Ghazni Province

Ghazni (Pashto: غزني) (Persian: غزنی) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Babur records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City. The province lies on the important Kabul to Kandahar road, and has historically functioned as an important trade center between those two major cities.

History

Buddhism and Indian Influence

Ghazni was a thriving Buddhist center before and during the 7th century AD. Excavations have revealed religious artifacts of both Hindu and Buddhist traditions .

The two other great Buddhist centers , Fondukistan and Tepe-e-sardar (Ghazni) in its later phase are a very different matter and display another phase of influences coming from India from the seventh to eighth century . The representations show themes from Mahayana iconography and even in the case of the latter site assume Tantric aspects which had already established themselves in the large Indian monasteries like Nalanda.

Another important site is that of Tepe Sardar (better known as Tepe-yi Nagara .Tepe of the kettledrum )near Ghazni , which was occupied until perhaps the eighth century AD.From this period dates a huge statue of the Parinirvana Buddha (Buddha lying down at the end of his cycle of rebirths ) of unbaked clay . A very similar statue has been found just north of Afghanistan ,at the site of Adzhina tepe in Tajikistan , Yet what is most interesting , was the find at the same site of a statue of the Hindu deity Durga Mahishasura-mardini

In 644 AD, the Chinese pilgrim Hsüan-tsang visited Jaguda, Ghazni, while travelling from the country of Varnu, crossing the land of O-po-kien (Afghans i.e. Pashtuns).

Advent of Islam

In 683 AD, Arab armies brought Islam to the area and attempted to conquer the capital of Ghazni but the local tribes fiercely resisted. Its resistance was so famed that Yaqub Saffari (840-879) from Zaranj made an example of Ghazni when he ranged the vast region conquering in the name of Islam. The city was completely destroyed by the Saffarids in 869. A substantial portion of the local population including Hindus and Buddhists were converted to Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni

The minaret of Ghazni, built by Bahram Shah during the Ghaznavid Empire.

After the rebuilding of the city by Yaqub’s brother, it became the dazzling capital of the Ghaznavid Empire from 994 to 1160, encompassing much of northern India, Persia and Central Asia. Many iconoclastic campaigns were launched from Ghazni into India. The Ghaznavids took Islam to India and returned with fabulous riches taken from both prince and temple god. Contemporary visitors and residents at Ghazni write with wonder of the ornateness of the buildings, the great libraries, the sumptuousness of the court ceremonies and of the wealth of precious objects owned by Ghazni’s citizens.

Attack by Mahomed Ghori

The historian Ferishta records attacks by Mahomed Ghori: "at the same time most of the infidels who inhabited the mountains between Ghazni and the Indus were also converted , some by force and others by persuasion." Ghazni's eponymous capital was razed in 1151 by the Ghorid Alauddin. It again flourished but only to be permanently devastated, this time in 1221 by Genghis Khan and his Mongol armies after 6 years of Khwarezmid rule. Ghazni’s strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival, albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Through the centuries the city figures prominently as the all important key to the possession of Kabul.

Ghazni is also famous for its minarets built on a stellar plan. They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving element of the mosque of Bahramshah. Their sides are decorated with geometric patterns. Upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed. The most important mausoleum located in Ghazni is that of Sultan Mahmud's. Others include the tombs of poets and scientists, for example Al Biruni and Sanayee. The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m (140 ft) high and some 365 m (1,200 ft) apart. According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by Mahmud of Ghazni and his son.

Preservation of historical artifacts

During the First Anglo-Afghan War, the Ghazni's capital city was stormed and taken over by the British forces on July 23, 1839 in the Battle of Ghazni. The Afghan Civil War and the continued conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan Northern Alliance during the 1990s put the relics of Ghazni in jeopardy. The Taliban placed Fazl Uddin in charge of protecting the artifacts. In the 1960s a 15-meter female Buddha was discovered lying on its back and surrounded by empty pillars that once held rows of smaller male Buddhas. Parts of the female Buddha have been stolen. In the 1980s a mud brick shelter was created to protect the sculpture, but the wood supports were stolen for firewood and the shelter partially collapsed.

Political and security situation

Polish forces in Rashidan district during "Operation Passage", 2009

Like many southern Afghan provinces, Ghazni has a precarious security situation. The Taliban are reported to control most of the rural areas outside of the capital [4], and are heavily involved in attacks on provincial schools and government infrastructure. The province has avoided the outright warfare seen in other areas of Afghanistan such as Helmand Province and Kandahar Province, but that is due more to political expediency and the tactical plans of the NATO ISAF force than the existence of a stable security situation in the province. Ex-Governor Taj Mohammad was killed by terrorists in 2006 after being appointed police chief of the province with a mandate to quell the power of the Taliban. On the same day there was an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the governor at the time, Sher Alam Ibrahimi [5]. There is a Polish and American Provincial Reconstruction Team base located in Ghazni City.

Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, there has been a Provincial reconstruction base and a Nato forces base. These western forces (mostly Polish Armed Forces) are hunting Taliban militants and al-Qaida, who are still active in the area causing deaths to Afghan government employees and local civilian population of the province as well. Ghazni has seen a steady increase in violence. NATO and Afghan forces fight regularly with insurgents in the area, but there has not been a push to roll back their gains comparable to efforts in the southern Taliban heartlands of Kandahar and Helmand.

• In late April 2007, news agencies reported that Taliban fighters had taken control of Giro District in the province. The Taliban reportedly killed the district administrator, chief of police (who had been on the job for only one month) and three police officers. The Taliban withdrew from the district center one day later.

• In July 2007, 23 South Korean volunteers were kidnapped in the Ghazni province by the Taliban. Two of them were killed and their bodies were dumped in various places. As of August 1, security force was planned to be deployed to secure the release of those kidnapped.

• On September 28, 2010, the Deputy Governor of Ghazni and five others were killed after a suicide bomber on a motorized rickshaw attacked their vehicle. Deputy Governor Mohammad Kazim Allahyar and several men travelling with him were killed instantly when the attacker detonated his explosives at the back of their car near the airport in Ghazni City. The bodies were so badly burnt that there was some confusion about the identity of the other victims. Provincial police chief Delawar Zahid reported Allahyar's son, nephew and driver died, along with two civilians passing by on a bicycle. [6]

Natural Disasters

In recent years, Ghazni has been beset by droughts, heavy snow, and flooding, all at different times . During the periods of drought, many parts of the province, especially Ghazni City, saw heavy building in the flood plains of the province's rivers. Flooding caused by heavy rain and snow in recent years have taken heavy tolls in property in lives in these newly constructed areas .

Natural Resources

Recent geologic surveys have indicated Ghazni may have one of the world's richest deposits of lithium. Together with other newly (2010) discovered mineral deposits, the total value of Afghanistan's mineral wealth may exceed $1Trillion US.

Government

Governors

Further information: List of governors of Ghazni

The current Governor of the province is Musa Khan.

Demographics and geography

Because there has been no confirmed statistics, one cannot be completely sure about the ethinic distribution in Ghazni. But It is Confirmed that more than 60% of area of Ghazni is Hazara dominated and the rest are majority Pashtoons and Tajiks. The Hazara dominated districs are Nawur, Arjistan, Jaghatu, Malistan, Jaghori, Behrami Shaheed, Qarabagh and Ghazni. And the Pashtoon majority districts are Nawa, Gelan, Muqur, Ab Band, Giro, Andar, Dih Yak and Zana Khan. Although Muqur is a Pashtoon dominated district, It has 30-35% Hazara population. Same is the case with Ghazni District where Hazaras are in majority but the Pastoons contribute 30% of the population.

See also

• Ghazni (city)
• Sangar (town)

External links

• FONDUKISTAN images from Kabul Museum
• Buddhism and Its Spread Along the Silk Road
• Afghanistan Gold Treasures –National Geographic
• Historical Sketch of Buddhism and Islam in Afghanistan

Archaeology

• The Buddhist Cave complex at Homay Qala , South Asian archaeology 1975: papers from the third International Conference ...Page 119 By Johanna Engelberta Lohuizen-De Leeuw