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1933 - Baba's birthday
During the novel, "The Kite Runner", Amir was expressing the importance of the year, 1933, and how it was,"the year Baba was born and the year Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan" (24). This event was a significant event for Afghan history, because the forty-year reign of Zahir Shah, has affected Afghanistan. The novel relates to the outside world when it was Baba's birthday, it was also when the king starts his reign. -
1973 - Reign Reign Go Away
Later in the book, there were sounds of gunfire that filled the streets, but soon after, Amir had found out that, "the monarchy was a thing of the past. The King...was away... [and] in his absence his cousin had ended his forty-year reign with a bloodless coup" (36). This had impacted Amir, and the other families that were there, because they'd never heard gunfire on the streets. The homes of their loved ones and the streets that they play on, had been corrupted by the sounds on guns and bombs. -
1975 - The Last Run
When winter comes, Amir and Hassan are beyond excited about kite running, but after they had won the kite running contest, Amir mentions that it was, "in the winter of 1975, [he] saw Hassan run a kite for the last time" (54). This event was significant because it was the lat time Amir saw Hassan happy again. Furthermore, after they had won the tournament, Hassan was raped by Assef, and tom there on after, Hassan was no longer the same. -
1975 - Throw Back Call
In the start of the novel, Amir expressed how, "[he] became what [he is] today at the age of twelve...in the winter of 1975...one day last summer, [his] friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan" (1). This was the first thing that Amir had said in the begging of the novel, which relates back later on in the book. This is a significant event, because this was a symbol for what will happen later on in the book. -
1976 - Peace and Anonymity
During the Summer of 1976, Amir, "turned thirteen, [and it that summer was] Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity" (93). For Amir it was a big moment, because it was a symbolic birthday in his time, but for Afghanistan, it was the last summer of peace, because soon after, war was coming there way. This was a significant time, for both Amir and Afghanistan, because, for Amir he was taking one more step into his manhood, and for Afghanistan, it was on step in their history. -
1978 - coup d'état
As gunfire and bombs were being set off, and Amire and Hassan, along with many other Afghan civilians, were huddled together, Amir think about, "the end, the official end, [that] would come first in April 1978 with the communist coup d'état" (36). During a time of trauma and a frightening event, Amir felt that the end of the world was coming, and in a way, there was a world of hurt that was coming for Afghanistan. Amir knows that the events that occurred in Afghanistan was pretty much the end. -
1979 - Russian tanks
As Amir continues to talk about the unfortunate events that has fallen upon Afghanistan and talk about, "in December 1979, the Russian tanks would roll up into the very streets where Hassan and [Amir] played, bringing the death of Aghanistan" (36). Another event that struck Amir to believe that the end of the world was coming, was when the Soviet Union came to say hello. With all the stuff that Amir has to go through, adding other problems to it, seems to be too much for Amir. -
Soviet Union invasion - 1979
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. As stated in the article in The New York Times, it was in December 27, 1979, when "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul... to assist Babrak Karmal", (NYT, 2). The Soviet troops then stayed in Afghanistan for about nine years, in which cost them about 15,000 lives, while fighting a conflict. -
Period: to
Afghanistan timeline
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1981 - on the road to America
Furthermore into the novel, Hassan and Ali leave Baba and Amir, devastated Baba and Amir decide to leave to go to America, and along the way Amir expresses how, "[his] innards had been roiling since [they'd] left Kabul just after two in the morning" (110). This was an important event for Amir and Baba, because it was the year they had moved from Kabul, to America. Moreover, this was momentous decision that they had made, considering everything that was happening in Afghanistan. -
1986 - Hazarajat
As the novel continues, Amir explains that "there were a lot of reasons why [he] went to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986. [But] the biggest one... was that [he] was lonely"(202). This was a significant event for Amir for not only because he went to find Hassan, but because he had finally admitted to himself what he was truly feeling. This is significant because Amir never truly admits that he feels lonely without Hassan by his side, and he finally does so. -
1986 - RIP
Further along, Amir finds out the truth of what happened to Hassan, Amir realizes how, "Hassan would have been a grown man in 1986, twenty-two, twenty-three ears old. If he was alive that is - the Shorawi... killed so many of our young men" (204). This was an important event for Amir, because when he went back searching for Hassan, to find out what had happened was devastating. This shows how much the war in Afghanistan effects people's lives. -
Soviet Troops Retreat - 1989
In the article, it mentions how when, "Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1889...They left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe" (NYT 2). This quote from the text, shows how Afghanistan was left broken, ultimately falling under the rule of Islamic extremists, such as Osama bin Laden, and the group Al Qaeda. -
1990 - The girl
"the group's first action occurred when Mullah Omar, a Pashtun who had lost an eye fighting the Soviets, gathered a small band of men and attacked group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head", (NYT 2).This was an important even, because it was the first action the Taliban had taken, fighting for the girl who had gotten raped. This shows how the Taliban is fighting against the Soviet Union. -
1992 - Rockets
As the novel continues, Amir remembers, "the Bala Hissar Fort - the ancient citadel that the warlord Dostum had occupied in 1992... [on the] mountains from which Mujahedin forces had showered Kabul with rockets between 1992 and 1996" (245). This event was significant because Kabul was Amir's home, and for his home to be showered with rockets and bombs, was a devastating thing. Amir remembers this and relates to the pain he is feeling with the pain he felt when that event had occurred. -
The Summer of 1994
In the article, it mentions the summer of 1994, and what happened, as stated, "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided," (NYT 2). After the Soviet troops left, it caused the country to fall under certain individuals that were competing to gain control, resulting in chaos and destruction effecting both sides. This conflict between the warlords and the individual fiefdoms caused an anarchy divided among them. -
1996-2001 - Overview
In the beginning of the article, the author begins to introduce the extremist group, that, "had been given safe haven in the country by the Taliban, the extremist Islamic group that had seized control in 1996 after years of civil war," (NYT 1). -
1996 - The War's Over?
In the novel, the citizens of Afghanistan, including Amir were scared everyday from the war, but everyone, "celebrated in 1996 when the Taliban rolled in and put an end to the daily fighting" (213). Furthermore into this, the Taliban had taken something away from Afghanistan when they had promised that there would be no more bombs and death, they gave people hope and happiness. It was later on, that they figured out that the war was not over, when they struck soon after. -
1996 - Taliban in control
Further more into the article, the author introduces the event which happened when, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic Law... forcing women out of schools and into all-envoloping burqa clothing," (NYT 3). -
1996 - Mr. bin Laden
Another important event that was brought up by the author in the article, was that, "the Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by charactered jet at Jalalabad Airport in My 1996 forAl Qaeda," (NYT 3). -
1998 - Broken Kite
Later on, "the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later...they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif" (213). Kite fighting for Afghanistan and for Amir and everyone else, was something everyone enjoyed and looked forward to during the winters, and when the Taliban denied them of this, they took something very valuable. Not only did they take something away from the Afghanistan citizens, but to then massacre an entire group of Hazara, this proves how intensely the war affected people. -
2001 - Rahim Khan
As the novel continues, and while the Afghanistan and the U.S. are in a war, Amir decides that he has, " to go to Pakistan... [because] Rahim Khan is very sick" (191). During this time period, The 9/11 incident was happening, and America is in shock, but this event is significant to Amir, because of Rahim Khan. To elaborate this was an important event to not only the U.S., but also to Amir, because Rahim Khan meant so much to Amir, and now that he is sick, Amir ricks everything to back for him. -
2001 - Back Home
Later in the novel, after everything that happened in Afghanistan, Amir finally, "[arrives back] home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001" (357). This was an important event, because Amir finally go back home to America safely. After everything that he has gone through, when he comes back home, he is beyond relieved. -
2001 - 9/11
The author then mentions the tragic event, "the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001," (NYT 3). -
2001 - Taliban's defeat
In the article, the author mentions the Taliban's defeat, and ," despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage a guerrilla warfare," (NYT 3). -
1994 - Mullah Omar
In the article, the author mentions, that, "By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar...[made a] promise of restoring the centrality if Islam to daily lit, created a... popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality," (NYT 2).