THE WEB INFORMER

Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage

Afghanistan has a rich and long cultural heritage. Its location on the the old Silk Route between China and the Middle East means it's cultural life has been subject to many influences. It has the (dubious) honour of being been occupied by many great civilizations including Greek, Persian and Indian.

This melting pot has produced a number of ethnic groups. Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and Turkmens form the majority, whilst Baluch, Turkmen, Aimaq, Nuristani, Pamiri, Pashai, Kirghiz and Kazakh all call Afghanistan their home.

The ancient religion of Zoroastrianism began here around 600 BC century (one of the world's first monotheistic religions), Buddhism spread and remained strong until the 10th century AD and Islam arrived in the 7th century AD.

Today, the majority of people are Muslim though Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and Zoroastrians form tiny minorities.

As early as 50,000BC, civilization has been established in Afghanistan. Somewhere around 3000-2000 BC bronze is thought to have been invented. Also during this time, the first true urban centres were established at Mundigak (near modern day Kandahar) and Deh Morsai Ghundai.

Between 330-128 BC, the Greeks were pre-eminent under Alexander the Great in the North of the country at Bactra and established a highly sophisticated culture.

Around 130 BC, they were driven out and replaced by the Kushans who were great patrons of the arts and religion. Indian pilgrims travelling along the silk route introduced Buddhism and Buddhist Gandhara art flourished during this period.

Under the Kushan King, Kanishka, Buddha was first given a human face and the world's largest Buddhas (175 feet and 120 feet tall) were carved into the cliff at Bamiyan. But many gods and goddesses from Greek, Persian, Central Asian and Hindu cultures were also worhsipped.

The art mixed Indian and Greek styles and a whole new way of producing sculpture was fashioned, which became universal throughout Southern Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and Central Asia.

Gandharan Stucco Head of Buddha Sakymuni.
From Hadda, Afghanistan circa 4th Century AD

Arab rule and Islam came to Afghanistan in the 7th century and these influences lasted until the invasion of the Mongols in the mid 13th century. This was a turbulent period that saw a number of different rulers. Yet, many great mosques and palaces were built and the arts, philosophy and architecture all flourished.

The end of the Mongol empire saw the rise of Timurid Dynasty. It was under the Timurids that Afghanistan reached its cultural zenitth. The southern Hamsun basin contains the greatest concentration of 15th century architecture anywhere in the Middle East.

From their capital in Herat, the Timurids led a cultural renaissance. Artists, poets, philosophers, musicians and architects were all attracted to the court including Bihzad the miniaturist and Jami the poet, both of whom attract a worldwide reputation today.

From the end of Timurid rule in 1507 through to the mid 18th century, Afghanistan was divided between two great empires - the Moghuls of India and the Safavids of Persia.

In the audio clip, Dr. John Baily, an ethnomusicologist, plays music originating in the Timurid city of Herat and tells how important music is in Afghan society.

The Oxus Treasure

Discovered in 1880, this collection of 170 objects is a magnificent example of Persian metal work from the 4th-5th century BC. The Achaemenid Dynasty began with Darius 1. Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan was its most important city. The treasure was found near the Oxus river but no one knows what it was for or how it came to be there.