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ii
His history, too, is a checkered one. Sometimes he is establishing vast and powerful empires, extending to thousands of miles, with great centres of trade and arts, while at others he is involved in chaos and anarchy, destroying with his own hands the towering edifice he has created.
His geographical environment has had a deep and lasting effect on his customs, character, clothes and even his way of thinking. The mountainous and the uneven terrain of the country presents a very serious problem for the construction of roads. This lack of means of transportation as well as of communications has made journeys and thereby interchange of customs and ideas a very difficult task. It has resulted in dividing the people into clans and tribes, each leading for the most part an isolated and independent life preserving its peculiar dialect, culture and customs. Under a strong ruler, who would weld them together, the Afghans have achieved marvels, while a weak one would pave the way for internal discord and feuds.
Afghanistan, since a very early time, had been on the cross-roads of world trade and a meeting ground of various nations and different culture
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.