Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/31

 AFGHANISTAN

the Solimans past Ghanzi and Kandahar to the Peshawar and in 1809 concluded a treatv. The

west toward Her4t. Though the lan^^uage of the Barakzai tribe, under the leadership of Fateh Khan,

Afghan originated from the old Iran, it now shows deposed Shah Shujah, who fled from Peshawar to

the mark of Indian influence. In writing the Afghan seek protection at Lahore.

uses an Arabic character; Persian and Pushtoo are In 1826, Dost Muhammad became Amir of

the leading tongues. The largest cities are Kabul, Afghanistan, founding the present djmasty of

the capital, with a population of 150,000; Kandah&r, Afghan rulers. Attainingsupreme power, he entered

31,500; and Her&t, 20,000. The mountainous char- into negotiations with Russia. The British inter-

acter of Afghanistan allows agriculture only in the vened and the first Afghan War began in 1838,

fertile plains and valleys, anof sheep-raising in the partly to counter the Russian advance in central

highlands. Asia and partly to place on the throne at Kabul in

Reugion. — ^The establishment of Christian mis- place of Dost Muhanmiad the dethroned ruler

sions has never been permitted in Afghanistan. Shah Shuja. The latter object was easily attained

The various tribes are overwhelmingly Moslem and and for two years Afghanistan remained in the

are of the Simni sect of Islam^ Their caliph is the military occupation of the British. Later Dost

Turkish Sultan who, according to the sacred law, Muhammad regained the throne. In a war with

should be an independent sovereign, wieldins an Persia in behalf of the ruler of Afghanistan, the

effective guardiani^p over the great Moslem iioly British finally restored the province of Her&t to

places at Mecca, Medina, andf Jerusalem. The Afghan rule. At the death of Dost Muhammad in

Turkish caliph has been made a virtual prisoner of 18^, a rebellion broke out, and for some time the

the British in Constantinople and the holy places elder sons of the Dost reigned conjointly as heirs,

taken away from him. Mecca and Medina are in Finally Shir All emerged master of the land. He

the hands of the King of Hijaz, who is subsidized was suspected of intriguing with Russia, and this

by the British ; and Jerusalem is held by the British fact, coupled with the repulse of a British mission,

themselves. This new state of affairs has been bit- led to the second Afghan war (1878) in which the

terlv resented by all of Sunni Islam (except the British were victorious. The murder of the British

Araos) as a destruction of its most sacred institu- envoy caused the third Afghan war (1870). Abdur

tions, and as a result, Afghanistan has been greatly Rahman was finally left imdisputed Amir of

inflamed against the British sovemment of India. Afghanistan, imtil his death, in 1901.

In the Turco-Afghan treaty which the Afghan mis- Abdur Rahman agreed to leave the control of his

sion to Angora signed in Aoril, 1020, the Turkish foreign relations to the British government which,

caliphate was recognized and an alliance was made on itis part, undertook not to interfere with the

between the two parties against "any alien impe- internal government of Afghanistan, and in case of

rialism," presumably meamng the British empire, unprovoked aggression on Afghan dominions, to aid

Djemal Pasha, one of Turkey's triumvirate during the Amir in such a manner as to them might seem

the war, was made Minister of War in the Afghan necessary. In 1893 this position was confirmed in a

Cabinet, and has founded a military college at conference between the Amir and Sir Mortimer

KAbul and imported forty Turkish officers to whip Durand. Chitral, Bajaur, and Swat were to be

the Afghan armv into shape. included in the British sphere of political influence.

Education w — ^The Government contributes nothing while the Amir 'was to retain Asmar and the Kunar

to maintain public schools. The better families often valley above it, as far as Amcwai: also the tract

send their sons to be educated in the universities of Birmal. K4firistan was included within the

of India. coimtries imder Afghan control and to be garrisoned

History J — ^Afghanistan, a part of ancient Aria, by the Amir's troopKS. The Amir had withdrawn his

was included in the conquests of Alexander the pretensions to Waziristan. The Durand Agreement

Great, who founded Alexandria, Arion (Herat), settled the border of the country on the British side,

Kandahar, and a settlement in Kabul. Various bar- except for a small section to the west of the Khyber,

banc dynasties succeeded one another, the most which remained a fruitful source of trouble between

notable monarch being Kanishka (Kanerkes), who the Afghans and the British and led to the war in

ruled vast domains stretching over the Upper 1919. This agreement was confirmed in a formal

Oxua basin, Peshawar, Kashmir, and probably treaty signed on 21 March, 1905, between the British

India. On the decline of the Bagdad Caliphate, and Amir Habibulla Khan, who accepted imre-

Afghanistan formed a part of the domains of the servedly the engagements into which his father had

Samanides, a Mohammedan dynasty which was entered with the British government,

overthrown by a Turkish tribe, founder of the In the Anglo-Russian agreement of 31 August,

Ghaznevide dynasty. It was included in their 1907, Great Britain undertook neither to annex nor

realms until 11^, when it was overrun by the occupy any portion of Afghanistan nor to interfere

Mongols of Genghis Khan. In the last quarter of in the internal administration of the country, pro-

the fourteenth century it was subjugated by the vided the Amir fulfilled his engagements toward the

Tartar chief Timur. A descendant of this Timur, British government. The Russian government de-

Baber, founder of the Mogul Empire, made Kabul clared that Afghanistan was outside the sphere of

his capital. Its decline dated from 1722, when Russian influence and arranged that its political

Mahmud, an Afghan chief, invaded Persia, captured relations with Afghanistan should be conducted

Ispahan and dealt a blow to the permanent pros- through the British government. The principle of

perity of Afghanistan. During the wars which fol- equality of commercial opportunity was to be ob-

lowed the Afghans were defeated and driven out by served. During the Great World War the Amir

Nadir Kuli, a Persian, one of the conquerors of maintained strict neutrality. In 1918 the new Rus-

Afghanistan, who later became Shah. After the sian government at Moscow abrogated the 1907

assassination of Nadir Shah (1747), one of his offi- treaty, and with London's concurrence in Moscow's

oers Aluned Shah, founded the Durani dynasty in abrogation, Afghanistan automatically became "offi-

Afghanistan, which has since maintained an inde- cially free and independent, both internally and

pendent existence. In 1800 the Tsar of Russia and externally." The Amir Habib Ullah Khan, who had

the Emperor Napoleon concocted a scheme to in- been a loyal friend of Great Britain, was murdered,

vade India. This led to the intervention of the Thereupon ensued a competition for the throne. At

British government which sent an ambassador to Jelalabad, a proclamation was issued that Nasr

2 — Oct. 22.