In urban areas, no one opposed the changes, not even the mullahs of Kabul. But in the tribal areas, Amanullah’s measures, such as reducing the powers of religious judges, were seen as an existential threat. Rumours began to circulate that the king had converted to Catholicism, and photos of the French president kissing the queen’s…

First, they were forced to cover themselves from head to toe, to see the world through a net. Then, they were banned from studying beyond the fifth grade, from working (even when they were their families’ sole breadwinners), from walking without a male guardian, and from going to gardens and gyms. They closed shelters for…

Afghanistan may be the only country in the world where, over the last century, the struggles to give and take away women’s rights “have made and unmade kings and politicians.” We will retrace this historic path of struggle by Afghan women, who continue to inspire new generations. The story begins with Abdur Rahman Khan, who…

Mahmud Beg Tarzi, was the main figure responsible for the modernisation of Afghanistan in the first two decades of the 20th century. One of the exiles Habibullah welcomed was the writer, translator, and constitutionalist Mahmud Beg Tarzi, who had spent his youth in Damascus and would become the main figure responsible for modernizing Afghanistan in…