Laghman, Afghanistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Laghman Province)
Jump to: navigation, search
Laghman
لغمان شریف
—  Province  —
The location of Laghman Province within Afghanistan
Coordinates: 34°40′N 70°12′E / 34.66°N 70.20°E / 34.66; 70.20Coordinates: 34°40′N 70°12′E / 34.66°N 70.20°E / 34.66; 70.20
Country  Afghanistan
Capital Mihtarlam
Area
 • Total 3,843 km2 (1,484 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Total 424,100 [1]
Time zone UTC+4:30
Main languages Pashto, Persian

Laghman (Pashto/Persian: لغمان), also known as Lamghan or Lamghanat in earlier Muslim texts, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern portion of Afghanistan, its capital is Mihtarlam.

Contents

History [edit]

Early History [edit]

Located currently at the Kabul Museum are Aramaic inscriptions that were found in Laghman which indicated an ancient trade route from India to Palmyra.[3] Aramaic was the bureaucratic script language of the Achaemenids whose influence had extended toward Laghman.[4]

During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka.[5]

Illustration of Xuan Zang who traveled to Laghman

Early accounts [edit]

Inscriptions in Aramaic dating from the Mauryan Dynasty were found in Laghman which discussed the conversion of Ashoka to Buddhism.[6]

In the seventh century, a Chinese pilgrim Xuan Zang visited Laghman, which he called "Lan-p'o" and considered part of India. He indicated the presence of Mahayana Buddhists and numerous Hindus:

“ For several centuries the native dynasty had ceased to exist, great families fought for preeminence, and the state had recently become a dependency of Kapis. The country produced upland rice and sugar-cane, and it had much wood but little fruit; the climate was mild with little frost and no snow. [...] There were above ten Buddhist monasteries and a few Brethren the most of whom were Mahayanists. The Hindoos had a score or two of temples and they were very numerous. ”
 
— Xuan Zang's Records of Western Lands of the Great T'ang period, translation by Thomas Watters, 1904[7]

Islam [edit]

By the tenth century, Laghman was still part of Indian cultural and religious world. Hudud al-'alam which was finished in 982 specifically mentioned the presence of idol temples there.[8] According to Muslim historian Al Utbi, the region was converted to Islam towards the end of the tenth century by the Ghaznavids, led by Abu Mansur Sebük Tigin:[9]

“ The Amir marched out towards Lamghan, which is a city celebrated for its great strength and abounding in wealth. He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property. On the completion of his conquest he returned and promulgated accounts of the victories obtained for Islam, and every one, great and small, concurred in rejoicing over this result and thanking God. ”
 
— Al Utbi, Tarikh Yamini

Sebük Tigin then won one of his greatest battles in Laghman against the Hindu Shahis whose ruler, Jayapala, had amassed an army for the battle that numbered 100,000.[10]

During the early years of the 16th century, the Moghul prince Babur spent much time in Laghman, and in Babur-nama (Book of Babur) he expatiated on the beauty of forested hillsides and the fertility of the valley bottoms of the region.[8] Laghman was recognized as a dependent district of Kabul province in the Mughal era,[11] and according to Babur-nama, "Greater Lamghanat" included the Muslim-settled part of the Kafiristan, including the easterly one of Kunar River. Laghman was the base for expeditions against the non-believers and was frequently mentioned in accounts of jihads led by Mughal emperor Akbar's younger brother, Mohammad Hakim, who was the governor of Kabul.[8]

Modern era [edit]

During the Soviet-Afghan war and the battles that followed between the rivaling warlords, many homes and business establishments in the province were destroyed. In addition, the Soviets employed a "barbarism" strategy that targeted and destroyed the agricultural infrastructure of Laghman.[12]

As of 2007, an International Security Assistance Force Provincial Reconstruction Team led by the United States is based at Mehtar Lam.

Economy [edit]

Spodumene gemstones like these are often found in various areas within Laghman

The Alingar and Alinshang rivers pass through Laghman, as the province is known for its lushness. Laghman has sizable amounts of irrigated land as one can find scores of fruits and vegetables from Laghman in Kabul, notably cucumbers. Other main crops in Laghman include rice, wheat and cotton as many people living in the area are involved in agricultural trade and business.

Laghman also has an array of precious stones and minerals,[13] as it is well known for being a relatively untapped source of the Tourmaline and Spodumene gemstones which are reported to be in abundance at the northern portions of the province.[14]

Demography [edit]

Pashtun represent 51.3% of the ethnic groups of Laghman Province whilst the Tajiks are 21.7 and Nuristani and Pashais form the 27 of the Laghman Province.[15]

Districts [edit]

[icon] This section requires expansion. (March 2009)
Laghman districts.png
Districts of Laghman Province
District Capital Population Area[16] Notes
Alingar 89,716
Alishing 68,153
Dawlat Shah 40,887
Mihtarlam 112,856
Qarghayi 70,688
Baad Pukh New District

Notable people [edit]

Singers and poets [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://cso.gov.af/Content/files/Laghman(1).pdf
  2. ^ http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/Provincial%20Profiles/Laghman%20PDP%20Provincial%20profile.pdf
  3. ^ Cultural policy in Afghanistan; Studies and documents on cultural policies; 1975
  4. ^ Asoka, Mauryan emperor of India (ca. 272-231 B.C.)
  5. ^ The Aramaic Inscription of Asoka Found in Lampāka
  6. ^ Kurt A. Behrend. Handbuch Der Orientalistik: India. The Buddhist Architecture of Gandhara, Part 2, Volume 1. p. 39. 
  7. ^ Thomas Watters (1904). On Yuan Chwang's travels in India, 629-645 A.D. Royal Asiatic Society. 
  8. ^ a b c Annemarie Schimmel. "Islam in India and Pakistan". In CE Bosworth, E van Donzel, B Lewis, Ch. Pellet. The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Volume V. p. 649. ISBN 90-04-07819-3. 
  9. ^ Sir H. M. Elliot (1869). "Chapter II, Tarikh Yamini or Kitabu-l Yamini by Al Utbi". The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period. Trubner and Co. p. 22. 
  10. ^ The History of India: The Hindu and Mahometan Periods, Mountstuart Elphinstone, pg 321
  11. ^ The Garden of Eight Paradises: Babur and the Culture of Central Asia, Afghanistan
  12. ^ How the Weak Win Wars: A Theory of Asymmetric Conflict, Arreguin-Toft, pg. 186
  13. ^ Pegmatites of Laghman, Nuristan, Afghanistan
  14. ^ Gemstones of Afghanistan, Chamberline, pg. 146
  15. ^ http://www.nps.edu/programs/ccs/Docs/Executive%20Summaries/Laghman_Exec_Summary1.pdf.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ Laghman Provincial profile MRRD

External links [edit]

 Panjshir Province Nuristan Province
Kapisa Province Kunar Province
  Laghman Province  
Kabul Province Nangarhar Province
Flag of Afghanistan
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laghman,_Afghanistan&oldid=552614321"