Top of page

Book/Printed Material A visit to Afghanistan,

View 28 images in sequence.

About this Item

Title

  • A visit to Afghanistan,

Summary

  • A Visit to Afghanistan is an account of a two-month trip to Afghanistan in 1909 by Dr. Walter Saise, a British mining expert. Saise had been invited to Afghanistan by Amir Habibullah Khan (1872-1919, reigned 1901-19, whom Saise often refers to as king), who was interested in developing national sources of coal to power the royal factories and workshops. The latter, many of which were established by Habibullah's father 'Abd al-Rahman Khan, produced boots, uniforms, guns, ammunition, and other military supplies. Saise visited the coalfields at Ghorband (present-day Chahadah-ye Ghorband) as well as the lead mines at Ferengal (present-day Koh-e Firingal) and the ruby mines of Jagdallak (present-day Jigdalai or Jegdalek). His account describes the mineral seams at these locations and the mining techniques used by the Afghans. Saise also recounts his visit to the Madrassa Herbeia Serbajia (Royal Military College), his observations on how the Afghans built and maintained their roads, and his discussions with the amir. Like other Afghans, Habibullah believed that the people of Afghanistan were descendants of the Beni-Israel, the ten lost tribes of Israel, who after the Arab conquest of Kabul in the middle of the seventh century had converted from Judaism to Islam, later converted back to Judaism, and finally reconverted to Islam in circa 690-700. Habibullah also described for Saise the conquest of the Kafirs of Kafiristan by his father and his own role integrating this formerly non-Muslim minority into Afghan society. Saise's paper was read at the Central Asian Society in London on April 12, 1911, and originally published in the Proceedings of the society. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Saise, Walter.

Created / Published

  • London, Central Asian society, 1911.

Headings

  • -  Afghanistan--Description and travel

Medium

  • 22 p. 25 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • DS352 .S3

Library of Congress Control Number

  • a19000311

Online Format

  • online text
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Saise, Walter. A visit to Afghanistan. London, Central Asian society, 1911. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/a19000311/.

APA citation style:

Saise, W. (1911) A visit to Afghanistan. London, Central Asian society. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/a19000311/.

MLA citation style:

Saise, Walter. A visit to Afghanistan. London, Central Asian society, 1911. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/a19000311/>.