Afghanistan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Afghanistan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 27 different states, among them Afghanistan, Suren Kingdom, Ghaznavid Emirate, Safavid Empire, Achaemenid Empire.
AfghanistanExplore the history of Afghanistan in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Afghanistan as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Afghanistan, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Historic cities in Afghanistan
Famous people of Afghanistan
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Afghanistan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Afghanistan belonged to Afghanistan, Suren Kingdom, Ghaznavid Emirate, Safavid Empire, Achaemenid Empire, Timurid Emirates, along with 21 other states.
What was Afghanistan part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Afghanistan lay within Ghaznavid Emirate.
What was Afghanistan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Afghanistan lay within Timurid Emirates.
What was Afghanistan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Afghanistan lay within Afghanistan.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.