The Afghans

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.

Willem Vogelsang studied ancient Indian and Iranian languages and cultures at Leiden University in The Netherlands. He is currently Executive Secretary of the Research School of Asian, African and Amerindian Studies at Leiden University and curator for Southwest and Central Asia for the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden. He has worked at various excavations in Syria and Afghanistan, and travelled throughout Afghanistan as a freelance journalist reporting on the Soviet occupation.