Kite Runner & the History of Afganistan

  • Baba is born

    Baba, the father of Amir and Hassan is born. Baba is the son of a judge who adopts an orphan Hazara boy, "that boy is Ali.". Ali is the suppossed father of Hassan and one of Baba's closet friends.
  • Amir is born

    Amir, the protagonist, is born. His mother, died giving birth to [him]."(6) This leads to Baba being harder on Amir and possibly the birth of Hassan.
  • Hassan is born

    Baba's friend/servant "son" is born in the hut behind Baba and Amir's house. Hassan was born, "in the winter of 1964."(6) Hassan is born about a year after Baba's wife gives birth to Amir, which may have led to Hassan's birth.
  • Baba's orphanage is finished

    Around 1972 Baba finishes his orphanage which, "Baba had personally funded." (13) In Baba's attempts to atone for his sins against Ali he builds an orphanage. Ali was an orphan so he would appriciate Baba's work.
  • Assef threatens Amir and Hassan

    Assef, the neighboorood bully, whom Amir calls a, "Sociopath" (38) threatens Amir and Hassan. Assef worships Hitler and wants to do the same in Afganistan what Hitler did in Europe, except Assef wants to eradicate the Hazaran people.
  • Hassan gets surgery

    For Hassan's birthday Baba gets Amir, "Dr. Kumar... a plastic surgeon." (45) Baba gets Hassan a birthday present every year because Hassan is actually Baba's son and Baba feels obliged to get him a present.
  • Amir wins kite Running contest

    Amir enters the Kite Running contest and wins while hassan shouts, "bravo, Amir agha." (66) Hassan is truly happy that Amir wins the contest and this contest helps Amir gain Baba's approval.
  • Hassan's rape

    After Amir wins the kite running contest, Hassan heads to retrive the kite that Amir cuts. After Hassan retrives the kite he is cornered and violated by Assef while Amir, "was afraid of getting hurt."(77) This is the first example of Assef's mental instability which leads to trouble farther down the road.
  • Pomegranite

    Amir feels guilty about letting Hassan get raped and he screams at Hassan to, "hit [him] back."(92) Amir is trying to relieve himself of the guilt by aving Hassan take revenge on him. Hassan however does not take revenge and instead smears himself with pomegranite.
  • Amir's 13th birthday party

    Amir turns 13 two years before Russia's invasion of Afganistan. Baba, "invites the whole world," (93) and gifts upon gifts are being handed to Amir. Amir hides money and his new watch under Hassan's mattress in an attempt to get him to leave, which ends up being what happens.
  • Soviet Union invades

    The Soviet Union occupied Afganistan for 9 years and wanted, "to replace Hafizullah Amin, the Afghan leader, who had lost their trust."
  • Period: to

    Afganistan History

  • Baba and Amir leave Afganistan

    Baba deems Afganistan is no longer safe and leaves with Amir. Baba quickly gets into a fight with a Russian officer defending a young women, "[he'll] take a thousand... bullets before I let this indecency take place." Even though this is a very delicate situation, Baba still stands up for others.
  • Baba and Amir arrive in America

    Baba and Amir arrive in the Bay Area and Baba begins work at a convinience store and Amir enrolls in high school. Amir was, "the oldest senior" and recieved his diploma. Baba reveals that he is extremely proud of Amir and wants him to go to college.
  • Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer

    Baba is diagnosed with, "Oat cell Carcinoma,"(156) and doesn't have long to live. Baba refuses the chemo therapy because of his pride. This shows how even in the face of death Baba will not disgrace himself.
  • Advanced Stinger Missiles Developed

    The updated version of the anti-aircraft missile led to the,
    "Soviet Air Force [being] rendered largely useless."
  • Amir marries Soraya Taheri

    Amir falls in love with General Taheri's daughter and has Baba ask the General for is daughter's hand in marriage. Baba tells Amir that, "the gerneral accepted," and they will be wed very soon. Amir has only been very close with Baba and Rahim Kahn, Soraya becomes his most trusted person.
  • Baba dies

    Baba dies of lung cancer a month after Amir's wedding. Baba had, "marks... left on people's lives,"(174) he touched all of them. So much of Amir had been defined by Baba and Amir realizes that he will have to find his own way.
  • Soviet Occupation ends

    The United Nations moderated, "Peace Talks," and the Soviets left in Febuary 1989.The Soviet troops left Afganistan after nine years of occupation, losing, "15,000 lives," in the process.
  • Pakistan provides aid to Taliban

    Pakistan supported the Taliban enough to provide, "arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men."Without Pakistani aid the Taliban might've died out.
  • Power divided among Warlords

    Without the Soviet Union occupation, a war for the remaining land surfaced, "by the summer of 1994 power was anarchially divided." It became a free for all with different warlords strifing for power.
  • Mullah Omar, pushed the Warlords to the North and East

    Mullah Omar was the leader of the Taliban and had, "nearly 12,000 followers." He won much popular support from the people, promising to support Islam.
  • Taliban takes control of Afganistan

    With the support of the people, and military aid from Pakistan the, "Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afganistan."
  • Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda seek refuge under Taliban

    Osama Bin Laden had become a target for the US and Afgahnistan provided a refuge for him. He "promise[d] of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life," which gained him popular support.
  • Amir rescues Sohrab and goes to America

    Amir finds out that Hassan died and that Hassan was his half-brother from Rahim Kahn. Amir goes to Afganistan to adopt Hassan's son and after a struggle with Assef, Sorhab saves Amir and they both wake up later in a hospital. After many political disagreements Amir is allowed to bring Sorhab to the US.
  • Al Qaeda attacks World Trade Center and US invades

    Osama Bin Laden directed an attack on the US by having his men hijack planes and pilot them into the world trade center.
  • Hamid Karzai elected president of Afganistan

    After the world trade center attacks and the US invasion, the US drove te Taliban out and held a free election.