Bibliotheca Afghanica
The Bibliotheca Afghanica comprises over 300 linear meters of specialist literature on Afghanistan and neighbouring regions. In addition, there are various special collections and bequests containing cartographic material, archival documents and images.
The Bibliotheca Afghanica was founded in 1974 on the initiative of the Swiss couple Paul and Veronika Bucherer-Dietschi. Initially, the focus was on the nature, culture and history of Afghanistan. In the years following the Soviet invasion in 1979, the collection was expanded to include information about the war, the development of the Soviet occupation and the resistance of the population. It also traces the change from a pending Islam characterized by Sufism to the jihadism of the Mujaheddin.
in 2023, the Bibliotheca Afghanica was bequeathed to the University Library Basel. The globally unique collection will now be gradually integrated into the university library, professionally archived and made available to researchers and the public.
The University Library Basel and the Bibliotheca Afghanica Foundation are grateful for the substantial contributions from the Swisslos Fonds Basel-Stadt and from the Sulger Foundation, which are being used to incorporate the Bibliotheca Afghanica's holdings.
Some focal points of the collection
Bequest of Peter Lumsden on the Afghan Boundary Commission of 1885/86
The Afghan Boundary Commission of 1885/86 was an agreement between Great Britain and the Russian Empire to define the north-western border of Afghanistan. Peter Lumsden played an important role as the British representative and was instrumental in the negotiations and in determining the course of the border.
Materials: cartographic material, photographs, archival material, printed documents
Bequest and photo collection of Werner Otto von Hentig, Günther Voigt and Emil Rybitschka documenting the Hentig-Niedermayer expedition of 1915
The Hentig-Niedermayer Expedition was a German diplomatic and military mission to Afghanistan in 1915 with the aim of mobilizing Afghan support against the influence of Great Britain. Oskar von Niedermayer and Werner Otto von Hentig led the expedition. Emil Rybitschka was an Austrian officer who had escaped from Russian captivity in Central Asia to Afghanistan and joined the German mission, but only received permission from the Emir to return to Austria after the end of the war.
Materials: Photographs, slides, archive material, printed matter, special collections (Poulaines)
The German Hindu Kush Expedition of 1935, led by Arnold Scheibe, aimed to explore the flora, fauna and ethnic diversity of the region. The expedition pursued both scientific intentions and political-colonial interests. It had excellent technical equipment and the University Library's holdings contain correspondingly high-quality photographic material.
Materials: slides, printed documents, photographs, documentation
Photographs of Afghanistan by Rudolf Stuckert, Albert E. Engler and Alf de Spindler 1940-1946
In 1940, Alfred E. Engler took a picture of Rudolf Stuckert: He is standing with an Afghan greyhound in front of the door of the house they shared in Kabul, with a lovingly painted basel stick on the front door directly behind him. This photo is a vivid illustration of the importance of networking history. The photographic estates of the three Swiss architects and photographers Alfred E. Engler, Rudolf Stuckert and Alf de Spindler comprehensively document the everyday and working lives of three Swiss nationals during the Second World War in Afghanistan, a country that was very isolated at the time and had a small expatriate community. At the same time, the three collections represent a unique reference collection worldwide, which is invaluable for questions of architectural history, urban and rural development and demography, as well as for many social science issues.
The Bibliotheca Afghanica comprises a multi-part collection that documents the milieu of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet occupation. This includes around 22 linear meters of smaller publications (tracts, pamphlets) as well as several series of high-quality lithographic posters, which entered the Bibliotheca Afghanica's holdings directly from the Pakistani printing presses. The collection also includes wall calendars, wall newspapers, several series of propaganda matchboxes, pins, finger rings, stickers and other materials.
Materials: single-sheet prints, lithographs, brochures, etc.