Muslim conquests of Afghanistan in the context of "History of Afghanistan"

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 40 and 50 million.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires, the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led coalition. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. Because of the various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres, the area was a center for Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani Afghan Empire in the 18th century, although Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first modern Afghan state. Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War; the Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926. This monarchy lasted almost half a century, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, following which the Republic of Afghanistan was established.

Qais Abdur Rashīd or Qais Abdul Rasheed (Pashto: قيس عبد الرشيد) is said to be, in post-Islamic lore, the legendary founding father of the Pashtuns. It is believed that the conception of such a figure was promoted to bring harmony between religious and ethnic identities post-Arabic influence over the region. Qais Abdur Rashid is said to have traveled to Mecca and Medina in Arabia during the early days of Islam and converted. But contrary to this legend, Islam spread through Afghanistan over a period of time.

War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:

• Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC–327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire
• Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries
• Mongol campaigns in Central Asia (1216–1222), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire
• Mughal conquests in Afghanistan (1526), the conquest by the Mughal Empire
• Afghan-Sikh Wars (1748–1837), intermittent wars between the Afghans and the Punjabis.
• Afghan Civil War (1863–1869), a civil war between Sher Ali Khan and Mohammad Afzal Khan's faction after the death of Dost Mohammad Khan
• Panjdeh incident (1885), an incursion into Afghanistan by the Russian Empire during the era of the "Great Game"
• Anglo−Afghan Wars, wars conducted by British India in Afghanistan 1839–1919)
  • First Anglo−Afghan War (1839–1842)
  • Second Anglo−Afghan War (1878–1880)
  • Third Anglo−Afghan War (1919)
• Afghan Civil War (1928–1929), revolts by the Shinwari and the Saqqawists; the Saqqawists take over Kabul for a 9-month period
• Red Army intervention in Afghanistan (1929), an invasion by the Soviet Union against the Saqqawists in support of the royalists
• Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes (1947–present)
  • Bajaur Campaign (1960–1961)
• Afghan conflict
• 1973 Afghan coup d'état
• 1975 Panjshir Valley uprising
• Afghan coup d'état (1976)
• Saur Revolution (1978)
• Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989)
• Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
• Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
• Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
• War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
  • Taliban insurgency
• Islamic State–Taliban conflict (2015–present)
• Republican insurgency in Afghanistan (2021–present)
• Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes (1947–present)
  • Afghanistan–Pakistan clashes (2024–present)
    • 2025 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 40 and 50 million.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires, the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led coalition. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires. Because of the various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres, the area was a center for Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani Empire in the 18th century under Ahmad Shah Durrani, although Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first modern Afghan state. Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War; the Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926. This monarchy lasted almost half a century, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, following which the Republic of Afghanistan was established.