Table Of ContentThe historical dictionaries present essential information on a broad range of sub-
jects, including American and world history, art, business, cities, countries, cultures,
customs, film, global conflicts, international relations, literature, music, philosophy,
religion, sports, and theater. Written by experts, all contain highly informative intro-
ductory essays on the topic and detailed chronologies that, in some cases, cover vast
historical time periods but still manage to heavily feature more recent events.
Brief A–Z entries describe the main people, events, politics, social issues, institu-
tions, and policies that make the topic unique, and entries are cross-referenced for
ease of browsing. Extensive bibliographies are divided into several general subject
areas, providing excellent access points for students, researchers, and anyone want-
ing to know more. Additionally, maps, photographs, and appendixes of supplemental
information aid high school and college students doing term papers or introductory
research projects. In short, the historical dictionaries are the perfect starting point for
anyone looking to research in these fields.
HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF ASIA, OCEANIA, AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Jon Woronoff, Series Editor
Guam and Micronesia, by William Wuerch and Dirk Ballendorf. 1994.
Palestine, by Nafez Y. Nazzal and Laila A. Nazzal. 1997.
Lebanon, by As’ad AbuKhalil. 1998.
Azerbaijan, by Tadeusz Swietochowski and Brian C. Collins. 1999.
Papua New Guinea, Second Edition, by Ann Turner. 2001.
Cambodia, by Justin Corfield and Laura Summers. 2003.
Kyrgyzstan, by Rafis Abazov. 2004.
Turkmenistan, by Rafis Abazov. 2005.
Vietnam, Third Edition, by Bruce Lockhart and William J. Duiker. 2006.
India, Second Edition, by Surjit Mansingh. 2006.
Hong Kong SAR and the Macao SAR, by Ming K. Chan and Shiu-hing Lo. 2006.
Pakistan, Third Edition, by Shahid Javed Burki. 2006.
Iran, Second Edition, by John H. Lorentz. 2007.
Gulf Arab States, Second Edition, by Malcolm C. Peck. 2008.
Laos, Third Edition, by Martin Stuart-Fox. 2008.
Brunei Darussalam, Second Edition, by Jatswan S. Sidhu. 2010.
Mongolia, Third Edition, by Alan J. K. Sanders. 2010.
Bangladesh, Fourth Edition, by Syedur Rahman. 2010.
Polynesia, Third Edition, by Robert D. Craig. 2011.
Singapore, New Edition, by Justin Corfield. 2011.
East Timor, by Geoffrey C. Gunn. 2011.
Postwar Japan, by William D. Hoover. 2011.
Philippines, Third Edition, by Artemio R. Guillermo. 2012.
Kazakhstan, by Didar Kassymova, Zhanat Kundakbayeva, and Ustina Markus. 2012.
Thailand, Third Edition, by Gerald W. Fry, Gayla S. Nieminen, and Harold E. Smith. 2013.
Science and Technology in Modern China by Lawrence R. Sullivan and Nancy Y. Liu. 2014.
Taiwan (Republic of China), Fourth Edition, by John F. Copper. 2014.
Australia, Fourth Edition, by Norman Abjorensen and James C. Docherty. 2015.
Indonesia, Third Edition, by Audrey Kahin. 2015.
Fiji, by Brij V. Lal. 2016.
People’s Republic of China, Third Edition, by Lawrence R. Sullivan. 2016.
Israel, Third Edition, by Bernard Reich and David H. Goldberg. 2016.
New Zealand, Third Edition, by Janine Hayward and Richard Shaw. 2016.
Nepal, Second Edition, by Nanda R. Shrestha and Keshav Bhattarai. 2017.
Burma (Myanmar), Second Edition, by Donald M. Seekins. 2017.
Yemen, Third Edition, by Charles Schmitz and Robert D. Burrowes. 2017.
Chinese Economy, by Lawrence R. Sullivan. 2018.
Malaysia, Second Edition, by Ooi Keat Gin. 2018.
Tajikistan, Third Edition, by Kamoludin Abdullaev. 2018.
Postwar Japan, Second Edition, by William D. Hoover. 2019.
Iraq, Third Edition, by Beth K. Dougherty. 2019.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Second Edition, by James E. Hoare. 2019.
Chinese Environment, by Lawrence R. Sullivan and Nancy Y. Liu, 2019.
Saudi Arabia, Third Edition, by J. E. Peterson. 2019.
Republic of Korea, Fourth Edition, by James E. Hoare. 2020.
Tibet, Second Edition, by John Powers and David Templeman. 2020.
Chinese Culture, by Lawrence R. Sullivan, 2020.
Syria, Fourth Edition, by Omar Imady, David Commins and David W. Lesch. 2020.
Afghanistan, Fifth Edition, by Thomas H. Johnson and Ludwig W. Adamec. 2021.
Historical Dictionary
of Afghanistan
Fifth Edition
Thomas H. Johnson and Ludwig W. Adamec
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Published by Rowman & Littlefield
An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowman.com
6 Tinworth Street, London, SE11 5AL, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2021 by Thomas H. Johnson and Ludwig W. Adamec
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Johnson, Thomas H., author. | Adamec, Ludwig W., 1924– author.
Title: Historical dictionary of Afghanistan / Thomas H. Johnson and Ludwig
W. Adamec.
Description: Fifth edition. | Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2021. |
Series: Historical dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East |
Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: “Historical Dictionary
of Afghanistan, Fifth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction,
and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than
1,000 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as
aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion,
and culture”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020049965 (print) | LCCN 2020049966 (ebook) | ISBN
9781538149287 (hardback) | ISBN 9781538149294 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Afghanistan—History—Dictionaries.
Classification: LCC DS356 .A27 2021 (print) | LCC DS356 (ebook) | DDC
958.1003—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020049965
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020049966
™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Thomas H. Johnson dedicates this book to the memory of his beloved sister Chris,
his wonderful sister Linda, his loving daughter Courtney, and precious granddaughter
Helen
Contents
Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff vii
Preface Thomas Johnson xi
Reader’s Notes xiii
Acronyms and Abbreviations xv
Chronology xix
Introduction 1
THE DICTIONARY 15
Appendixes
1. Major Sections of the Durand Agreement and the Legal Case for the
Durand Line 535
2. Taliban Codex, Book of Rules for the Mujahedin (Layeha) 543
3. Political Parties Law 545
4. Licensed Political Parties 551
5. Durrani Genealogy 559
6. Bonn Accords 561
7. Fatwas from Pashtun Perspectives 571
8. US–Taliban Peace Agreement 575
9. Shajara of the Pashtun and Pashtun Major Tribes and Clans 579
Bibliography 581
About the Authors 655
vii
Editor’s Foreword
Few countries have appeared in the history books, and also the newspapers and televi-
sion broadcasts, quite as much as Afghanistan. A small and remote place, it has the
misfortune of being situated in what is called, for lack of a better word, a “strategic”
geographical location. The result has been that the area and then state has been fo-
cused on by, among others, the British Empire, Russia and the Soviet Union, and the
United States, and due to this has been drawn into broader conflicts involving these
countries and also, perhaps more mildly, the United Nations. This circumstance was
paralleled in many cases by domestic quarrels among different ethno-linguisitc groups
and tribal regions, which made it easier for foreign interlopers to intervene and more
difficult for Afghans to sort out their own differences.
That may explain why so much has been written about this small and remote place,
as readers can see in the bibliography, and also why it is justified to come out with a
fifth edition when most other countries of the same size but lesser significance lan-
guish with two or three. For there is a lot to say, as can be seen in the chronology,
about its constantly shifting alliances domestically and the interventions of ousiders,
and the situation is so complex and complicated that there is also a lot for the ever
growing dictionary section to explain in greater detail. It is here that readers can find
the crucial facts on persons, places, events, institutions, and the never-ending conflicts
and wars. This is complemented by several very useful appendixes.
The first four editions of this Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan were written by
Ludwig W. Adamec, one of the pioneers of academic study of Afghanistan, who has
since passed away. But he was extremely active for several decades as professor of
Middle Eastern studies at the University of Arizona and director of its Near Eastern
Center. Along with the historical dictionaries on Afghanistan, he wrote and edited
numerous articles and books on the country, including also the historical dictionaries
on Afghan wars and on Islam. We were fortunate to find as his successor Thomas H.
Johnson of the Naval Postgraduate School, who has long conducted field research
and published on Afghanistan. In 2008–2009, Professor Johnson was seconded to the
commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan to serve as his senior political officer.
Johnson is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Afghanistan Institute for Strategic
Studies (Kabul and Herat). Among honors and awards he has received is the Charles
E. Merriam Award for Outstanding Public Policy Research.
Jon Woronoff
Series Editor
ix
