The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has attended Taraweeh prayers in Kabul along with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, President of the National Council of Ulema in Afghanistan, Chairman of the Consitution Commission and a number of ministers and ambassadors.
The President has just returned from Iran, where he attended the inauguration of Dr Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s new president. Leaders and officials from 55 countries attended the inauguration ceremony, which saw Dr Rouhani become the seventh leader of the Central Asian nation.
Upon his return, President Karzai attended the mosque in Kabul for the service. Taraweeh prayers are night time prayers said during ramadan – the fasting month for Muslims. However, the month of ramadan is not expected to last beyond Friday. Eid ul-Fitr will be announced in the next few days, depending upon sightings of the moon.
In This Story: Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south; Iran to the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north; and China to the northeast.
Occupying 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi), it is a mountainous country with plains in the north and southwest. Kabul is the capital and largest city. The population is around 32 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks.
Iran, also called Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. Its central location in Eurasia and proximity to the Strait of Hormuz give it significant geostrategic importance. Tehran is the capital and largest city.
Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. The Iranian Revolution established the current Islamic Republic in 1979.
Iran’s political system combines elements of a presidential democracy and an Islamic theocracy. Iran is a founding member of the UN, ECO, OIC, and OPEC. It is a major regional and middle power and has large reserves of fossil fuels — including the world’s largest natural gas supply and the third largest proven oil reserves.
The country’s rich cultural legacy is reflected in part by its 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Historically a multi-ethnic country, Iran remains a pluralistic society comprising numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups, the largest being Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Mazandaranis and Lurs.
