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This neatly explains Afghanistan, i think. Fundamentally unnavigable for the entirety of written history!
by hprotagonist 4y ago
This neatly explains Afghanistan, i think. Fundamentally unnavigable for the entirety of written history!
- ARandomerDude 4y agoThe interior of Africa, too.
- inawarminister 4y agoThat is also correlated with the multiple of tropical diseases wiping out traders and settlers until the 1800s or so. Tsetse flies in East Africa killing cattles and horses... Allowing local hunter-gatherers to survive herders and farmers expansions until recently enough. And empires don't really spawn in non-food-producing cultures.
- int_19h 4y agoEast Turkestan is arguably even more remote, yet China manages.
- FlyingSnake 4y agoAfghanistan was part of large empires like Kushans, Graeco-Bactrians, Achaemeniens, Mauryas, Mughals, etc for long periods. It was also a part of the Silk Route to India through Khyber pass and was the epicenter of Graeco-Buddhist art centers like Bamyan and Mes Aynak. It was not un-navigable.
- hprotagonist 4y agoBabur was probably the last man to hold the mountains with any seriousness, and he only held on for about a generation. My general feeling is that "We control Afghanistan" said more honestly is something closer to "I am the mayor of Kabul!"