During this Library of Congress webcast Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, a professor of history at James Madison University, discusses the complexity, innovation, redundancy and contradictions in the cartographic history of modern maps of Afghanistan. He focused specifically on 18th and 19th century mapping projects that emanated from British India.
This story map describes the rivalry between England and Russia as their spheres of influence in Mughal India, Turkestan and Persia moved closer to each other in South-Central Asia until they met in the newly formed nation state of Afghanistan.
This site includes images of materials pertaining to Afghanistan that were gathered during the World Digital Library Project. The site includes maps, printed materials, drawings and manuscripts from the collections of the Library of Congress and items contributed by partner organizations.
Other Institutions with Images of Maps of Afghanistan
The Afghan Data Digital Archives of the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University (ACKU) has images of 371 digitized maps on their site. The images can be accessed by typing the keyword map in the search box.
The Landsat program for acquiring satellite imagery began in 1972 and continues to this day. Landsat is a joint NASA/USGS program. This site provides a gallery of Landsat images of areas in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
Links to images of thematic, topographical, and historical maps of Afghanistan are available on this site. The site includes links to aeronautical charts for historical and reference use, and links to maps of Afghanistan that are available on other websites.