# @shabnamnasimi on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DEP_GmAtVbv
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32261791-shabnamnasimi-instagram
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- **Posted:** 2024-12-31T16:40:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Shabnam Nasimi (@ShabnamNasimi) — https://gondola.cc/ShabnamNasimi

## Caption

I did it! - As 2024 closes, I’ve just finished ‘The Return of a King’ by William Dalrymple, a book I promised myself I’d complete before the new year. It’s a dense read—not for lack of enjoyment, but for the detail Dalrymple uses. His research takes us deep into the First Anglo-Afghan War, bringing to light perspectives often ignored in Western accounts.

Dalrymple’s dedication is unparalleled. He travelled Afghanistan several times to retrace the British retreat route from the 1840s & better understand the geography central to the story. He visited countless places associated with the war and worked tirelessly to uncover elusive Afghan sources that tell their side of the conflict.

What struck me most was Dalrymple’s personal connection to the war. His great-great-uncle, Lieutenant General Colin Mackenzie, was a British political officer in the war and left behind his own account, providing Dalrymple with a deeply personal lens through which to examine the conflict.

The history of “Afghanistan” itself is fascinating. During Shah Shuja’s reign in the 1840s, the term “Afghanistan” was unknown to its leaders, who referred to their land as Khorasan. The term was popularised by the British and eventually adopted. Even the rulers—Shuja, Dost Mohammad, and Abdali—spoke Persian and had never spoken Pashto.

Despite the region’s central strategic importance, good writing on Afghanistan’s history is surprisingly scarce. Most accounts rely on English-language sources or the much-mined India Office Archives in London. Dalrymple’s work stands out as a masterpiece, reviving a history that has long been forgotten. His efforts are monumental, and I have deep respect for what he has achieved.

One bitter comment I read in the book from an Afghan man encapsulates the feeling so many people in Afghanistan have of being betrayed, abandoned and forgotten:

“In the 1980s, when we were killing Russians for them, the Americans called us ‘freedom fighters.’ Now they just dismiss us as warlords.” 

If you’re up for a deep dive into Afghanistan’s history, this book will challenge you. A must-read for history lovers!

#bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookreviewer #bookreviews

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