One book on afghan history that everyone must have?

[AfghanResistance]

If you could recommend just one book that is based on Afghan history, is clear and yet detailed what would it be?

This post will give people like me an opportunity to go out and buy a book that is worth investing in, as well as worth keeping and adding to my collection.

dera manana

[Digital Malang]

Afghan history is the longest history in the history of the world so it is impossible to put all the history in one history book. :{D

[AfghanResistance]

Afghan history is the longest history in the history of the world so it is impossible to put all the history in one history book. :{D

I wouldn't class it as the longest of all histories. The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans have a longer history, including many others because they kept records and diaries. Afghans only started doing that very late.

Anyway recommend a few books that are worth investing, if choosing one book is very difficult.

thanks

[Catya Sher]

I always believed that Louis Dupree's Afghanistan
was the best available in English.

Does anyone have disagreement with that?

He really was a true expert.

[graveyardofempires]

^
there arent many trusted sources on Afghanistan especially the external sources.
starting from the greeks and persians.
there are some credible sources on Afghanistan ,islamic sources and Afghan sources.

[یاسمینه]

It's impossible to reduce the history of Aghanistan to one book only. Besides, it is impossible to understand the history of Afghanistan per se, without the knowledge of the history of religion, Zoroastrianism, Mahayana Buddhism, Sufism and Islam as well as history of art like Gandhara art etc.

I would recommend the following books:

The Travels of Marco Polo
The Histories by Herodotus
Afghanistan by L.Dupree
The Pathans by O.Caroe
Die etnischen Gruppen Afghanistans by E.Orywal
Modern Afghanistan. A History of Struggle and Survival by A.Saikal
History of Pashtun Migrations 1775-2006 by R.Nichols
The Battle for Afghanistan by M.Yousaf and M. Adkin
Some Major Pukhtoon Tribes along the Pakistan-Afghaninsta Border by S.Iftikhar
Pathans of the Latter Day by J.Spain
The Afghanistan Wars by W.Maley
The Fragmentation of Afghanistan by B. Rubin
The Bear Trap by M.Yousaf and M. Adkin
Cabool by A.Burns (available on www.openlibrary.org)
Through the Heart of Asia: Over the Pamïr to India by G. Bonvalot (available on www.openlibrary.org)
Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices by M.Boyce
Khurasan and Sistan by Ch. Yate (www.openlibrary.org)
The Kafirs of the Hindu-Kush by G.Robertson (www.openlibrary.org)

[graveyardofempires]

It's impossible to reduce the history of Aghanistan to one book only. Besides, it is impossible to understand the history of Afghanistan per se, without the knowledge of the history of religion, Zoroastrianism, Mahayana Buddhism, Sufism and Islam as well as history of art like Gandhara art etc.

I would recommend the following books:

The Travels of Marco Polo
The Histories by Herodotus
Afghanistan by L.Dupree
The Pathans by O.Caroe
Die etnischen Gruppen Afghanistans by E.Orywal
Modern Afghanistan. A History of Struggle and Survival by A.Saikal
History of Pashtun Migrations 1775-2006 by R.Nichols
The Battle for Afghanistan by M.Yousaf and M. Adkin
Some Major Pukhtoon Tribes along the Pakistan-Afghaninsta Border by S.Iftikhar
Pathans of the Latter Day by J.Spain
The Afghanistan Wars by W.Maley
The Fragmentation of Afghanistan by B. Rubin
The Bear Trap by M.Yousaf and M. Adkin
Cabool by A.Burns (available on www.openlibrary.org)
Through the Heart of Asia: Over the Pamïr to India by G. Bonvalot (available on www.openlibrary.org)
Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices by M.Boyce
Khurasan and Sistan by Ch. Yate (www.openlibrary.org)
The Kafirs of the Hindu-Kush by G.Robertson (www.openlibrary.org)

you forgot the releveant sources

[یاسمینه]

what do you mean by "relevant sources"?

[graveyardofempires]

^
those mentioned above are all foreign sources.

you forgot to mention the Islamic and Afghan sources.

[یاسمینه]

I can't recommend books I haven't read. Maybe in future, when my Pashto is good enough, I could add books written in Pashto or Arabic.

Please treat the list as my own choice of good books about Afghanistan.

[AfghanResistance]

^
those mentioned above are all foreign sources.

you forgot to mention the Islamic and Afghan sources.

salam brother. can you name some books that do have reliable sources to the benefit of all of us.

dera manana