A Personal Narrative of a Visit to Ghuzni, Kabul & Afghanistan

Afghanistan had very close contacts, both cultural and political, with India since very early times. All foreign invasions to India, except the last one, either routed through or originated in Afghanistan. No ruler of northern India could, therefore, afford to remain indifferent to the happenings in that mountainous neighbouring country. The East India Company, when became the masters of India, kept an eye on the developments in Afghanistan and sent residents and envoys to the Court of Kabul. The present work, first published in 1840, is the narrative, written by such an envoy to the court of Dost Mohamed Khan who occupied the throne of Kabul in the early decades of the nineteenth century. The narrative which has been written as a fascinating fiction, not only describes many political developments and troubles in that country but also presents an interesting picture of the Afghan life. The History of many places in the region have been recorded. The Author also visited the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Lahore and has presented a beautiful account of the courtlife of the King, his personal habits and manners and his state policies. The author was an artist too. The Book is illustrated with several drawings by the author himself. The work contains much valuable material for the study of the history of nineteenth century Afghanistan and Punjab. With Illustrations from Drawings made by the Authors on the Spot.