Updated paperback edition telling the dramatic history of the land and peoples of Afghanistan from prehistoric times to the present day. * Offers a detailed history, from the Indo--Iranian invasions of the second millennium BC and Alexander the Great, through to Soviet occupation, Taliban rule, and the a war on terrora * Much description of the contemporary period is based on the author's own research in Afghanistan * Includes a new final chapter covering developments since 2001, including the fall of the Taliban, state building and foreign intervention in the region. The bibliography has also been updated.