Top Ten Facts about Afghanistan (Unknown Facts About Afghanistan, You Should Know)

Top Ten Facts about Afghanistan You Should Know

After 9/11 and the war against terrorism which started in 2001, Afghanistan has always occupied the news covers and headlines, It was perhaps the most discussed country for the past 20 years.

There are many stereotypes in the minds of people when they hear the word Afghanistan. Suddenly the words like war, terrorism, Taliban, al-Qaida, etc. come to one’s mind. That’s what the media can do to you when you trust them rather than getting information only. You should listen to the news and draw your own conclusion rather than believe them blindly. Today we will tell you some facts about Afghanistan you may not know but you should know. So here we are with the Ten Fascinating facts about Afghanistan. Let’s proceed to our topic.

1: Ancient Civilisations of Afghanistan

The history of human civilization in Afghanistan dates back to 4000 BC. It has a very rich culture with its own traditions and view of the world. The clothing code is modest and revealing bodies is considered to be unethical. Afghan society is still very tribal with strict known roles for men and women. As afghan society is composed of 99.7% Muslims, most rules followed are Islamic. Pashtuns are in the majority with over 60% of the Afghanistan population. Due to this fact Pashtunwali (The social code of Pashtuns is also followed in Pashtun majority areas.

2: Jirga Culture

Jirga is considered to be the backbone of Afghan society. Whenever a dispute arises, the elders from the tribes gather and they try their best to get to a possible solution and the decision of the Jirga is considered to be binding upon the members of the tribe.

3: Graveyard of Super Powers

Afghanistan is known as the Graveyard of superpowers. Alexander the great was the first conqueror who tried to capture Afghanistan. During his stay he many times felt surprised by the behavior of Afghans who never treated him as a King. He was not able to conquer Afghanistan but he was successful in getting a bride for him there. Afghan girl Roxanne was the only girl who stole the heart of the imperial conqueror and she bore him his only son. While going back from Afghanistan losing much that he had, he died at the age of 33. After him, many other conquerors tried to capture Afghanistan like Genghis Khan and Timor, although they captured Afghanistan virtually they were drowned in a non-ending war for the mountain rebellions. After them, Britain, USSR, and America with 40 nations tried to subdue Afghans but they never knew Afghans were not born to be subdued.

4: Geo-Strategic Position of Afghanistan

Afghanistan has a geographical location that makes it the center of central Asia, the middle east, china, and India. It was the only route available to many conquerors and because of this fact Afghanistan was always overrun by different conquerors, therefore people residing in Afghanistan always remained in continuous wars. Due to these wars, and the hard terrain of Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan became the most battle-hardened people in the world.

5: Afghan Famous Festivals

There are 3 kinds of Festivals in Afghanistan, National, traditional and religious. Nawroz is the most famous traditional festival in Afghanistan. It is celebrated on eve of spring every year on 21^st March. National Festivals include Jeshyn-Afghan Day (Independence Day) is celebrated on August 19^th. Other festivals are Islamic like Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha, Ashura, and Mawlid al-Nabi (Born of the Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H)

(Note: You can also watch this video on youtube for Top 10 facts about Afghanistan)

6: Sports

Cricket and Football are the common games in Afghanistan which are played usually in all corners of the country. Buzkashi is the national game of Afghanistan. In Buzkashi riders on the horseback compete with each other for grabbing a goat. This game has been played in Afghanistan for centuries. It was previously a game for warlords who would compete with each other but nowadays even supported by afghan mobile companies and private airlines. Afghanistan has requested many times to requested to include this game in the Olympics but was not heard because many animal protection regards this sport as the wildest game in the world because it involves the killing of a goat.

7: Afghan Cuisine

Afghan cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in the world. It has Pakistani, Indian, Irani, and central Asian flavors to it. As it was overrun by many conquerors they brought their cuisine with themselves to and from time to time it was adopted by the Afghan society.

8: Mobile Culture

Although much of Afghanistan has no electricity almost 90% of Afghanistan has now mobile coverage. Mobile phones have no effect on the Afghan culture and many people living in cities have become western in nature.

9: Reign of Mullah Omar

Afghanistan in the reign of Mullah Omar was considered to be the most peaceful nation in the world. It had a crime rate of zero. Oh, can you imagine that? It is said and many people are witness to it that people would go by the gold and money lying on the road but they would not touch them because it was not theirs.

10: Natural Resources in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is very beautiful in nature with beautiful landscapes and valleys. High hills on the north with beautiful valleys are some of the most beautiful places to visit. Afghanistan is full of natural resources, It has a large number of precious stones, elements, gold, natural gas, and oil. Although wars in Afghanistan has stopped its growth, Afghanistan is one the most blessed country with natural resources.

Although Afghanistan is a country with many opportunities, continuous wars, mutual enmity of warlords, and foreign-based involvement in Afghan affairs, no resolve of its leaders to develop are some of the factors that have never let it develop. But still, there is hope on the horizon, Afghanistan has the potential to blossom on the world map and who knows they may move in that direction in coming years. Let’s hope for the best.

I hope you are amazed by the facts about Afghanistan. Stay in touch and remember me in your prayers. And good wishes to all my Afghan brothers and sisters. Stay Blessed.

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