Caravans And Trade In Afghanistan

Beskrivelse

Discover the story of the Hazarbuz, a Pashtun Mohmand subgroup, who have been caravan traders along the historic Silk Road route in East Afghanistan. This book explores their journey from a nomadic lifestyle to life in bazaars and refugee camps over the past century.

An in-depth look at the socio-economic and political evolution of the Hazarbuz community through trade and migration.

The Hazarbuz have long been involved in caravan trading along the route to Turkestan, a path deeply connected to the ancient Silk Road linking East and West. This book follows their transformation from pastoral nomads to settled traders, first in Afghan bazaars and later in the crowded refugee camps of Pakistan, where many sought refuge after 1979.

Drawing on the author Birthe Frederiksen’s extensive fieldwork and limited available literature, the book examines the historical forces that both encouraged and compelled the Hazarbuz to shift from camel transport to active trade starting in the 1920s.

While the Hazarbuz exported various Afghan products to the Indus lowlands, their primary income was derived from importing and selling tea in northern Afghanistan. The book places this economic shift within a broader context of cultural and political change, paying special attention to kinship, social organization, and community solidarity.

Additional features include:

• Appendix detailing fieldwork among the Hazarbuz
• Comprehensive bibliography
• Glossary and index
• 184 illustrations (86 in color) and 9 maps showing ethnic distributions, migration routes, and caravan paths

Published in 1995 as part of The Carlsberg Foundation's Nomad Research Project, this 294-page hardcover offers valuable insights closely related to works by Gorm Pedersen and Klaus Ferdinand, along with Asta Olesen’s studies on Afghan itinerant communities.

Birthe Frederiksen, a social anthropologist, conducted field research among pastoral nomads and bazaar merchants in Afghanistan in 1975 and continued her studies in Pakistani refugee camps in 1988.

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