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Afghanistan is widely regarded as a land of compelling beauty and an impressive antiquity. Though it has been swept and trampled by the forces of history, constant migration, conquests and wars, Afghanistan has succeeded in retaining its charm still draws tourists in large numbers even amidst the threat of the Taliban. The sight of the Mandayi Market, which is the nerve center of trade and commerce in front of the Pul-i-Khisti Mosque is very attractive to an outside observer. Even the rugged terrain in the north and southwest is also mesmerizing with the sight of Hindu Kush Mountain that runs from northeast to southwest dividing the northern provinces of the country.

Afghanistan, a beleaguered country in central Asia, has almost the size of Texas. It is bordered on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with China on the extreme northeast and Iran on the west. The shadow of blood, war and repression haunts the nation. Just as in the movie Kite Runner, its people are not just dealing with the brutality of war and terrorism; almost everything is forbidden, right from playing cards and writing books to watching films and listening to music.

History tells us that Afghanistan had been the gateway of Alexander the Great and Darius I to India. Conquerors who arrived in this land in the 7th century included Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. In the 19th century, Afghanistan became a battleground in the contention between Britain and Russia for the control of Central Asia. A threefold Anglo-Afghan war took place here and ended inconclusively and in 1893 imperial Britain established an unofficial border named Durand Line separating the country from British India. Aryans, Turks, Arabs, Greeks, Bactrians and Kushans had come to this fabled silk route just to traverse the vast landscape of Afghanistan. Indeed a many a great man of history has left their mark in this land.

For more than a millennium, one force has seemed to dominate the very heart of Afghanistan and that is the rule of Islam whose impact is still very much visible throughout the country.

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