Tour Guide, Lahore, Pakistan
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The Great Game
The term “The Great Game” was first used by Rudyard Kipling in his book Kim. It refers to the competition between Russia and British in the 1800s to win control on Central Asia, and especially Afghanistan. Both imperial powers wanted to expend their spheres of influence. British knew that historically; most invaders of India had arrived from the north. Russia meanwhile, feared that if the British managed to establish themselves in Central Asia, they could threaten Russia itself.
At the start of the 19th century, much of Central Asia was unknown territory. The first for both London and Moscow was to deploy spies. Disguised as holy men, local traders and scholars, these young imperialists risked and sometimes lost their lives drawing secret maps and trying to win local rulers' confidence (Khans).