Amanullah Khan’s visit to Italy: a study of the context, the impact and the events of the afghan sovereign’s visit in January of 1928.
Foreword: Amannulah Khan was the 13th Emir and first king of Afghanistan . A deeply controversial monarch (both in life and in death ), Amanullah Khan was both loved by some for his liberal tendencies and commitment to Afghani Independence; and despised by others for his opposition to political Islam, and consequent disregard for the traditional rights and privileges, of Afghanistan’s tribal, military, and clerical elites . Abroad, he and his wife Soraya were most famous for undertaking the first ever foreign trip for an Afghan royal couple. A three-month long journey, which took the king and his wife, through
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The trip included a visit to fourteen countries and a great many cities, factories, and ports. In most countries, the royals met with important political leaders, and had access to leading industrialists, businessmen and financiers . The sheer number of these important interactions, and the intricacies surrounding the personal and political relationships between the Afghan entourage and each individual nation state, makes an individual analyses of each, both impractical and well beyond the scope of this work. Instead this essay will focus on just one, out of the fourteen visits undertaken by King Amanullah and his companions; that is the group’s visit to Fascist Italy, in January of 1928. The decision to focus on Italy and only Italy was based on four main reasons: first and foremost it was Italy that provided the practical basis for trip, it was the Italian Government, which officially invited Amanullah and his entourage to visit Italy , this was the excuse, around which the whole trip was organized. Secondly, the Italo-Afghan relationship was longstanding, well developed and important to both sides: Italy was the first country to recognize an independent Afghanistan, and a long-time provider of diplomatic and technical support . The importance of this relationship to the Afghan side was symbolized by the special dispensation, granted to the Italian …show more content…
In Particular, the monarch was keen to develop relationships, with foreigners willing and able to support the development of his country . The overriding reason for the journey was political, though Afghanistan had been recognized as an independent nation with the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, the British through their presence in India, constantly attempted to keep the country in semi-colonial status. This was done by trying to limit foreign government presence in Afghanistan, and by attempting to force countries wishing to deal with Afghanistan, to go through London . The British Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, directly noted that through Afghanistan was nominally independent; it was “in our sphere of influence”. By journeying abroad, and personally visiting the most important capitals of Europe and the Middle East, King Amanullah wished to affirm his independence in front of the world, and foil Britain’s attempts to limit Afghanistan’s foreign relations . The second reason why Amanullah Khan, chose to accept Italy’s invitation abroad was to try and attract foreign investment and expertise into Afghanistan. The young monarch was keenly aware of
The Rugmaker of Mazar-E-Sharif Conflict by Najaf Mazari and Robert Tillman is a novel about Najaf's memoir of having to live with conflict and of enduring its in-depth consequences. Melbourne-based fiction writer and biographer Robert Hillman helps Najaf tell his story and also the representation of the author in the novel. Hillman's collaboration with Najaf on The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif continues Zar-e-Sharif his literary preoccupation with the hardships and triumphs of ordinary people caught up in war and political unrest. The background of the book depicts Najaf's homeland that has a long history of violent and bitter armed conflict that spans centuries. This is partly due to the region's geography. As Najaf says, 'just look at the location of Afghanistan on a map of Asia and the Middle East, with neighbors' and near-neighbors' like Russia, Pakistan and Iran' (p.34). The area has enormous geographical and strategic significance. Foreign powers, from the ancient Macedonians through to the colonial British and communist Russians, have striven to secure territory or allies there, with little regard for the desires of the local people. This essay will give us an analysis of The Rugmaker of Mazar-E-Sharif's characters Najaf Mazari, and Gorg Aliant plus the plot of the book. The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif traces an Afghani refugee's extraordinary journey from his early life as a shepherd boy in the mountains of Northern
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“’Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our wantan. They dirty our blood….
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