A History of Afghanistan (In 2 Volumes)

Afghanistan on account of its geographical and strategic positions had served as a centre of power struggle in Asia. In the north its boundary touches with Central Asia, towards the west it is neighbour of Iran and in the east it is bounded by the low-lying plains of Pakistan, drained by the Indus and other rivers. The present book entitled, A History of Afghanistan in two volumes is already known to academic world. Its author, who was a diplomat held different appointments in Seistan, Khurasan, Heart and Chinese Turkistan, had extensively travelled the area which enabled him to gather valuable first-hand information on the subject. He has mainly relied on the original sources for the reconstruction of authentic history which has enhanced the value of the text and its utility for the students and the research scholars as well. Volume I deals with the history of the region right from Prehistoric times to the siege of Herat in AD 1833. The volume has been divided into 28 chapters besides inclusion of a few illustrations and three maps. In the second volume the author has discussed the history of Afghanistan from the first Afghan War in Ad 1839 resulting the occupation of Kabul to the assassination of King Nadirshah and accession of King Zahir Shah in AD 1933 with a brief epilogue at the end. This volume comprises 30 chapters, eight appendices relating to different treaties and agreements besides an exhaustive list of authorities on the subject. The author of the volumes on the whole has succeeded in presenting the varied historical data methodically and would be very much useful to serious workers of history for reference purposes.