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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



a more astonishing mixture of ancient 

 and modern fighting methods than does 

 the army of the Amir. Most of his 

 troops are mounted, either on horses or 

 camels, and a few of his better regiments 

 of cavalry are organized somewhat after 

 the Anglo-Indian style. The regulars 

 are recruited mostly from among the 

 town-dwelling Tadjiks. 



The Malkis, or territorials, are or- 

 ganized and used in the various provinces 

 as a sort of home guard. Some of them 

 use flintlocks, and many depend on the 

 spear and the long, curved sword for dis- 

 patching an enemy at close quarters. 



This army is about 70,000 strong. Save 

 a few field howitzers and mountain guns 

 it has no artillery. 



The real Afghans belong to the Sunni 

 sect of Moslems. Here, as elsewhere in 

 Moslem countries, the Sunnis have no 

 close relations with the Shia Persians or 

 with the Hazarah Shiite tribe in the high 

 central region. Nor do the Afghans feel 

 at all kindly toward the non-Mohamme- 

 dan Indians who venture in for barter 

 and trade. The Turks, however, being 

 Sunnis, are popular with the Afghans. 



Every year companies of pious Af- 

 ghans make the pilgrimage to Mecca. 



Shia Hazarahs, as well as some of the 

 Sunni Afghans, journey to the sanctuary 

 of Iman Rizas at Meshed, in northeast 

 Persia, to say their prayers, and some 

 few even venture on the long and perilous 

 journey across Persia, to the shrines of 

 Kerbela and Nedjef, in Mesopotamia ; 

 also, since the days of the Zoroastrians, 

 a tomb at Mazar-i-Sharif, in northern 

 Afghanistan, has been a shrine that has 

 drawn pilgrims from all over the country. 



Smaller shrines and sacred tombs are 

 found in various villages throughout Af- 

 ghanistan. The rumor is current that 

 aged persons of great piety have been de- 

 liberately assassinated by certain tribes 

 and then buried in the tribal villages, in 

 order that steady profits might be reaped 

 from pilgrims coming later to pray at the 

 good men's tombs. 



Afghanistan's willful isolation of her- 



self has, of course, affected the life of 

 her people. Even among the different 

 tribes within the country, jealousies and 

 ethnological differences are conspicuous. 

 The high mountains and frequent deserts 

 so separate the cultivated and inhabited 

 districts that tribal customs and habits, 

 tongues, and religious differences are 

 found here in sharper contrast than in 

 most other countries of the East. 



As a race, the Afghans are more ob- 

 servant of the Koran's prohibition law 

 than some of their fellow-Moslems 

 farther west. Only now and then, when 

 a caravan comes up from India, the less 

 orthodox element in Kabul enjoys a brief 

 period of alcoholic relaxation. 



The Amir keeps at Peshawar a polit- 

 ical agent, who occasionally pays a visit 

 to the Viceroy of India ; and, since Af- 

 ghanistan's formal independence of 1919, 

 envoys have been sent to Persia and one 

 is perhaps now in Soviet Russia. 



But because of the Afghan's chronic 

 aversion to all foreigners, and the clever 

 exclusion policy of the Amir, aided by 

 nature's own barriers of sand wastes and 

 almost inaccessible mountain ranges, it is 

 likely that for a long time to come for- 

 eign influence will spread but slowly in 

 this isolated land. 



AFGHANS FOLLOW WORLD LVLNTS 



Yet the Amir and his military aristoc- 

 racy follow intently all big events in the 

 turbulent outside world. America is 

 spoken of with sympathy and admira- 

 tion, and, despite the prevailing illiteracy, 

 many Afghans display an amazing 

 knowledge of geography and current his- 

 tory. During the World War even the 

 nomads on the steppes had fairly accu- 

 rate news of great battles, and they had 

 heard of air raids and submarines. 



Today all Islam is in ominous ferment. 

 Though the World War is officially 

 ended, fights and disputes are still sweep- 

 ing over Asia. Eventually and inevita- 

 bly Afghanistan must again become the 

 object of rivalry among big powers that 

 rub shoulders in the East. 



Anticipating many requests from members for copies, suitable for framing, of 

 the frontispiece to this number of The Geographic, "The Argosy of Geography'' 

 a limited de luxe edition has been printed on heavy art mat paper, postpaid in 

 the United States, $1.00. The February Olographic will contain as a supplement, 

 a map of the New Europe, in colors, si.ee 30 x 32 inches. 



