Afghanistan Project CMS

<p>Although the land of Afghanistan can be harsh &ndash; for farmers, herders, travelers, and conquerors alike &ndash; in many ways Afghanistan is in a fortuitous location.</p> <p>If we look at a map of Afghanistan one of the things that&rsquo;s most striking about the country is the central mountain region which consists of quite a number of mountain ranges. But the predominant one is the Hindu Kush.</p> <p>And it really sets the parameters for Afghanistan because the snowfall, the snow pack, of the Hindu Kush is what provides irrigation water and river water and sets the geographical parameters of the country.</p> <p>Most of the trade routes went through Afghanistan. That&rsquo;s what made it important rather than any specific item derived from Afghanistan [&hellip;]<br /> The trade routes in Afghanistan were based in part on topography [...] but it&rsquo;s also based upon water. The rivers of Afghanistan were the locations of the major oases, and towns, and settlements, and many trade routes would follow that pattern of rivers.<br /> The four major cities or regions of Afghanistan [&hellip;] are located in the specific areas where they&rsquo;re found because the Hindu Kush dominates the central part of the country.</p> <p>The important thing about mountains to realize is that the people who live there may be isolated politically and economically but because they lie in a transit region what we find is that they are exposed to new ideas, to trade, to political connections that in other parts of the world they might not encounter. And this is not because the regions themselves are particularly important but because the routes through them are particularly important.<br /> So [&hellip;] particularly through Central Afghanistan and Bamyan or in the Pamirs what we found is Silk Route caravans of quite ancient date passing through these territories bringing very, very high valuable goods.</p> <p>Not because they were going to necessarily sell them there. They weren&rsquo;t. But as long as they&rsquo;re passing through these people are bringing money, they&rsquo;re bringing ideas, they&rsquo;re bringing news.</p> <p>For example, the famous Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan - which has been the path of migrations, trade, and armies for centuries - remains an important route through the region even today.Although the land of Afghanistan can be harsh &ndash; for farmers, herders, travelers, and conquerors alike &ndash; in many ways Afghanistan is in a fortuitous location.</p> <p>If we look at a map of Afghanistan one of the things that&rsquo;s most striking about the country is the central mountain region which consists of quite a number of mountain ranges. But the predominant one is the Hindu Kush.</p> <p>And it really sets the parameters for Afghanistan because the snowfall, the snow pack, of the Hindu Kush is what provides irrigation water and river water and sets the geographical parameters of the country.</p> <p>Most of the trade routes went through Afghanistan. That&rsquo;s what made it important rather than any specific item derived from Afghanistan [&hellip;]<br /> The trade routes in Afghanistan were based in part on topography [...] but it&rsquo;s also based upon water. The rivers of Afghanistan were the locations of the major oases, and towns, and settlements, and many trade routes would follow that pattern of rivers.</p> <p>The four major cities or regions of Afghanistan [&hellip;] are located in the specific areas where they&rsquo;re found because the Hindu Kush dominates the central part of the country.</p> <p>The important thing about mountains to realize is that the people who live there may be isolated politically and economically but because they lie in a transit region what we find is that they are exposed to new ideas, to trade, to political connections that in other parts of the world they might not encounter. And this is not because the regions themselves are particularly important but because the routes through them are particularly important.<br /> So [&hellip;] particularly through Central Afghanistan and Bamyan or in the Pamirs what we found is Silk Route caravans of quite ancient date passing through these territories bringing very, very high valuable goods.</p> <p>Not because they were going to necessarily sell them there. They weren&rsquo;t. But as long as they&rsquo;re passing through these people are bringing money, they&rsquo;re bringing ideas, they&rsquo;re bringing news.</p> <p>For example, the famous Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan - which has been the path of migrations, trade, and armies for centuries - remains an important route through the region even today.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>