| around 3000 BC Chr. |
Mundigak culture. After excavations in the city of Mundigak, near Kandahars |
| 2000 – 1500 BC Chr. |
Migration of Indo-Germanic steppe peoples from the north to Afghanistan |
| around 700 – 559 BC Chr. |
Western Afghanistan comes under the rule of the Medes |
| around 630 BC Chr. |
Zarathustra, founder of religion, born in Balkh (Bactria) |
| around 550-480 BC Chr. |
Siddhata Gautama, Buddha, “The Enlightened One” |
| 559-330 BC Chr. |
Achaemenids |
| 336 – 323 BC Chr. |
Alexander the Great |
| 329 BC Chr. |
Conquest of Eastern Iran with the provincial capital Herat |
| 312-64 BC Chr. |
Seleucid dynasty, successor to Alexander the Great |
| around 250 BC Chr. |
Establishment of an independent kingdom of Bactria |
| 268-233 BC Chr. |
Ashoka, most important ruler of the Indian Maurya dynasty |
| 183 BC |
Demetrius, Bactrian king, conquers Panschab and southern Afghanistan, Buddhism becomes the state religion |
| 45 AD |
Kadphises, founder of the Kushan dynasty |
| at 143 – 172 |
Kanishka the Great. Buddhism reaches its peak in Afghanistan. Gandahara art |
| 226-642 |
Sassanids |
| 242-272 |
Sassanid King, Shapur I the Great, incorporated most of Afghanistan into the Persian Empire |
| 400-642 |
Hephtalites (White Huns) |
| 460 |
Invasion of Afghanistan by the White Huns |
| 565 |
defeated by the Turks |
| 570 |
Mohammad was born in Mecca |
| 632-750 |
Arab grandmaids |
| from 642 |
Islamization by Arabs |
| 663 |
Capture of Baktra (Balch by the Arabs) |
| 754-1258 |
Arab Abbasids |
| 867-903 |
Saffarids |
| 874-999 |
Samanids. Isail Samani, founder of the Samanid dynasty, rule Persia, Choresan, Transoxania and large parts of Afghanistan |
| 999-1183 |
Ghaznavid dynasty |
| 999-1030 |
Mahmud the Great, born 969 |
| 1037-1307 |
Seljuks rule Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria and Asia Minor |
| 1151-1208 |
Ghorids |
| 1221 |
Incursion of Genghis Khan into Afghanistan. Destruction of Herat, Balch, Bamiyan, Ghazni, Laschkari-i-Bazar, Qala-i-Bost and Merw |
| 1369-1526 |
Timurlan and his successors, the Timurids |
| 1501-1721 |
Persian Empire of the Safavids |
| 1625 |
Kandahar is occupied by the Safavids |
| 1526-1709 |
Indian Mughals |
| 1505 |
Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty, conquers Kabul |
| 1709-1729 |
Pashtun kingdom under Mir Wais Hotaki |
| 1747-1773 |
Ahmed Shah Durrani, proclaims independent Afghanistan |
| 1836-1863 |
Dost Mohammad Khan. With interruptions Emir of Afghanistan 1838-1842 First Anglo-Afghan War |
| 1839 |
Shah Schuja is installed as emir by the British. Dost Mohammad Khan regains power |
| 1855 |
British government recognizes Dost Mohammad Khan as emir of Afghanistan |
| 1863-1869 |
Scher Ali, son of Dost Mohammad Khan, Emir of Afghanistan Second Anglo-Afghan War |
| 1880-1901 |
Abd-ar-Rahman, Emir of Afghanistan |
| 1887 and 1893 |
Territory ceded to Russia in the north and England in the southeast |
| 1901-1919 |
Habib Ullah, son of Abd-ar-Rahman, Emir of Afghanistan |
| 1919 |
Third Anglo-Afghan War |
| 1919-1929 |
Aman Ullah, son of Habib Ullah, Emir of Afghanistan 1921 English assurance of foreign policy independence. Since 1926 the designation king |
| 1929 |
Habib Ullah, called Batscha-i-Saqao (son of the water carrier), usurped the throne for nine months |
| 1929-1933 |
King Nadir Shah |
| 1933-1973 |
King Zaher Shah, son of Nadir Shah |
| 1964 |
New constitution, Afghanistan, Afghanistan becomes a constitutional monarchy |
| 1973 |
Mohammad Daud proclaims Afghanistan a republic and appoints himself president |
| 1978 |
Fall of M. Daud. Proclamation of the People’s Republic of Afghanistan President Nur Mohammad Taraki |
| September 16, 1979 |
Violent death of Taraki. Deputy President Hafiz Ullah Amin takes power |
| December 26, 1979 |
Soviet troops march into Afghanistan President Amin is eliminated by the Russians. Babrak Karmal as the new president |
| 1985 |
Dr. Najibullah becomes president |
| 1989 |
Withdrawal of the Soviet Army from Afghanistan |
| 1992 |
“Mujahedin” conquer Kabul and proclaim Islamic State (Mujadidi new president) |
| 1992 |
B. Rabbani replaces Mujadidi as president |
| 1993 |
Emergence of the Taliban in Kandahar |
| 1996 |
Taliban conquer Kabul |
| 1981-1983 |
Expansion of the resistance struggle to all parts of the country including the cities; 80% of the land under the control of the Mujahideen (“freedom fighters”) |
| |
Mass exodus of Afghans to Pakistan and Iran. Repeated condemnation of the Soviet invasion by UN General Assembly and “Islamic Summit Conferences” |
| 1984 (April) |
Largest Soviet offensive in the country against the resistance, which holds its own despite setbacks |
| 1986 (4.5.) |
Karmal is replaced as party leader by Mohammed Najibullah; from 11/30/1987 also head of state |
| 1988 (15.4) |
Treaty of Geneva; Soviet troops begin to withdraw |
| 1989 (15.2) |
Last Soviet soldier to leave Afghanistan |
| 1990 (June) |
Constitutional reform under Najibullah |
| 1992 (April) |
Guerrillas capture Khost |
| 1992 (16.4) |
Resignation of Najibullah, from April 24th Sibghatullah Mojadidi transitional president; Civil war in Kabul and the surrounding area, new influx of refugees to Pakistan |
| (30.12.) 1. |
The Great Shura elects the Tajik Burhanuddin Rabbani as president for a period of two years. He was already since June 28th. provisionally in office |
| 1993 (7.3.) |
Islamabad Peace Agreement between ten Mujahideen groups Gulbuddin Hekmatyar sworn in as Prime Minister |
| 1994 |
Emergence of the Taliban in Kandahar |
| 1994 (December 28) |
Burhanuddin Rabbani indefinitely extends his term of office |
| 1996 (May 24) |
Peace Agreement between B. Rabbani and G. Hekmatyar |
| 6/26/1996 |
Hekmatyar arrives in Kabul on and is sworn in again as head of government |
| 27.9. 1996 |
The radical Muslim Taliban, which already controls large parts of Afghanistan, is taking Kabul |
| November 1996 |
The German UN envoy Norbert Holl is holding talks with all groups involved in the civil war that has been raging for 17 years |
| October 1997 |
The Taliban proclaim the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” |
| March 2001 |
Taliban destroy Bamyan’s Budha statues |
| Sept 2001 |
The leader of the Northern Alliance, Massoud, is murdered |
| 09/11/2001 |
Attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon |
| October 7, 2001 |
US-led military intervention begins in Afghanistan |
| 17 Nov 2001 |
The Northern Alliance moves into Kabul despite a prior waiver of the US |
| 11/27/2001 to 12/5/2001 |
Bonn Afghanistan talks under the auspices of the UNO only four groups are invited (Rome, Cyprus, Peshawar group and Northern Alliance) |
| Dec 2001 |
Dispatch of 5,000 ISAF soldiers (including 2,000 Germans) |
| 12/22/2001 |
The new interim administration Hamed Karzai officially takes over the power to take the oath |
| April 2002 |
Return of the monarch Zahir Shah from more than 30 years of exile in Rome |
| June 2002 |
Confirmation of Karzai as president of the Afghan interim government by the Loya Jirga |
| 4.01.2004 |
Afghanistan is getting a new constitution |
| October 9, 2004 |
Presidential election |
| September 18, 2005 |
Parliamentary elections |
| Feb 2006 |
London Conference Approves $ 10.5 Billion in Additional Aid for Afghanistan “Afghanistan Compact” |
| Oct 2006 |
NATO takes responsibility for security throughout Afghanistan |
| Aug 2008 |
A US bombing raid in Farah province kills 89 civilians |
| March 2009 |
US President Obama announces a new strategy for Afghanistan (and Pakistan) and further troop reinforcements |
| 20 Aug 09 |
Presidential and provincial council elections |
| Sept 2009 |
Air attack in Kunduz ordered by the Bundeswehr: dozens of civilian victims |
| 2010 |
Parliamentary elections The Federal Government wants to begin the gradual withdrawal of Bundeswehr soldiers from Afghanistan in 2011 and, if possible, bring all soldiers home by 2014 |
| June 2013 |
The Afghan army is now responsible for the country’s security. ISAF soldiers only have a supporting role. |
| 2013 |
Bundeswehr withdraws from Kunduz |
| 2014 |
Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani is sworn in as the new President |
