Northwestern South Asia
Countries Afghanistan
 Pakistan
 India
 China (Aksai Chin)
Time zonesUTC+5:30; UTC+5:45; UTC+06:00
Calling codeZone 9
ReligionsHinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Irreligion, Sikhism
Ethnic groupsIndo-Aryan, Iranian, Tibeto-Burmese

Northwestern South Asia is a geographical area in South Asia. It includes the modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and northwestern India.[1] Some notable regions of Northwestern South Asia include Punjab, Sindh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kashmir, Pashtunistan and parts of Balochistan.

Northwestern South Asia is the site of many of the first civilisations of the world, such as the Indus Valley Civilisation.[2][3] It was historically the most-conquered region of South Asia because it is the first region that invading armies coming from the west had to cross to enter the Indian subcontinent;[4] notable conquests include the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE and several Muslim invasions from the 8th century CE to the 18th century.[5][6] Because of these many invasions, Northwestern South Asia has significant influences from various sources outside of South Asia, mainly from the Muslim world. Prior to Islamic influence, the region was largely Hindu and Buddhist, and was home to hotbeds of Buddhist activity such as Gandhara.[7]

All countries in the region have border disputes with each other, with Afghanistan and Pakistan disputing the validity of the Durand Line.[8][9][10]

History

Greek invasions of Northwestern South Asia over 2,000 years ago produced the Indo-Greek Kingdom and a syncretised culture.[11]

Sindh was the first region in the subcontinent to be conquered by Muslims, falling to the Umayyad Caliphate in the first Islamic century.[12] During the subsequent Muslim invasions of the region, the religion of Sikhism was born, producing a warrior class with affinities to both Hindus and Muslims that was persecuted by and that fought against the invaders.[13] Buddhism vanished from the region during Muslim rule, prompted by persecution and conversions.[14]

Modern era

The end of colonial rule in the region saw most Indian Muslims in Northwestern South Asia become part of the new nation of Pakistan during the 1947 Partition of India.[15]

The 20th and 21st centuries saw Afghanistan invaded several times, with the Taliban having intermittently been in charge of the country.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kachmar, Oleh (18 June 2020). "China Joins India and Pakistan in the Kashmir Battlespace". New Lines Institute. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Decline of the Indus River Valley Civilization (c. 3300-1300 BCE)". Climate in Arts and History. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Thornton, Christopher P.; Cable, Charlotte (2016), Introduction: Between Two Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, ISBN 978-1-934536-06-3, retrieved 5 October 2023
  4. ↑ South Asia’s Geography of Conflict https://www.files.ethz.ch/ Robert D. Kaplan
  5. ↑ Thornton, Christopher P.; Cable, Charlotte (2016), Introduction: Between Two Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, ISBN 978-1-934536-06-3, retrieved 5 October 2023
  6. ↑ Anjum, Tanvir (2007). "The Emergence of Muslim Rule in India: Some Historical Disconnects and Missing Links". Islamic Studies. 46 (2): 217–240. ISSN 0578-8072. JSTOR 20839068.
  7. ↑ Neelis, Jason (2010). Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange within and beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-19458-8.
  8. ↑ "Pakistan says two killed after cross-border firing from Afghan forces in Chaman". Arab News. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Durand Line". education.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Lines of (In)Convenience: Sovereignty and Border-Making in Postcolonial South Asia, 1947–1965". read.dukeupress.edu. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Behrendt, Kurt (1 January 2004). The Buddhist Architecture of Gandhāra. BRILL. doi:10.1163/9789047412571. ISBN 978-90-04-13595-6.
  12. ↑ "How Colonial Myths About the Arrival of Muslims in Sindh Still Divide the South Asian Mind". The Wire. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Singh, Pashaura (2023), Kitts, Margo (ed.), "Sikhism: Exploring the Notion of a Righteous War (Dharam Yudh)", The Cambridge Companion to Religion and War, Cambridge Companions to Religion, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 141–163, ISBN 978-1-108-88407-5, retrieved 5 October 2023
  14. ↑ Truschke, Audrey (2018). "The Power of the Islamic Sword in Narrating the Death of Indian Buddhism". History of Religions. 57 (4): 406–435. doi:10.1086/696567. ISSN 0018-2710. S2CID 165825418.
  15. ↑ "Why the Partition of India and Pakistan still casts a long shadow over the region". History. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "A historical timeline of Afghanistan". PBS NewsHour. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
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