Template talk:History of Afghanistan

message: Beh-nam deleted the Hotaki dynasty from this template saying: "History of Afghanistan starts with the Durrani empire, not the short Hotaki dynasty."
:I disagree. The Hotaki dynasty was short, 1709-1738, but it was the first local rule that the Pashtuns had had, and showed their strong desire to cast off Persian rule. --Bejnar 16:53, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: So far as I can see Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan and Islamic conquest of Afghanistan haven't been deleted. Raoulduke47 17:43, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I was mistaken, you are correct, they have been moved up above the line. --Bejnar 18:30, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

text: If you insert the Hotaki rule then you will have to include the following Afsharid rule as well, that is the problem. --Behnam 16:17, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

text: No you won't. See article History of Afghanistan. --Bejnar 21:25, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Then that article is missing the Afsharid rule in betweenthe Hotaki and Durrani and will also have to be fixed. -- Behnam 21:46, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

text: We have already covered this extensively, the History of Iran is not just about the time periods where Persia was called Iran.  It is about the land area that now is covered by Persia.  The History of India is not just since the British arrived, it is the history of the land area that now is covered by India.  Similarly, the History of Afghanistan has little to do with the use of the name, it is the history of the land area that now is covered by Afghanistan.  Why is that so hard to grasp?  Why do you think that so many of the history articles start out with Pre-historic sections? That is before writing, and in most cases the people who gave the land its current English name had not yet invaded. --Bejnar 14:51, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

text: Is there an article about them?  --Bejnar 22:09, 5 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text:  Are you suggesting that we put the Khanates of the north? Then you might as well throw in the entire history of the region. Afghanistan means Afghanland, Afghanland means Pashtunland, the northern areas have nothing to do Pashtuns Bejnar and neither does most history of this land. -- Behnam 01:21, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: So, what was Anoshirawan thinking when he made the above comment?  What did he intend to say? --Bejnar 22:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

text: We have already covered this extensively, the History of Iran is not just about the time periods where Persia was called Iran. It is about the land area that now is covered by Persia. The History of India is not just since the British arrived, it is the history of the land area that now is covered by India. Similarly, the History of Afghanistan has little to do with when the name was used, it is the history of the land area that now is covered by Afghanistan. Why is that so hard to grasp? Why do you think that so many of the history articles start out with Pre-historic sections? That is before writing, and in most cases the people who gave the land its current English name had not yet invaded. Don't you get it that when the land began to be called Afghanistan is not the determining factor?  Look at the Template:History of Iran for a comparison. --Bejnar 19:00, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text:  The History of Iran template covers ALL of the history of the land today within the boundaries of "Afghanistan". The History of Afghanistan template does not cover hardly any of the history on this land. -- Behnam 19:53, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: When editors keep deleting articles from the template, how can you expect any coverage? The ideal template would be specific to the area and list the articles that are specific to the area.  It would not list articles that are primarily tangential to the area, but it might have links to sections of articles that deal specifically with the area.  To many of us, it is obvious that the Template:History of Iran is over-broad for many articles that deal with the history of Afghanistan. --Bejnar 22:26, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

text: That is not even an argument in this discussion. -- Behnam 03:44, 26 September 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Good,  I didn't think that the existence of the Afsharid dynasty was a real issue either, but you mentioned them.  What is the real issue for you, Behnam? --Bejnar 23:57, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

text: (1) Yes, the Hotaki did not control all of what now constitutes Afghanistan, but their capital and center of power was in Kandahar.  Tahmasp I did not control all of what now constitutes Iran, but he is still part of Iranian history. --Bejnar 15:44, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

text: (2)The template is not just for modern Afghanistan, it includes Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan and  Islamic conquest of Afghanistan.  The template is not named "Template talk:History of Modern Afghanistan". --Bejnar 15:44, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

text: We have already extensively covered the fact that it doesn't matter what the land was called at the time.  Second Mirwais's first capital was Kandahar, he was an appointed official of the Safavid rulers when he started his rebellion.  In fact, Gurgin Khan, the governor of Kandahar,  was quite upset when Mirwais returned from his trip to the Persian court with full honors. Malleson, George Bruce (1879) "Chapter 7: The Ghilzai Rule" History of Afghanistan, from the Earliest Period to the Outbreak of the War of 1878 W.H. Allen & Co., London Mir Wais's first capital was Kandahar, unless you consider that his tribal area before the rebellion was a capital.  But it still doesn't matter, Kandahar was the initial capital of the rebellion that went on to become a dynasty.  That dynasty ruled in what is now southern Afghanistan, and other territories, although the borders are never exactly the same.  But we have covered the border issue already. Mir Wais and the Hotaki dynsaty started out in what is now southern Afghanistan, and conquered a great deal of territory (a large portion of which is now in Afghanistan, but in other countries as well) before the rebellion of Nāder Qoli Beg. --Bejnar 04:21, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Afsharid dynasty did not establish rule over the land of Afghans, which covered southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Nadir Shah only explored the territory, he did not annex the territory as part of Persia. His mission was to loot and plunder Hindu territories with the help of Afghans. He had joint forces of Persians and Afghans. He conquered in the name of Islam, not in the name of Persia. Therefore, the territories he conquered were left with same rulers and same administrations. After he died, Ahmed Shah conquered the same territories in the name of Afghanistan, setting up Afghan rulers over all the territories he conquered. That's the major difference. Same thing with Hotaks, when they conquered territories, they established Afghan rule over the area and set Afghan governors and rulers. --Dilbar Jan 10:41, 16 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Starting point

message: Hey bros, what do you think now about the template?? if you don´t like it you can change it..but i think we should stay close to history .
--Aspandyar Agha 20:07, 20 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree that we should stick to the history, and to Wikipedia policies. See History of Afghanistan  --Bejnar 06:31, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  What do you think? 

message: Request for comments on whether this template should include the Hotaki dynasty:
*Statement in favor of inclusion:
:The Hotaki ruled southern Afghanistan from 1709 to 1736.  They are included in the History of Afghanistan article.  There has been a separate article about them for over two years (Sept. 2005), even though it is short and could be profitably expanded. The utility of the History of Afghanistan template is enhanced by including all of the appropriate articles, that is articles that correspond to the section level in the main article.  Including every biography would not be appropriate.  Please see the edit history for possible versions. --Bejnar 22:39, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I've added separate categories to expand the history of Afghanistan to better fill in the massive gap from 600 to 1700 AD. I've not participated in the discussion previous and it seems to me that the Hotaki are important. You have Afghanistan on the fringe of two massive empires, and the Hotaki is their first success at throwing off the yokes of both of them. Yes, they are a transitional dynasty, but they form the basis on which the more stable dynasty could be founded. I've also added a category for the Mongol Invasion, which should warrant it's own section as with the Mughal and the Safavids. Benkenobi18 (talk) 11:29, 19 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Inclusiveness of template

message: THERE WAS NO STH LIKE A PERSIAN AFGHANISTAN BEFORE 1911 it was Kabulistan, Khorasan, Bactria and Aryanam Vaey....Tajik!!  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.68.213.70 (talk) 21:47, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Your concerns are irrelevant. Read the above posts. Also your edits completely screwed up the layout of the template, so they were reverted. Raoulduke47 14:58, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: As above: We have already covered this extensively, the History of Iran is not just about the time periods when Persia was called Iran. It is about the land area that now is covered by Iran. The History of India is not just since the British arrived, it is the history of the land area that now is covered by India. Similarly, the History of Afghanistan has little to do with the use of the name, it is the history of the land area that now is covered by Afghanistan. Why is that so hard to grasp? Why do you think that so many of the history articles start out with Pre-historic sections? Prehistory is before writing, and in most cases the people who gave the land its current English name had not yet invaded. --Bejnar 15:28, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Afghanistan is a unique name which translates to the "land of Afghans". Afghans have lived in their Afghanistan for over 1,000 years. This is why the name "Afghanistan" is always used everywhere in the nation's modern and pre historic articles. "History of Afghanistan" is not about the name's history but about the land's history. I wonder why is this name issue so important to 88.68.220.108? This here proves that there was a country called Afghanistan before 1911, Harlan's 1842 work, A memoir of India and Avghanistaun, with observations on the present exciting and critical state and future prospects of those countries.--LloydHawk (talk) 21:59, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  there was no aughanistan before 1911!! 

message: Please read this, do not edit until you have read it.
Until the 19th century the name was only used for the traditional lands of the Pashtuns, while the kingdom as a whole was known as the Kingdom of Kabul, as mentioned by the British statesman and historian Mountstuart Elphinstone.Elphinstone, M., "Account of the Kingdom of Cabul and its Dependencies in Persia and India", London 1815; published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown Other parts of the country were at certain periods recognized as independent kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Balkh in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.E. Bowen, "A New & Accurate Map of Persia" in A Complete System Of Geography, Printed for W. Innys, R. Ware [etc.], London 1747
With the expansion and centralization of the country, Afghan authorities adopted and extended the name "Afghanistan" to the entire kingdom, after its English translation, "Afghanland", had already appeared in various treaties between British Raj and Qajarid Persia, referring to the lands that were subject to the Pashtun Barakzai Dynasty of Kabul.E. Huntington, "The Anglo-Russian Agreement as to Tibet, Afghanistan, and Persia", Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, Vol. 39, No. 11 (1907) "Afghanistan" as the name for the entire kingdom was mentioned in 1857 by Frederick Engels.MECW Volume 18, p. 40; The New American Cyclopaedia - Vol. I, 1858 It became the official name when the country was recognized by the world community in 1919, after regaining its full independence from the British,M. Ali, "Afghanistan: The War of Independence, 1919", Kabul [s.n.], 1960 and was confirmed as such in the nation's 1923 constitution.Afghanistan's Constitution of 1923 under King Amanullah Khan (English translation).''
::"History of Afghanistan" is referring to history of the land, not history of the name. There was no such nation by the name of Kabul, "Kingdom of Kabul" means that Kabul was where the King's palace or court was located. Kingdom of Delhi does not mean India was called Delhi, it was where the ruler's (Sultan's) palace was located.--LloydHawk (talk) 22:05, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Should read before editing template 

message: Due to repeated reverts by socks of Beh-nam, I have semi-protected the template for a month. This means no new or unregistered users will be able to edit it. If you have any problems with this, please let me know. Regards, пﮟოьεԻ 57 09:08, 18 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Semi-protected

message: On 20 January 2008 Anoshirawan deleted detail from the template claiming "Durranis and hotakis werent local".  This is clearly a spurious reason, as reading the Durrani Empire article: "The Durrani Empire was a large state that included territories within modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Khorasan province of Iran and a smaller section of western India." and the Hotaki dynasty article: "The Hotaki dynasty (1709-1738) was founded in 1709 by Mirwais Khan Hotak, an ethnic Pashtun  from the Ghilzai clan[1] of Kandahar province in modern-day Afghanistan." clearly show that they are part of the history of this place.  --Bejnar (talk) 21:48, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: But why do those facts, if true, mean that their reigns were unimportant or irrelevant to the history of this place?  How do those facts, if true, justify removing their rule from the template? --Bejnar (talk) 20:31, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Detail deletion

message: The soft protection was no sufficient. Please discuss concerns about this template here. An edit war must be averted. Kingturtle (talk) 12:06, 23 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  PROTECTED 

message: In the firs box, we just need to write simple words as: History of Afghanistan from ancient times. 96.229.179.106 (talk) 07:28, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: First title

message: How about adding Kushan Empire and Greco-Bactrian Kingdom as subsets in the first box? --Bejnar (talk) 02:33, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: If you are going to add those then you need to add all the Persian dynasties. Also right now you have Ghaznavid and Ghorid for some reason even though a link to the whole article is provided. If you will include those then you might as well include the following list:
===Islamic Conquest===
Umayyad Caliphate	661–750</tr>	Abbasid Caliphate	750–1258</tr>	Tahirid dynasty	821–873</tr>	Alavid dynasty	864–928</tr>	Saffarid dynasty	861–1003</tr>	Samanid dynasty	819–999</tr>	Ziyarid dynasty	928–1043</tr>	Buyid Dynasty	934–1055</tr>	Ghaznavid Empire	975–1187</tr>	Ghori dynasty	1149–1212</tr>	Seljuk Empire	1037–1194</tr>	Khwarezmid dynasty	1077–1231</tr>	Kartids dynasty	1231-1389</tr>	Ilkhanate	1256–1353</tr>	Muzaffarid dynasty	1314–1393</tr>	Chupanid dyansty	1337–1357</tr>	Jalayerid dynasty	1339–1432</tr>	Timurid Empire	1370–1506</tr>	Qara Qoyunlu Turcomans	1407–1468</tr>	Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans	1378–1508</tr>	Safavid Empire	1501–1722*</tr>	Mughal Empire	1526–1857</tr>	Hotaki dynasty	1722–1729</tr>	Afsharid dynasty	1736–1802</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>
This is why several users have been removing the Ghaznavid (Turkish) and Ghorid (Tajik) dynasties Hazara898 (talk) 02:39, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

text: A few of them did not. I'll modify the list. Here,, all of these dynasties operated in what is today Afghanistan since the Islamic conquest:
Umayyad Caliphate	661–750</tr>	Abbasid Caliphate	750–1258</tr>	Tahirid dynasty	821–873</tr>	Saffarid dynasty	861–1003</tr>	Samanid dynasty	819–999</tr>	Ghaznavid Empire	975–1187</tr>	Ghori dynasty	1149–1212</tr>	Seljuk Empire	1037–1194</tr>	Khwarezmid dynasty	1077–1231</tr>	Kartids dynasty	1231-1389</tr>	Ilkhanate	1256–1353</tr>	Timurid Empire	1370–1506</tr>	Safavid Empire	1501–1722*</tr>	Mughal Empire	1526–1857</tr>	Hotaki dynasty	1722–1729</tr>	Afsharid dynasty	1736–1802</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>
If you have Ghaznavid and Ghorid dynasty now you must either include all these or remove those two. Hazara898 (talk) 00:53, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Kushan Empire

message: Umayyad Caliphate	661–750</tr>	Abbasid Caliphate	750–1258</tr>	Tahirid dynasty	821–873</tr>	Alavid dynasty	864–928</tr>	Saffarid dynasty	861–1003</tr>	Samanid dynasty	819–999</tr>	Ziyarid dynasty	928–1043</tr>	Buyid Dynasty	934–1055</tr>	Ghaznavid Empire	975–1187</tr>	Ghori dynasty	1149–1212</tr>	Seljuk Empire	1037–1194</tr>	Khwarezmid dynasty	1077–1231</tr>	Kartids dynasty	1231-1389</tr>	Ilkhanate	1256–1353</tr>	Muzaffarid dynasty	1314–1393</tr>	Chupanid dyansty	1337–1357</tr>	Jalayerid dynasty	1339–1432</tr>	Timurid Empire	1370–1506</tr>	Qara Qoyunlu Turcomans	1407–1468</tr>	Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans	1378–1508</tr>	Safavid Empire	1501–1722*</tr>	Mughal Empire	1526–1857</tr>	Hotaki dynasty	1722–1729</tr>	Afsharid dynasty	1736–1802</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>
This is why several users have been removing the Ghaznavid (Turkish) and Ghorid (Tajik) dynasties Hazara898 (talk) 02:39, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: A few of them did not. I'll modify the list. Here,, all of these dynasties operated in what is today Afghanistan since the Islamic conquest:
Umayyad Caliphate	661–750</tr>	Abbasid Caliphate	750–1258</tr>	Tahirid dynasty	821–873</tr>	Saffarid dynasty	861–1003</tr>	Samanid dynasty	819–999</tr>	Ghaznavid Empire	975–1187</tr>	Ghori dynasty	1149–1212</tr>	Seljuk Empire	1037–1194</tr>	Khwarezmid dynasty	1077–1231</tr>	Kartids dynasty	1231-1389</tr>	Ilkhanate	1256–1353</tr>	Timurid Empire	1370–1506</tr>	Safavid Empire	1501–1722*</tr>	Mughal Empire	1526–1857</tr>	Hotaki dynasty	1722–1729</tr>	Afsharid dynasty	1736–1802</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>	* or 1736</tr>
If you have Ghaznavid and Ghorid dynasty now you must either include all these or remove those two. Hazara898 (talk) 00:53, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Islamic Conquest

message: *Kushans
*Saffarids
*Ghaznavids
*Ghurids
*Timurids
*Hotakis
*Durranis
Kapisa was the capital city of Kushans, Zaranj was the capital of Saffarids, Ghazni was the capital of Ghaznavids, Ghor was the capital of Ghurids, Herat and Kandahar were capitals of Timurids, Kandahar and Kabul were the capitals of Durranis. All of the above are obviously part of Afghanistan's history first, then they become part of the history of neighboring countries.--203.175.65.176 (talk) 01:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: List of Empires that were centered inside Afghanistan

message: Dynasty                                                	Period                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	Domain
Selucid                                                	row 1, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 1, cell 3
Mauryan                                                	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Sunga                                                  	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Greco Bactarians                                       	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Indo Greeks                                            	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Kushanshahs or Indo-Scythians                          	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Parthians                                              	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Indo Parthians                                         	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Kushans                                                	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Sassinds and Kushanshahs                               	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Kidarite Huns or Huna collectively known as Hephthalite	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Sassanian king Khusrow 1                               	row 2, cell 2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              	row 2, cell 3
Turk Shahis                                            	Starting 5th Century King Khingala Studies of an Asian God By Robert L. Brown Contributor Robert L. Brown Published by SUNY Press, 1991 Page 50                                                                                                                                                                                                                            	Kapisa Kabul, Eastern Afghanistan, Gandhara  North-West Frontier Province, Peshawar few regions of Punjab
Hindu Shahi                                            	Closing years of the tenth and the early eleventh century. Jayapala defeated by Mahmud The races of Afghanistan Being a brief account of the principal nations inhabiting that country  By Henry Walter Bellow Asian Educational services Page 73  in 1013 Kabuls last Shahi ruler Pakistan and the emergence of Islamic militancy in Afghanistan By Rizwan Hussain page 17	
Gandhara overrun by  Mahmud .The races of Afghanistan Being a brief account of the principal nations inhabiting that country  By Henry Walter Bellow Asian Educational services Page 73 Kabul valley
Zunbils                                                	Zunbils deposed  by Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari first Saffarid ruler in 870 ADMedevial India Part 1 by Satish Chandra Page 17                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   	Zabulistan Kandahar.Excavations at Kandahar 1974 & 1975 (Society for South Asian Studies Monograph) by Anthony McNicoll
Intothefire (talk) 16:36, 6 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Table of Pre Islamic dynasties of Afghanistan from the period following Alaxander

message: Region           	Conquered by                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         	Date
Ghazni Province  	Saffarid 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 AD. Dupree9	869
Balkh            	Samanids take BalkhAfghanistan revisited By Cary Gladstone Page 151                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  	900 AD
Ghor             	Mahmud of GhazniThe wonder that was India II by S A A Rizvi published by Picador India page 16 defeats Ibn Suri                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      	1010
Zamindawar       	                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	Late 9th early 10th century
Bamian           	                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	Late 9th and again late 10th centuriesInternational Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania By Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda Page 80
Kandahar         	                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	10th and early 11th
Nuristan Province	                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     	19th century
Intothefire (talk) 17:56, 15 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Supporting table for regions to augument above table

message: This template is about the History of Afghanistan, any image placed in the template must be clearly about Afghanistan. Something that Afghanistan is well known for. I have added an image of one of the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan as this is the first thing that comes into people's mind when they think of the history of Afghanistan.Ksmdr (talk) 09:52, 17 August 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree with the User:Ksmdr in selecting the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan as an appropriate image, representing the history of Afghanistan. The image Rohtas Fort is absolutely an inappropriate one, firstly, it is situated in today's Pakistan, and secondly, it was built during the Suri dynasty, a dynasty mostly ruling the Indian territories, and their rule did not include the lands which are today known as Afghanistan. An alternative to Buddhas of Bamiyan, can be one of the following:--Artacoana (talk) 16:15, 17 August 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: These images are very interesting but I don't think having one of them in the template would stand out much like the giant Buddha statue. Making a unique Afghan history collage of images would look good. This one in particular (:File:13 bactrians.jpg) would've been nice but it is in Persepolis (South-western Iran) and having this in the Afghanistan template would create even more confusion. Another reason why I prefer the Buddah statue is because of the fact that they were completely destroyed and having the image shown in Wikipedia would help many people of the world see what it or they looked like. Seeing the person standing at the front of the statue makes it more interesting because it allows people to see that these were not just ordinary but very huge statues. The point is that the Taliban destroyed Afghanistan's history by blowing the statues but we can keep it alive with this image. It also explains that Buddhism was widespread in Afghanistan before the people accepted Islam (Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan#Archaeological remnants from Afghanistan.27s pre-Islamic period). I will contact someone if he is able to make the photo collage.Ksmdr (talk) 18:33, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

text: The 2 images on the left (sculpted heads) are copyright violations, they are not the works of US Federal Government but of Louis and Nancy Dupree.Ksmdr (talk) 19:47, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

text: The first two images are hosted on Colorado State University's website, but the author is Louis Dupree or someone else, the same images are found in Dupree's 1970s book An Historical Guide To Afghanistan. The only time the US federal government license tag applies is when the work is made by US federal government employees while on official duty. You should see templates of other nations at :Category:History by nation navigational boxes to get a better idea.Ksmdr (talk) 09:43, 18 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: Selecting an appropriate image