young children, grown sons, their
families and unmarried female
relatives will all live together in the
compound
(A) Afghan
Traditional
Courtyard
House

(B) Afghan
Contempora
ry
Traditional
Courtyard
House
Shrine Of Ali
Shrine of Hazrat Ali, Rowze-i
Sharif, Blue Mosque
Roughly rectangular, with the
tomb chamber of the
purported remnants of Ali in
its centre. Above the tomb
rises the largest dome: 15 m
wide, blue cupola.
Whole building is covered
with polychrome tiles.
At the mosque have been
added tombs of distinguished
religious and political leaders
of Afghanistan
Whole complex of buildings is
enclosed in a precinct.
Mazar-I Sharif, Afghanistan In the 15th century, Sultan
Husayn Mirza Bayqarah built
The Seljuq dynasty sultan Ahmed Sanjar the current Blue Mosque
built the first known shrine at this location. here.
 These include the square
domed tomb of Amir Dost
Muhammad, Wazir Akbar
Khan and a similar structure for
Amir Sher Ali and his family.
Tombs of varying dimensions
were added for a number of
Afghan political and religious
leaders over the years, led to
the development of its current
irregular dimensions
Persian style tile work
Minaret Of Jam
Located in a remote and nearly
inaccessible region of the Shahrak District,
Ghor Province, next to the Hari River.
Built around 1190 entirely of baked bricks
and is famous for its intricate brick, stucco
and glazed tile decoration, which consists
of alternating bands of kufic and naskhi
calligraphy, geometric patterns, and verses
from the Qur'an
Second-tallest brick minaret in the world
Last Monument of the Lost City of Turquoise
Mountain
also inscribed in UNESCO's list of World
Heritage in Danger, due to the precarious
state of preservation of the minaret, and
results of looting at the site
INSCRIPTIONS
The uppermost band consists of the Muslim
confession of faith; "I bear witness there is no
god but Allah (and that) Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah."
Below are upper two bands that consists of
verse 13, surat al-Saff LXI;"Help from Allah and
present victory. Give good tidings (O
Muhammad) to believers. O ye who believe."
The band below this consists of names and
titles of Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad bin Sam
INSCRIPTIONS
Below this is a band containing an
amplified version of Ghiyath ad-Din
Muhammad's names and titles in turquoise
mosaic tiles.
An oblong hexagon with two lines of naskhi
underneath
An inscription, "Abu'l-Fath", heavily
damaged, due to being made of stucco.
Interlaced bands consisting of surat
Maryam XIX.
Facing north is a Kufic inscription, "On the
date of the year five hundred
ninety"(equivalent of 27 December 1193 to
16 December 1194).
Buddhas Of Bamiyan
o Located in a remote and nearly inaccessible region of the
Shahrak District, Ghor Province, next to the Hari River
o The statues represented the classic blended style of
Gandhara art
o The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs,
but details were modeled in mud mixed
with straw, coated with stucco.
o The larger one was painted carmine
red and the smaller one was painted
multiple colors.
o Lower parts of the statues' arms were
constructed from the same mud-straw
mix while supported on wooden
armatures.
o It is believed that the upper parts of
their faces were made from great
wooden masks or casts.
 Smaller Buddha in 1977
o They were dynamited and destroyed in
March 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah
Mohammed Omar
o The smaller of the statues was built between 544 and 595, the
larger was built between 591 and 644.
o The larger figure was also said to portray Dpankara Buddha.
o The destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas became a symbol of
oppression and a rallying point for the freedom of religious
expression.
 o After the
o Bamiyan explosion
Buddha before
o The taller of the
two Buddhas of
Bamiyan in 1976
Great Mosque Of Herat
Jama Masjid of
Herat
Friday Mosque
Built by Ghurids, the
famous Sultan
Ghayas-ud-Din
Ghori, continued by
his brother and
successor
Muhammad of
Ghor.
City's first
congregational
mosque.
 Laid out in the traditional rectangular iwan
pattern, with three walls and a huge
central courtyard
Some of the original decoration remains in
the center section, but much has been
replaced
Pul-e Khishti Mosque
Largest mosque in Kabul,
Afghanistan
Identified by its large blue dome
Damaged during recent fighting
in the area, but is one of the few
buildings in the area which has
had restoration work done on it.
 Id Gah Mosque

Idgah Mosque, Eidgah Mosque

the cardinal religious mosque in the country, where a million people offer
Eid prayers twice a year
means "Prayer Ground" where people congregate during national and
religious celebrations.
reflects the rich Muslim architecture and heritage
courtyard area, known as Eid Gah Square, is vast and is capable of holding
massive populations of Muslims who attend the mosque during the prayer
season.
Beige painted central section Interior of the Mosque Side columns. 4 of the 18 on
with 4 minarets on either side one side are pictured.

Painted in beige
and white and has
four minarets at the
front, two flanking the
higher central arch
and then one either
side of the arched
sections on either side of the central arch.
There are in turn four minarets assembled in the same fashion on the
other side and a single smaller minaret of a different color in the centre of
the roof.
Excluding the prominent central beige painted area of 3 archways, the
mosque has 18 dark archways either side along its length.
Abdul Rahman Mosque
 Grand Mosque of Kabul
One floor dedcated to
women only.
Named after an influential
afgahn business man
named hajji Abdul
rahman
There is also madrasa
inside and a library
containing 150,000 books
 Darul Aman Palace

Abode of peace" or "abode of Aman

The palace is an imposing neoclassical building on a
hilltop overlooking a flat, dusty valley in the western
part of the Afghan capital.
Ruined palace located outside of the center of
Kabul, Afghanistan.
To be part of the new capital city (also called Darul
Aman or Darulaman) that the king intended to build,
connected to Kabul by a narrow gauge railway.cc
Chakhil-i-ghoundi Stupa
Code-named "Stupa C1
Small limestone stupa from Scene of "The Gift
the Chakhil-i-Ghoundi of Dirt", Chakhil-i-
monastery Ghoundi Stupa,
Decoration of the stupa Gandhara.
provides an interesting case
of Greco-Buddhist art,
combining Hellenistic and
Indian artistic elements.
Reconstitution consists of
several parts, the decorated
stupa base, the canopy,
and various decorative
elements.

Buddhist Indian
Scene
 Canopy of stupa C1.
The stupa was surmounted by an
elaborate canopy, a beautiful
example of Indo-Corinthian
capital, although typically
expanded longitudinally
compared to their Western
counterparts.

Stupa base
The reconstituted base of Stupa C1.
The stupa base is an elaborate construction, consisting of three
tiers organised in a stair, and two sides. It has a breath of
roughly 3 meters, for a height of about 1 meter. The base
combines very contrasted scenes and sculptural motifs:
Hellenistic scenes at the bottom tier, and Indian Buddhist
scenes at the top two tiers.
Herat Citadel
Located in the
center of Herat in
Afghanistan.
Many empires have
used it as a
headquarters in the
last 2,000 years, and
was destroyed and
rebuilt many times
over the centuries.
National Museum of
Herat is also housed
inside the citadel
Consists of two
walled enclosures
The museum inside the citadel
The Kartid addition
to the west, known
as the Lower Citadel, Pathway inside
has lower walls of the citadel
baked brick and
includes Timurid
period military
structures
Polygonal in plan
Older compound to the east, found filled with debris, was
partially excavated to reveal two courtyard structures
Roughly rectangular plan measuring about eighteen by
forty-two meters, and it is protected with thirteen semi-
circular towers, including two flanking a west-facing
gate.
Also known as the Upper Citadel, based on its elevated
site, and is built of fired bricks.
The Gawhar Shad Mausoleum
Delicate exterior
decoration and
ornamentation
Very rare three-
domed inner
construction technique,
cn an arched system
hidden within the cube
base of the dome

Stone sarcophaguses of Queen and his husband Shah Ruh

inside Mausoleum and some nice fragments of paintings
Behind the tomb there are five minarets, remaining of
Madrasa built by Queen Gowhar Shad
Shah-do Shamshira Mosque

Mosque of the
King of Two Swords
Built during the
reign of
Amanullah Khan.
Located next to
the tomb of a
Mughal general,
Chin Timur Khan
Site of the killing of
Farkhunda