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| Nuristan (نورستان) | |
| Province | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Population | 112,000 1 |
| Governor | Eng. Hazrat Din Noor |
| Timezone | GMT+4:30 |
| Main language | Nuristani |
 Map of Afghanistan with Nuristan highlighted
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Nuristān (Persian: نورستان, also spelled Nurestān) is a region embedded in the south of Hindu Kush valleys. It was formerly known as Kafiristan (land of the non-Islamic) until its forced Islamization in 1896 brought light (nur) to the area.2 Today it is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, formed in 1989 and officially established in 2001 from the northern parts of Laghman Province and Kunar Province. Before 2001 its capital was situated in Laghman province due to Mujahideen control over Nuristan province. The ethnic Nuristanis make up the majority of the population of this province.
Located on the southern slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains in the northeastern part of the country, Nuristan spans the basins of the Alingâr, Pech, Landai Sin, and Kunar rivers. Its capital is Parun. It is bordered on the north by Badakhshan Province, on the west by Panjshir Province, on the south by Laghman and Kunar provinces, and on the east by Pakistan.
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History
Until the 1890s, the region was known as Kafiristan (Persian: Land of the unbelievers) because of its inhabitants: the Nuristani, an ethnically distinctive people (numbering about 60,000) who practiced animism, polytheism and shamanism2. The region was conquered by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan in 1895-96 and the Nuristani were forcibly converted to Islam. The region was renamed Nuristan, meaning Land of the Enlightened, a reflection of the forced "enlightening" of the pagan Nuristani by the "light-giving" of Islam.
Nuristan is thought to have been a region through which Alexander the Great passed with a detachment of his army. Therefore there is a theory suggesting that the Nuristani people are direct descendants of Alexander, though it is more probable that the European look of many Nuristanis was prominent long before the arrival of the Macedonian army.
Abdul Wakil Khan Nuristani is one of the most prominent figures in Nuristan's history. He fought against the British army and drove them out of the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. His monument stands in Chahrahi Dehmazung in the capital Kabul, Afghanistan. He is buried on the same pleatue where King Amanullah Khan is buried.
Nuristan was the scene of some of the heaviest guerrilla fighting during the 1979-89 invasion and occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet forces. For a period of time during this era, the eastern area of Nuristan was a semi-autonomous region called the Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan, or Dawlat. It was a Wahhibist Islamic state run by anti-Soviet warlord Maulvi Afzal and was recognized by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Dawlat dissolved under Taliban rule. [1]
Nuristan is one of the poorest and most remote provinces of Afghanistan. As of Summer 2006, no NGO's operate in Nuristan because of a poor security situation and lack of infrastructure. In response to a publicity campaign by Nuristan's governor, Tamim Nuristani, roads are being built between Nangarej to Mandol and Chapa Dara to Titan Dara [2]. Nuristani is also working on a direct road route to Laghman province, in order to not be so dependent on the road through restive Kunar province to the rest of Afghanistan.
Districts
- Bargimatal District
- Doab District
- Kamdesh District
- Mandol District
- Nurgram District
- Paroon District
- Wama District
- Waygal District
Politics
From 2005 Tamim Nuristani was governor of Nuristan Province but was fired by Afghan president Hamid Karzai in July 2008. His replacement as governor, Hazrat Din Noor, was killed in a car crash on September 5, 2008.3
Security Situation
Since Nuristan is the only ethnically homogeneous province in Afghanistan, there are few incidents of inter-ethnic violence. However, there are instances of disputes between inhabitants, some of which continue for decades. Nuristan has suffered from its inaccessibility and lack of infrastructure. The government presence is under-developed, even compared to neighboring provinces. Nuristan's formal educational sector is weak, with few professional teachers.
The terrain, coupled with its proximity to Pakistan make Nuristan vulnerable to infiltration from anti-government elements who receive support and sanctuary in Pakistan. This does not necessarily mean that the insurgents enjoy the support of Nuristanis.
At Kala Gush in Nurgram district there is a U.S. led Provincial Reconstruction Team. It augments local security, mentors local governance and provides development assistance to support the sub-national administration at the provincial and district levels. Other Coalition military units operate in Nuristan are based at Kala Gush; Nangalam, Pech District, Kunar Province; and Narai District, Kunar Province.
Trivia
- Nuristan is the subject of the book A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by the British travel writer Eric Newby.
- Nuristan was the location of three of the missions in Hitman: Silent Assassin.
- Rudyard Kipling's short story The Man Who Would Be King and the film it inspired are set in pre-Islamic Nuristan (when Muslims called it Kafiristan, the Land of the Kafirs, or infidels).
References
- ^ Provinces of Afghanistan on Statoids.
- ^ a b Klimberg, Max (October 1, 2004). "NURISTAN". Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition). United States: Columbia University.
- ^ AFP: Afghan provincial governor dies in car crash
- Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. LINK
- Richard F. Strand. Richard Strand's Nuristan Site LINK. The most accurate and comprehensive source on Nuristan, by the world's leading scholar on the languages and ethnic groups of Nuristan.
- M. Klimburg. NURISTAN in Encyclopedia Iranica. LINK
See also
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