Zoroastrianism was a prominent religious belief in Afghanistan for centuries.[1] Until half a century ago, 2,000 Zoroastrians were living in Afghanistan.[2] For a long period of time Bactria was a center of Zoroastrianism,[3] and Zoroaster is said to have taught in the city, perhaps in the 15th century BCE.[4] Arachosia (modern Kandahar) was considered the second fatherland of Zoroastrianism.[5] Additionally, Balkh is also known as one of the birthplaces of Nowruz.[6][7]
^Runion, Meredith L. (2017). The History of Afghanistan. doi:10.5040/9798400664359. ISBN 979-8-4006-6435-9. S2CID 160052371. Zoroastrianism was a prominent religious belief in Afghanistan for centuries...
^Comerford, Patrick (2021). "A Reflection on the Crises in Afghanistan following the Fall of Kabul". Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review. 110 (440): 458–469. doi:10.1353/stu.2021.0027. ISSN 2565-6570. S2CID 247281221. The region of Arachosia, around Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, was once primarily Zoroastrian and is sometimes described as the 'second homeland of Zoroastrianism.' Until half a century ago, 2,000 Zoroastrians or Parsees were living in Afghanistan.
^Jackson, Peter (February 2012). Central Asia in World History. Oxford University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-19-533819-5. South of Sogdia lay Bactria, earlier under Kushan and Hephthalite rule, a major center of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism
^Alikuzai, Hamid Wahed (October 2013). A Concise History of Afghanistan in 25 Volumes. Trafford Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-4907-1441-7. In 15h century BC, Zoroaster, a native of Bactria, taught his monotheistic philosophy and ethics in the city of Balkh.
^Gnoli, Gherardo (1989). The Idea of Iran: An Essay on Its Origin. Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente. pp. 133–134. ISBN 978-88-6323-069-7. Arachosia would have been only a second fatherland for Zoroastrianism, a significant role should still be attributed to this south-eastern region in the history of the Zoroastrian tradition. Apart from the hypothetical connotation of some of K. Hoffmann's arguments, it is this last conclusion we are interested in and which, in any case, seems to possess a certain degree of truth. It would be even more likely, in my opinion, if, as regards the role played in the history of Zoroastrianism, we considered Arachosia as being closely connected with the neighbouring Drangiana, a Zoroastrian centre that was most certainly among the most ancient.
^Poyan, Sayed Mustafa; Yushi, Jiang (2022-08-18). "Using the city's cultural and historical assets to promote its Identity". www.researchsquare.com. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1958200/v1. Retrieved 2024-02-16. Balkh is also known to be the birthplace of Nowruz, the Persian/Iranian New Year observed in Afghanistan and the world on Spring Equinox.
^"Did You Know? The City of Balkh: Ancient Capital of Bactria and Centre of Buddhism and Zoroastrianism along the Silk Roads | Silk Roads Programme". en.unesco.org. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
and 29 Related for: Zoroastrianism in Afghanistan information
In 2012, a study by the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America published a demographic picture of Zoroastrianism around the world, which...
of Asha, is considered the core maxim of Zoroastrianism especially by modern practitioners. InZoroastrianism, good transpires for those who do righteous...
parts of the region. The religion Zoroastrianism is believed by some to have originated in what is now Afghanistan between 1800 and 800 BCE, as its founder...
religions were competing with Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Hinduism in the territory of modern Afghanistan. Adrych, Philippa; coins), Robert Bracey...
groups inAfghanistan, including the Pashtuns, Kalash, Pashayi, Nuristanis and Hindkowans continued to practice Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. The...
arrival of Islam in the 7th century, there were a number of religions practiced in modern day Afghanistan, including Zoroastrianism, Ancient Iranian religions...
conversion submitting in the late 19th century. It was generally accepted by local communities as a replacement of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, local tribes...
The population of Afghanistan is around 41 million as of 2023. The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multilingual society, reflecting its location...
also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is an Afghan militant movement with an ideology comprising elements of Pashtun...
religious minorities include the Afghan Hindus, Afghan Sikhs, AfghanZoroastrians, Afghan Jews and Afghan Christians. Afghan culture has existed for over...
most prominently Sikhism. In pre-Islamic era, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism and Hinduism had a strong presence inAfghanistan; in addition, Judaism and Christianity...
The history of Afghanistan, preceding the establishment of the Emirate of Afghanistanin 1823 is shared with that of neighbouring Iran, Central Asia and...
the Jews inAfghanistan goes back at least 2,500 years. Ancient Iranian tradition suggests that Jews settled in Balkh, an erstwhile Zoroastrian and Buddhist...
Kabul is the capital city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The...
communication inAfghanistan. As defined in the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan, Dari (Farsi) is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan; the other...
This is a timeline of Afghan history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events inAfghanistan and its predecessor states...
primarily inAfghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Tajiks are the largest ethnicity in Tajikistan, and the second-largest inAfghanistan and Uzbekistan...
focuses on Zoroastrianismin the United States. The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America seeks to connect communities in the United...
Anquetil-Duperron, who in the 1750s, when the word "Zoroastrianism" had yet to be coined, made the first detailed report of the Parsis and of Zoroastrianism, therein...
next to Zoroastrianism, the second most powerful religious force in the territory. Marco Polo, who arrived in Khanbaliq in 1275, met Nestorians in many different...
Zarathustra, was an Iranian religious reformer and the founder of Zoroastrianism. It was founded in the second millennium BC. He also had an impact on Heraclitus...
primarily residing in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. They historically were also referred to as Afghans until the ratification...
sacred element; the Zoroastrian divinity of wind Natural Burial Russell, James R. (1 January 2000). "BURIAL iii. InZoroastrianism". Encyclopædia Iranica...
of Zoroastrians has been recorded throughout the history of Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion. The notably large-scale persecution of Zoroastrians began...
and Sistan, where Zoroastrianism was well-established, were conquered. The Arabs had begun to move towards the lands east of Persia in the 7th century....
(1996). A History Of Zoroastrianism: The Early Period. Brill. p. 191. Had it been otherwise, and had Zoroastrianism been carried in its infancy to the Medes...
Global Information