became the first writer to publish the first books printed in independent Afghanistan. The rise of poetry Afghan poetry and culture has a long history dating back to the rise of Sufism. Poetry was written in various shared languages such as Persian, Dari, Pashto, and very few in Urdu. Poetry in foreign languages such as English and Turkic also has a strong influence on Afghan poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within the country. In particular, many Afghan poets have been inspired by mystical and Sufism experiences. Afghan poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition. In Afghanistan, poetic expression exists for centuries. The great poet Rumi was an Afghan poet who wrote in Dari language throughout his life. Other poets also wrote in Dari, however several other poets were deeply influenced by Persian, Pashto and Arabic Languages. Modern women usually write the traditional Afghan poetry form, consisting of two lines of rhyme, called landay. Authors and poets Proverbs Afghan proverbs are generally simple, concrete, and traditional saying. They usually express a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Some proverbs are categorised by the events occurred in real life or based on imagination facts that temporarily create objects, peoples and ideas without any immediate input of the senses. Afghan proverbs primarily exist in two officially recognised languages. Unrecognised or anonymous proverbs exist in more than two languages because people borrow them from foreign or regional languages similar to Afghan languages. References Further reading Afghan culture Afghan literature