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XHis Excellency Hamid Karzai

Message from His Excellency Hamid Karzai
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful

Few lands are as beautiful or as rich in tradition as Afghanistan. It has played host to some of the most famous names in world history: Alexander the Great, Ghangis Khan, Tamerlane, and the Emperor Babur. It was, in former times, a meeting point of East and West, the home of the greatest Kingdoms of the silk road, legendary for their wealth and their culture; later, it became the cradle of some of the most magnificent cities of Islamic civilisation, celebrated for their arts and architecture, philosophers and poets.

With the help of the international community, Afghanistan is emerging from the shadows of the last twenty years, and retaking its place as a member of the fellowship of nations. As peace returns with the establishment of democracy and the rule of law, visitors are beginning to re-discover the wonders of Afghanistan. Travellers are now returning to see the snow-capped mountains and fertile valleys of the Hindu Kush; the northern plains, the Amu Darya (Oxus) and Balkh, ‘Mother of all cities’; the wondrous scenery, the rivers and glaciers of the Wakhan Corridor and the ‘Roof of the World’. Others may come to see the Burial Gardens in Kabul of the Emperor Babur, or the Kabul Museum, which has survived with many of its wondrous treasures intact.

Whether you wish to learn more about the history, society and culture of Afghanistan, or if you intend to travel here as a visitor, you will find in this book a full introduction to Afghanistan’s natural beauty, rich heritage and cultural diversity, along with the practical information which a traveller might require.

I hope we will soon have the pleasure of welcoming you to Afghanistan; I can promise that the Afghan people will receive you with the heartfelt hospitality for which they have always been renowned.