The Kite Runner Play Guide - Actors Theatre of Louisville

Afghanistan Timeline6 th Century BCEThe Persians conquer ancientAfghanistan and introduce the Farsi/Dari language as well as epic poetry.Although The Shahnameh, the Persianpoem that Amir reads to Hassan,was not written until 1000 CE, itstems from the storytelling traditionestablished in this era.330 BCEAlexander the Great,in his conquest of thePersian Empire, invadesancient Afghanistan onhis way to the HinduKush mountains andIndia. Hellenistic(Greek) architectureis still found in somenorthern cities likeMazar-i-Sharif.652 CEThe Arab Conquest of the regionestablishes Islam as the dominantreligion.1st Century CEAfghan cities are stops alongthe Silk Road, a trade routethat reached from China to theMediterranean. Goods fromall over the known world travelthrough and are exchanged inAfghanistan.This mosque is a Muslim place of worship.Photo by Steve Evans1989The Soviets withdraw fromAfghanistan after a decade-longconflict that leaves the countrydevastated.1979The PDPA abolishment oftraditional Muslim customsinspires Mujahideenresistance groups to opposethe government. Fearingthey will be overthrown,the PDPA allows theSoviet Union to invadeAfghanistan to maintainCommunist dominance.1992The PDPA government collapsesand the country plunges into civilwar as rival Mujahideen factionsvie for control of the country. 1996The Talibanestablishes atheocracy basedon fundamentalistIslam.Under Taliban rule, women could be violently punished if theydid not wear the burqua.