Straddling the line between Asia and Europe, Afghanistan has always been a test for would-be conquerors of one continent or the other. In fact, two of the best-known conquerors in all of world history both swept through the Central Asian country of Afghanistan: Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan.

Alexander in Afghanistan

Over 2,300 years ago, Alexander the Great—a Macedonian prince—ruled a vast empire, controlling its land and wealth. He built his empire by subduing and uniting various Greek city-states. By the time he died, he had spread his power from Egypt to India.

After uniting the Greeks, the 22-year-old conqueror declared war on the once-great Persian Empire. The war began at the Hellspont, also known as the Dardenelles, located in modern-day Turkey.

In order to fully conquer the remnants of the Persian Empire, Alexander had to make it to Punjab in northern India. This required overthrowing the Achaemians, a tribe that once ruled Afghanistan.

By the time he was 29, Alexander’s task had been accomplished. He and his army marched through the Khawak Pass in the Hindu Kush—unforgiving mountains later known as the “killer of Hindus”—and into Pakistan and India.

Though Alexander had overthrown the Afghan’s former rulers, the people of Afghanistan weren’t fond of the Greeks. Alexander’s rule was plagued by constant revolts. After his death at age 33, most of Afghanistan came under the rule of the Selucid dynasty, which ruled from Babylon.

Alexander’s short-lived control of Afghanistan did succeed in spreading Greek culture much further than any who preceded, or came before, him.

Khan Conquers the Land Beyond the Kush

As Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan in his march east, Genghis Khan later marched westward through the nation on his way to challenge the Persians, the people who now inhabit Iran.

Born over a thousand years after Alexander, Genghis began life as a robber baron. He spent his youth uniting warring Mongol tribes. By the time he was 40, he was proclaimed Great Khan, ruler of all Mongols.

With the Mongols united behind him, Khan was prepared to embark on more foreign conquests. First, he overran northern China and attacked and sacked Beijing. Leaving the conquest of northern China to his lieutenants, Khan then returned to Central Asia.

His western territory lay against the poorly organized empire of Sultan Muhammed. When the Sultan’s men killed Khan’s ambassadors, the Mongols seized the opportunity and declared war. Khan and his forces took control of the lands now known as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Tukmenistan before finally crossing into Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, Genghis Khan—still a robber baron at heart—destroyed the irrigation systems set up by previous rulers. He became known for turning much of Afghanistan into permanent desert.