Afghanistan

Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on stamps of Afghanistan

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Contents:
Afghanistan officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in Central Asia. It has a population of approximately 31 million people. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and China in the far northeast. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era, and the country's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia.

Regular letter from Afghanistan, with stamps of preehistooric animals from 1988, sent to USA in 1990
Regular letter from Afghanistan, with stamps of preehistooric animals from 1988, sent to USA in 1990

The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the "Great Game" between British India and the Russian Empire. Following the 1919 Anglo-Afghan War, King Amanullah and King Mohammed Zahir Shah attempted modernization of the country. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. [R1]

The disruption of governance in the late 80s and early 90s due to civil war and the Taliban, halted the issuing of stamps from 1989 to 2001, when the Taliban regime was overthrown and the Afghan Postal Authority resumed postal operations. During this period, many unofficial stamps were printed and distributed, which are defined as illegal by the Afghanistan postal services in UPU circular No. 345 from 21 August 2000 [R2]


Official stamps of Afghanistan that related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals

06.06.1988 "Prehistoric animals"
Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on stamps of Afghanistan 1988



Illegal stamps of Afghanistan that related to Paleontology: prehistoric animals

05.11.1996 "Modern and prehistoric horses" 30.05.1998 "Prehistoric animals"
Modern and prehistoric horses on illegal stamps of Afghanistan 1996 Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on illegal stamps of Afghanistan 1988



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Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page .


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