Overview

Masson was one of the most remarkable of British explorers, who wandered over the Punjab, Baluchistan and Afghanistan, between 1827 and 1840, usually alone and on foot. In Kabul he collected vast quantities of coins which revealed previously unknown Graeco-Bactrian and Kushan monarchs and excavated a large number of Buddhist monuments. During his Afghan sojourn he became both an intimate of local amirs and warlords, and a reluctant participant in the Great Game. Masson's detailed observations of political intrigues, factional strife and social divides among the Afghan population retain significant relevance today, in our attempts to understand this complexand fractious society.

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9781778252242

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"""Sir Gordon puts us vastly in debt by providing Masson's first biography. From this start research may begin to clear up remaining obscurities, yet Masson's personality will probably always remain an enigma."" ADH Bivar, Bulletin of the SOAS, London, Vol. 51, Iss. 3. ""Masson is a figure of great importance in the early exploration of Afghanistan; a biography of him is therefore very welcome."" PHB Baker, South Asian Studies, Vol. 3, Iss. 1 ""Masson, a brilliant deserter from the East India Company artillery, was the first Brit to explore Afghanistan on foot, and became the father of Afghan archaeology-until his former masters discovered his true identity and blackmailed him into becoming a secret agent."" William Dalrymple (the present volume is no. 3 on Dalrymple's list of ""Top 10 on Afghanistan"")"

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