Updated paperback edition telling the dramatic history of the land and peoples of Afghanistan from prehistoric times to the present day.




Offers a detailed history, from the Indo-Iranian invasions of the second millennium BC and Alexander the
Great, through to Soviet occupation, Taliban rule, and the 'war on terror'


Much description of the contemporary period is based on the author’s own research in Afghanistan


Includes a new final chapter covering developments since 2001, including the fall of the Taliban, state building and foreign intervention in the region. The bibliography has also been updated.