Abstract
Abstract Badakhshan is a historical region spanning the present-day territories of northeastern Afghanistan and eastern Tajikistan, as well as bordering districts of northern Pakistan and northwestern China. This mountainous region was historically significant on account of its position as a key transit point for trade between China and western Eurasia, as well as for its gem mines. The region held a largely peripheral position within the Muslim world down to the 12th century. Its status changed significantly in the wake of the Mongol conquests, from which Badakhshan emerged as a notably enlarged and autonomous kingdom, one which thereafter played an important role in the political history of Central Asia and Afghanistan. However, neighboring empires continued to encroach on the region throughout the 18th and 19th century, and by the end of the 19th century, the region had permanently lost its autonomy and was partitioned between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire.