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Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. According to late 2022 estimates, the population of Kabul was 13.5 million people. In contemporary times, the city has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural, and economical centre, and rapid urbanisation has made Kabul the 75th-largest city in the world and the country's
primate city A primate city is a city that is the largest in its country, province, Federated state, state, or region, and disproportionately larger than any others in the urban hierarchy. A ''primate city distribution'' is a rank-size distribution that has on ...
. The modern-day city of Kabul is located high up in a narrow valley between the Hindu Kush, and is bounded by the Kabul River. At an elevation of , it is one of the highest capital cities in the world. Kabul is said to be over 3,500 years old, mentioned since at least the time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Located at a crossroads in Asia—roughly halfway between Istanbul, Turkey, in the west and
Hanoi, Vietnam Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
, in the east—it is situated in a strategic location along the trade routes of Central Asia and South Asia, and was a key destination on the ancient
Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
; It was traditionally seen as the meeting point between Tartary, India, and Persia. Kabul has also been under the rule of various other dynasties and empires, including the Seleucids, the Kushans, the
Hindu Shahis The Hindu Shahis (also known as Odi Shahis, Uḍi Śāhis, or Brahman Shahis, 822–1026 CE) were a dynasty that held sway over the Kabul Valley, Gandhara and western Punjab during the early medieval period in the Indian subcontinent. Details r ...
, Western Turks, the Turk Shahis, the Samanids, the Khwarazmians, the Timurids, and the Mongols, among others. In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire used Kabul as an initial summer capital, during which time it increasingly prospered and increased in significance. It briefly came under the control of the Afsharids following Nader Shah's invasion of India, until finally becoming coming under local rule by the
Afghan Empire Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pash ...
in 1747; Kabul became the capital of Afghanistan in 1776, during the reign of Timur Shah Durrani (a son of
Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahm ...
). In the 19th century, the city was occupied by the British, but after establishing foreign relations and agreements, they were compelled to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan and returned to British India. Kabul is known for its historical gardens, bazaars, and palaces; well-known examples are the Gardens of Babur and Darul Aman Palace, as well as the
Arg Arg or ARG may refer to: Places *''Arg'' () means "citadel" in Persian, and may refer to: **Arg, Iran, a village in Fars Province, Iran **Arg (Kabul), presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan **Arg, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan P ...
. In the second half of the 20th century, it became a stop on the hippie trail undertaken by many Europeans, and the city also gained the nickname " Paris of Central Asia" during this time. However, this period of tranquility ended in 1978 with the
Saur Revolution The Saur Revolution or Sowr Revolution ( ps, د ثور انقلاب; prs, إنقلاب ثور), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ...
and subsequent Soviet military intervention in 1979, which sparked the protracted Soviet–Afghan War until 1989. The 1990s were marked by continuous civil wars between various splinter factions of the disbanded Afghan mujahideen, which destroyed much of the city. In 1996, Kabul was captured by the Taliban after four years of intermittent fighting with other Afghan factions. However, the Taliban-ruled city soon fell to the United States after the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. In 2021, Kabul was re-captured by the Taliban following the withdrawal of American-led military forces from Afghanistan.


Toponymy and etymology

Kabul (, ; ps, کابل ', ; prs, کابل ', ) is also spelled as Cabool, Cabol, Kabol, or Cabul. Kabul was known by different names throughout history. Its meaning is unknown, but "certainly pre-dates the advent of Islam when it was an important centre on the route between India and the
Hellenic world Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
". In Sanskrit, it was known as ''Kubha'', whereas Greek authors of classical antiquity referred to it as ''Kophen'', ''Kophes'' or ''Koa''. The Chinese traveler Xuanzang (fl. 7th century CE) recorded the city as ''Kaofu''(高附). The name "Kabul" was first applied to the Kabul river before being applied to the area situated between the Hindu Kush and
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
(present-day Pakistan). This area was also known as Kabulistan.
Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly ...
(died 1893) noted in the 19th century that ''Kaofu'' as recorded by the Chinese was in all likelihood the name of "one of the five Yuchi or Tukhari tribes". Cunningam added that this tribe gave its name to the city after it was occupied by them in the 2nd century BCE. This "supposition seems likely" as the Afghan historian Mir Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar (1898–1978) wrote that in the Avesta (sacred book of Zoroastrianism), Kabul was known as ''Vaekereta'', whereas the Greeks of antiquity referred to it as ''Ortospana'' ("High Place"), which corresponds to the Sanskrit word ''Urddhastana'', which was applied to Kabul. The Greek geographer Ptolemy (died CE) recorded Kabul as ''Καβουρα'' (''Kabura''). According to a legend, one could find a lake in Kabul, in the middle of which the so-called "Island of Happiness" could be found, where a joyous family of musicians lived. According to this same legend, the island became accessible by the order of a king through the construction of a bridge (i.e. "pul" in Persian) made out of straw (i.e. "kah" in Persian). According to this legend the name Kabul was thus formed as a result of these two words combined, i.e. ''kah'' + ''pul''. The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names'' argues that the "suggestion that the name is derived from the Arabic root ''qbl'' ‘meeting’ or ‘receiving’ is unlikely". It remains unknown when the name "Kabul" was first applied to the city. However, it "came into prominence" following the destruction of Kapisa and other cities in what is present-day Afghanistan by
Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...
(c. 1162–1227) in the thirteenth century. Due to the centrality of the city within the region, as well as its cultural importance as a nexus of ethnic groups in the region, Kabul became known as the Paris of Central Asia in the late 20th century.


History


Antiquity

The origin of Kabul, who built it and when, is largely unknown.Adamec, p.231 The Hindu Rigveda, composed between 2000 and 1500 BC and one of the four canonical texts of Hinduism, and the Avesta, the primary canon of texts of Zoroastrianism, refer to the Kabul River and to a settlement called ''Kubha''. The Kabul valley was part of the
Median Empire The Medes (Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, the ...
(c. 678–549 BC). In 549 BC, the Median Empire was annexed by
Cyrus The Great Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...
and Kabul became part the
Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...
(c. 550–330 BC). During that period, Kabul became a center of learning for Zoroastrianism, followed by Buddhism and Hinduism. An inscription on
Darius the Great Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...
's tombstone lists Kabul as one of the 29 countries of the Achaemenid Empire. When Alexander annexed the Achaemenid Empire, the Kabul region came under his control. After his death, his empire was seized by his general
Seleucus Seleucus may refer to: Monarchs and other people related to the Seleucid Empire * Seleucus I Nicator (Satrap 311–305 BC, King 305 BC–281 BC), son of Antiochus and founder of the Seleucid Empire * Seleucus II Callinicus (246–225 BC) * Sele ...
, becoming part of the
Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
. In 305 BCE, the
Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
was extended to the
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
which led to friction with the neighbouring
Mauryan Empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
, but it is widely believed that the two empires reached an alliance treaty. During the Mauryan period, trade flourished because of uniform weights and measures. Irrigation facilities for public use were developed leading to an increased harvest of crops. People were also employed as artisans, jewellers, and carpenters. The
Greco-Bactrians The Bactrian Kingdom, known to historians as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom or simply Greco-Bactria, was a Hellenistic-era Greek state, and along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world in Central Asia and the India ...
took control of Kabul from the Mauryans in the early 2nd century BC, then lost the city to their subordinates in the Indo-Greek Kingdom around the mid-2nd century BC. Buddhism was greatly patronised by the rulers and the majority of people of the city were adherents of the religion. Indo-Scythians expelled the Indo-Greeks by the mid 1st century BC, but lost the city to the
Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...
about 100 years later. It is mentioned as ''Kophes'' or ''Kophene'' in some classical writings.
Hsuan Tsang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...
refers to the city as ''Kaofu'' in the 7th century AD, which is the appellation of one of the five tribes of the Yuezhi who had migrated from across the Hindu Kush into the Kabul valley around the beginning of the
Christian era The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...
. It was conquered by Kushan Emperor Kujula Kadphises in about 45 AD and remained Kushan territory until at least the 3rd century AD. The Kushans were Indo-European-speaking peoples based in Bactria (northern Afghanistan). Around 230 AD, the Kushans were defeated by the
Sassanid Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
and replaced by Sassanid vassals known as the
Indo-Sassanids Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom (also called Kushanshahs, KΟÞANΟ ÞAΟ ''or Koshano Shao'' in Bactrian, or Indo-Sasanians) is a historiographic term used by modern scholars to refer to a branch of the Sasanian Persians who established their rule in ...
. During the Sassanian period, the city was referred to as "Kapul" in Pahlavi scripts. Kapol in the Persian language means Royal (ka) Bridge (pol), which is due to the main bridge on the Kabul River that connected the east and west of the city. In 420 AD, the Indo-Sassanids were driven out of Afghanistan by the Xionite tribe known as the
Kidarites The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns, were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna, and in Euro ...
, who were then replaced in the 460s by the Hephthalites. It became part of the surviving
Turk Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...
Shahi Kingdom of Kapisa, also known as ''Kabul-Shahan''. According to ''Táríkhu-l Hind'' by Al-Biruni, Kabul was governed by princes of
Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...
lineage whose rule lasted for about 60 generations. The Kabul rulers built a defensive wall around the city to protect it from enemy raids. This wall has survived until today. It was briefly held by the Tibetan Empire between 801 and 815.


Islamisation and Mongol invasion

The
Islamic conquest The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territories ...
reached modern-day Afghanistan in 642 AD, at a time when Kabul was independent. A number of failed expeditions were made to Islamise the region. In one of them,
Abdur Rahman bin Samara ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Samura ( ar, عبد الرحمن بن سمرة, died in Basra) was a general of the Rashidun caliphate and the succeeding Umayyad Caliphate, and caliphal governor of Sijistan in the 7th century CE. Biography According to ...
arrived in Kabul from Zaranj in the late 600s and converted 12,000 inhabitants to
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
before abandoning the city.
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s were a minority until Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar of Zaranj conquered Kabul in 870 and established the first Islamic dynasty in the region. It was reported that the rulers of Kabul were
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s with non-Muslims living close by. Iranian traveller and geographer Istakhri described it in 921: Over the following centuries, the city was successively controlled by the Samanids,
Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...
, Ghurids,
Khwarazmshahs Khwarazmshah was an ancient title used regularly by the rulers of the Central Asian region of Khwarazm starting from the Late Antiquity until the advent of the Mongols in the early 13th-century, after which it was used infrequently. There were a to ...
, Qarlughids, and Khaljis. In the 13th century, the invading Mongols caused major destruction in the region. Report of a massacre in the close by
Bamiyan Bamyan or Bamyan Valley (); ( prs, بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan or Bamian is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 70,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an alti ...
is recorded around this period, where the entire population of the valley was annihilated by the Mongol troops as revenge for the death of Genghis Khan's grandson. As a result, many natives of Afghanistan fled south toward the Indian subcontinent where some established dynasties in Delhi. The Chagatai Khanate and
Kartids The Kart dynasty, also known as the Kartids ( fa, آل کرت), was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Tajik origin closely related to the Ghurids, that ruled over a large part of Khorasan during the 13th and 14th centuries. Ruling from their capital ...
were vassals of Ilkhanate until the dissolution of the latter in 1335. Following the era of the Khalji dynasty in 1333, the famous Moroccan scholar
Ibn Battuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berbers, Berber Maghrebi people, Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, ...
was visiting Kabul and wrote:


Timurid and Mughal era

In the 14th century, Kabul became a major trading centre under the kingdom of Timur (''Tamerlane''). In 1504, the city fell to
Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
from the north and made into his headquarters, which became one of the principal cities of his later Mughal Empire. In 1525, Babur described Kabulistan in his memoirs by writing that: Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat, a poet from Hindustan who visited at the time wrote: ''"Dine and drink in Kabul: it is mountain, desert, city, river and all else."'' It was from here that Babur began his 1526 conquest of Hindustan, which was ruled by the
Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
Lodi dynasty and began east of the
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
in what is present-day Pakistan.
Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
loved Kabul due to the fact that he lived in it for 20 years and the people were loyal to him, including the weather that he was used to. His wish to be buried in Kabul was finally granted. The inscription on his tomb contains the famous Persian
couplet A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...
, which states: اگرفردوس روی زمین است همین است و همین است و همین است Transliteration: Agar fardus rui zamayn, ahmain ast', o ahmain ast', o ahmain ast'. (If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this!) Kabul remained in Mughal control for the next 200 years. Though Mughal power became centred within the Indian subcontinent, Kabul retained importance as a frontier city for the empire; Abul Fazl, Emperor Akbar's chronicler, described it as one of the two gates to Hindustan (the other being Kandahar). As part of administrative reforms under Akbar, the city was made capital of the eponymous Mughal province, Kabul Subah. Under Mughal governance, Kabul became a prosperous urban centre, endowed with bazaars such as the non-extant Char Chatta. For the first time in its history, Kabul served as a mint centre, producing gold and silver Mughal coins up to the reign of
Alamgir II Aziz-ud-Din Muhammad (6 June 1699 – 29 November 1759), better known as Alamgir II, was the fifteenth Mughal Emperor of India, who reigned from 3 June 1754 to 29 November 1759. He was the son of Jahandar Shah. Born Aziz-ud-Din, the second s ...
. It acted as a military base for Shah Jahan's
campaigns Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme *Bl ...
in
Balkh ), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001 , pushpin_map=Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_relief=yes , pushpin_label_position=bottom , pushpin_mapsize=300 , pushpin_map_caption=Location in Afghanistan ...
and Badakhshan. Kabul was also a recreational retreat for the Mughals, who hunted here and constructed several gardens. Most of the Mughals' architectural contributions to the city (such as gardens, fortifications, and mosques) have not survived. During this time, the population was about 60,000. Under later Mughal Emperors, Kabul became neglected. The empire lost the city when it was captured in 1738 by
Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...
, who was en route to invade the Indian subcontinent.


Durrani and Barakzai dynasties

Nine years after
Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...
and his forces invaded and occupied the city as part of the more easternmost parts of his Empire, he was assassinated by his own officers, causing its rapid disintegration.
Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahm ...
, commander of 4,000
Abdali Abdali may refer to: * An alternate name for the Durrani, one of the largest Pashtun tribes of Afghanistan and western Pakistan ** Ahmed Shah Durrani, also known as Ahmad Shah Abdali, founder of the Durrani Empire in Afghanistan * Al-Abdali, a dist ...
Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
s, asserted Pashtun rule in 1747 and further expanded his new
Afghan Empire Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pash ...
. His ascension to power marked the beginning of Afghanistan. By this time, Kabul had lost its status as a metropolitan city, and its population had decreased to 10,000. Interest in the city was renewed when Ahmad Shah's son Timur Shah Durrani, after inheriting power, transferred the capital of the Durrani Empire from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776.Hanifi, Shah Mahmoud. p. 185
''Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier''
.
Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It was among the presses officially ...
, 2011.
Kabul experienced considerable urban development during the reigns of Timur Shah and his successor
Zaman Shah Zaman Shah Durrani, or Zaman Shah Abdali (Persian: ; 1767 – 1844), was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1793 until 1801. He was the grandson of Ahmad Shah Durrani and the fifth son of Timur Shah Durrani. An ethnic Pashtun, Zaman Shah became th ...
; several religious and public buildings were constructed, and diverse groups of Sufis, jurists, and literary families were encouraged to settle the city through land grants and stipends. Kabul's first visitor from Europe was Englishman George Forster, who described 18th-century Kabul as "the best and cleanest city in Asia". In 1826, the kingdom was claimed by
Dost Mohammad Khan Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai (Pashto/Persian: ; 23 December 17929 June 1863), nicknamed the Amir-i Kabir, Also titled Amir al-Mu'minin, was a member of the Barakzai dynasty and one of the prominent rulers of the Emirate of Afghanistan. His 37-year ...
, but in 1839 Shujah Shah Durrani was re-installed with the help of the British Empire during the First Anglo-Afghan War. In 1841 a local uprising resulted in the killing of the British resident and loss of mission in Kabul and the
1842 retreat from Kabul The 1842 retreat from Kabul, also called the Massacre of Elphinstone's army, during the First Anglo-Afghan War, was the retreat of the British and East India Company forces from Kabul. An uprising in Kabul forced the then commander, Major-Genera ...
to Jalalabad. In 1842 the British returned to Kabul, demolishing the city's main ''
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...
'' in revenge before returning to British India (now Pakistan). Akbar Khan took to the throne from 1842 to 1845 and was followed by Dost Mohammad Khan. The Second Anglo-Afghan War broke out in 1879 when Kabul was under
Sher Ali Khan Sher Ali Khan (); c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan. Life Sher Ali Khan ...
's rule, as the Afghan king initially refused to accept British diplomatic missions and later the British residents were again massacred. During the war, Bala Hissar was partially destroyed by a fire and an explosion.Caption for Panorama of the Bala Hissar WDL11486 Library of Congress


20th century

Having become an established
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...
city, leather and textile industries developed by 1916. The majority of the population was concentrated on the south side of the river. Kabul modernised throughout the regime of King Habibullah Khan, with the introduction of electricity, telephone, and a postal service. The first modern high school, Habibia, was established in 1903. In 1919, after the Third Anglo-Afghan War, King Amanullah Khan announced Afghanistan's independence in
foreign affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
at
Eidgah Mosque Eidgah or Idgah, also Eid Gah or Id Gah ( fa, "site of Eid bservances; bn, ঈদগাহ; pnb, ; ur, ; hi, ईदगाह) is a term used in South Asian Islamic culture for the open-air enclosure usually outside the city (or at th ...
in Kabul. Amanullah was reform-minded and he had a plan to build a new capital city on land about 6 km away from Kabul. This area was named Darulaman and it consisted of the famous Darul Aman Palace, where he later resided. Many educational institutions were founded in Kabul during the 1920s. In 1929 King Amanullah left Kabul due to a local uprising orchestrated by Habibullah Kalakani, but he himself was imprisoned and executed after nine months in power by King Nader Khan. Three years later, in 1933, the new king was assassinated during an award ceremony inside a school in Kabul. The throne was left to his 19-year-old son, Zahir Shah, who became the last King of Afghanistan. Unlike Amanullah Khan, Nader Khan and Zahir Shah had no plans to create a new capital city, and thus Kabul remained the country's
seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
. During the inter-war period France and Germany helped develop the country and maintained high schools and lycees in the capital, providing education for the children of the city's elite families. Kabul University opened in 1932 and by the 1960s western educated Afghans made up the majority of teachers.Hyman, 305. By the 1960s the majority of instructors at the university had degrees from Western universities. Kabul's only railway service, the
Kabul–Darulaman Tramway The Kabul–Darulaman Tramway was a narrow gauge railway in Afghanistan. It was constructed after Emir Amanullah gave the order in 1923, and was long, running from Kabul to the planned city of Darulaman. Historical accounts The December 1922 iss ...
, operated for six years from 1923 to 1929. When Zahir Shah took power in 1933 Kabul had the only of rail in the country and the country had few internal telegraphs, phone lines or roads. Zahir turned to the Japanese, Germans and Italians for help developing a modern transportation and communication network. A radio tower built by the Germans in 1937 in Kabul allowed instant communication with outlying villages. A national bank and state cartels were organised to allow for economic modernisation.Cullather, 519. Textile mills, power plants, carpet and furniture factories were also built in Kabul, providing much-needed manufacturing and infrastructure. During the 1940s and 1950s, urbanisation accelerated and the built-up area was increased to 68 km2 by 1962, an almost fourteen-fold increase compared to 1925. The
Serena Hotel Serena Hotels is a hospitality company which operates up-scale hotels and resorts in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Asia. Serena comprises a collection of 36 luxury resorts, safari lodges, and hotels, which are located in East Africa (K ...
opened in 1945 as the first Western style luxury hotel. Under the premiership of Mohammad Daoud Khan in the 1950s, foreign investment and development increased. In 1955, the Soviet Union forwarded $100 million in credit to Afghanistan, which financed public transportation, airports, a cement factory, mechanised bakery, a five-lane highway from Kabul to the Soviet border and dams, including the Salang Pass to the north of Kabul. During the 1960s, Soviet-style
microrayon Microdistrict, or microraion (russian: микрорайо́н, ''mikrorajón''), is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Socialist st ...
housing estates were built, containing sixty blocks. The government also built many ministry buildings in the brutalist architecture style. In the 1960s the first Marks & Spencer store in Central Asia was built in the city. Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967, which was maintained with the help of visiting German
zoologists This is a list of notable zoologists who have published names of new taxa under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. A * Abe – Tokiharu Abe (1911–1996) * Abeille de Perrin, Ab. – Elzéar Abeille de Perrin (1843–1910) * ...
. During this time, Kabul experimented with liberalisation, notably the loosening of restrictions on speech and assembly which led to student politics in the capital and various demonstrations by Socialist, Maoist, liberal or Islamist factions.Cullather, 534. Foreigners flocked to Kabul and the nation's tourism industry picked up speed. To accompany the city with newfound tourism, western-style accommodations were opened in the 1960s, notably the Spinzar Hotel. Western, American and Japanese tourists were visiting the city's attractions including the "celebrated" Chicken Street and the
National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
that used to have some of Asia's finest cultural artifacts. Lonely Planet called it an upcoming "tourist trap" in 1973. Additionally, Pakistanis were also visiting to watch Indian movies in cinemas that were banned in their own country. During this time, Kabul had been nicknamed the ''Paris of Central Asia''. According to
J. Bruce Amstutz James Bruce Amstutz (July 11, 1928 – March 16, 2021) was an American Career Foreign Service Officer who served as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim to Afghanistan from February 1979 until February 1980. Amstutz was born on July 11, 1928. He was De ...
, an American diplomat in Kabul: Until the late 1970s, Kabul was a major stop on the famous Hippie trail, coming from Bamyan to the west on towards Peshawar. At the time, Kabul became known for its street sales of
hashish Hashish ( ar, حشيش, ()), also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes. European Monitorin ...
and became a major tourist attraction for western
hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
.


Occupations wars and Taliban Regime (1996–2001)

On 28 April 1978, President Daoud and most of his family were assassinated in Kabul's Presidential Palace in what is called the
Saur Revolution The Saur Revolution or Sowr Revolution ( ps, د ثور انقلاب; prs, إنقلاب ثور), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ...
. Pro-Soviet PDPA under
Nur Muhammad Taraki Nur Muhammad Taraki (; 14 July 1917 – 9 October 1979) was an Afghan revolutionary communist politician, journalist and writer. He was a founding member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) who served as its General Secret ...
seized power and slowly began to institute reforms.Haynes, 372. Private businesses were nationalised in the Soviet manner.Haynes, 373. Education was modified into the Soviet model, with lessons focusing on teaching Russian, Marxism–Leninism and learning of other countries belonging to the Soviet bloc. Amid growing internal chaos and heightened cold war tensions, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs, was kidnapped on his way to work at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on 14 February 1979 and killed during a rescue attempt at the Serena Hotel. There were conflicting reports of who abducted Dubs and what demands were made for his release. Several senior Soviet officials were in the lobby of the hotel during a standoff with the kidnappers, who were holding Dubs in room 117. Afghan police, acting on the advice of Soviet advisors and over the objections of U.S. officials, launched a rescue attempt, during which Dubs was shot in the head from a distance of six inches and killed. Many questions about the killing remain unanswered. On 24 December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and Kabul was heavily occupied by Soviet Armed Forces. In Pakistan, Director-General of the ISI
Akhtar Abdur Rahman Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan NI(M), HI(M), TI(M), SBt (Urdu: اختر عبد الرحمن‎; 11 June 1924 – 17 August 1988), was a Pakistani senior army general who served as the 5th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan ...
advocated for the idea of covert operation in Afghanistan by arming Islamic extremists who formed the mujahideen. General Rahman was heard loudly saying: "''Kabul must burn! Kabul must burn!''", and mastered the idea of proxy war in Afghanistan. Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq authorised this operation under General Rahman, which was later merged with Operation Cyclone, a programme funded by the United States and carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency. The Soviets turned the city of Kabul into their command centre during the Soviet–Afghan War, and while fighting was mostly taking place in the countryside, Kabul was widely disturbed. Political crime and guerrilla attacks on military and government targets were common, and the sound of gunfire became commonplace at night in the outskirts. Large numbers of
PDPA PDPA can refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan – a communist party * Personal Data Protection Act 2012 – a Singapore law governing the use and protection of personal data *Professional Dart Players Association – a trade associ ...
party members and Soviet troops were kidnapped or assassinated, sometimes in broad daylight, with acts of terrorism committed by civilians, anti-regime militias and also Khalqists. By July 1980, as much as twelve party members were being assassinated on a daily basis, and the Soviet Army stopped patrolling the city in January 1981. A major uprising against the Soviet presence broke out in Kabul in February 1980 in what is called the
3 Hut uprising The 3 Hoot uprising ( prs, قیام 3 حوت, ''Qeyam-e 3 Hut'') refers to a week of major Civil disorder, civil unrest in Kabul, Afghanistan that started on February 22, 1980, occurring two months after the Soviet–Afghan War, Soviet intervention ...
. It led to a night curfew in the city that would remain in place for seven years. The Soviet Embassy also, was attacked four times with arms fire in the first five years of the war. A Western correspondent revisiting Kabul in December 1983 after a year, said that the city was "converted into a fortress bristling with weapons". Contrastingly, that same year American diplomat Charles Dunbar commented that the Soviet troops' presence was "surprisingly modest",''Afghanistan: The First Five Years of Soviet Occupation'', by J. Bruce Amstutz – Page 139 & 140 and an author in a 1983 '' Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' article thought that the Soviet soldiers had a "friendly" atmosphere. The city's population increased from around 500,000 in 1978 to 1.5 million in 1988. The large influx were mostly internal refugees who fled other parts of the country for safety in Kabul. During this time, women made up 40% of the workforce. Soviet men and women were very common in the city's shopping roads, with the large availability of Western products. Most Soviet civilians (numbering between 8,000 and 10,000) lived in the northeastern Soviet-style Mikrorayon ('' microraion'') housing complex that was surrounded by barbed-wire and armed tanks. They sometimes received abuse from anti-Soviet civilians on the streets. The mujahideen rebels managed to strike at the city a few times—on 9 October 1987, a car bomb planted by a mujahideen group killed 27 people, and on 27 April 1988, in celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the Saur Revolution, a truck bomb killed six people. After the fall of Mohammad Najibullah's government in April 1992, different mujahideen factions entered the city and formed a government under the
Peshawar Accords On 24 April 1992, the Peshawar Accord was announced by several but not all Afghan mujahideen parties: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e Islami, had since March 1992 opposed these attempts at a coalition government. The accord proclaimed an ...
, but Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's party refused to sign the accords and started shelling the city for power, which soon escalated into a full-scale conflict. This marked the start of a dark period of the city: at least 30,000 civilians were killed in a period known locally as the "Kabul Wars." About 80 percent of the city was devastated and destroyed by 1996. The old city and western areas were among the worst-hit. A '' The New York Times'' analyst said in 1996 that the city was more devastated than Sarajevo, which was similarly damaged during the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
at the time. The city suffered heavily under a bombardment campaign between rival militias which intensified during the summer of 1992. Its geographic location in a narrow valley made it an easy target from rockets fired by militias who based themselves in the surrounding mountains. Within two years' time, the majority of infrastructure was destroyed, a massive exodus of the population left to the countryside or abroad, and electricity and water was completely out. In late 1994, bombardment of the capital came to a temporary halt.Amnesty International. 16 November 1995 Accessed at: These forces took steps to restore law and order. Courts started to work again, convicting individuals inside government troops who had committed crimes. On 27 September 1996, the hardline Taliban militia seized Kabul and established the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. They imposed a strict form of
Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
(Islamic law), restricting women from work and education, conducting amputations against common thieves, and hit-squads from the infamous "Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" watching public beatings of people.


21st century

In November 2001, the Northern Alliance captured Kabul after the Taliban had abandoned it following the American invasion. A month later a new government under President Hamid Karzai began to assemble. In the meantime, a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was deployed in Afghanistan. The war-torn city began to see some positive development as many expatriate Afghans returned to the country. The city's population grew from about 500,000 in 2001 to over 3 million in recent years. Many foreign embassies re-opened. In 2008 the process started to gradually hand over security responsibilities from NATO to Afghan forces. From late 2001 the city has been continuously rebuilt - many of the damaged landmarks were rebuilt or renovated, for example the Gardens of Babur in 2005, the arch of Paghman, the Mahmoud Khan Bridge
clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
in 2013, and the Taj Beg Palace in 2021. Local community efforts have also managed to restore war-ravaged local homes and dwellings. The city has experienced rapid urbanisation with an increasing population. Many informal settlements have been built. Since the late 2000s, numerous modern housing complexes have been built, many of which are gated and secured, to serve a growing Afghan middle class. Some of these include the Aria City (in District 10) and Golden City (District 8). Some complexes have been built out-of-town, such as the Omid-e-Sabz township (District 13), Qasaba/Khwaja Rawash township (District 15), and Sayed Jamaludin township (District 12). Throughout the years, a high-security " Green Zone" was formed in the centre of the city. In 2010, a series of manned checkpoints called the Ring of Steel was put into operation. Concrete blast walls also appeared throughout Kabul in the 2000s for security reasons. Despite frequent terrorist attacks in the city, mainly by Taliban insurgents, the city continued to develop and was the fifth fastest-growing city in the world as of 2012. Until August 2021, the
Afghan National Security Forces The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), also known as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), were the military and internal security forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Structure The Afghan National Security Forc ...
(ANSF) had been in charge of security in and around the city. Kabul was periodically the scene of deadly bombings carried out mostly by the Taliban and its wing the Haqqani network. Government employees, soldiers and ordinary civilians have all been targets of attacks. The Afghan government called the actions of the terrorists war crimes. The deadliest attack yet was a truck bombing in May 2017. The city was seized during the
2021 Taliban offensive A military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and other allied militants led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan based in Kabul and marked the end of the nearly 20-year-old War in Afghanistan, that had begun following the ...
on August 15, 2021; under Taliban rule the city and the country has experienced some relative calm, although a number of terrorist attacks have since been committed by the regional ISIL branch.


Geography

Kabul was situated in the eastern part of the country,
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. Immediately to the south of the old city are the ancient city walls and the Sher Darwaza mountain, with the Shuhadayi Salihin cemetery behind it. A bit further east is the ancient Bala Hissar fortress with the Kol-e Hasmat Khan lake behind it. Its location has been described as a "bowl surrounded by mountains". Some of the mountains (which are called ''koh'') include: Khair Khana-e Shamali, Khwaja Rawash, Shakhi Baran Tey, Chihil Sutun, Qurugh, Khwaja Razaq and Sher Darwaza. There are also two mountains in between urban areas to the west:
Koh-e Asamai The Koh-e Asamai ( prs, کوه آسمایی ''Kōh-e Āsamā'ī'') is a mountain located directly to the west of downtown Kabul, Afghanistan at an elevation of . It is known colloquially as the ''Television Hill'' due to the large TV mast and ant ...
(locally known as the ''Television hill'') and Ali Abad. Hills within the city (which are called ''tapa'') include Bibi Mahro and Maranjan. The Logar River flows into Kabul from the south, joining the Kabul River not far from the city centre. The city covers an area size of , making it by far the largest in the country. The closest foreign capital cities as the crow flies are Islamabad, Dushanbe, Tashkent, New Delhi and
Bishkek Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...
. Kabul is roughly equidistant between Istanbul (western Asia) and Hanoi (eastern Asia).


Climate

Kabul has a continental, cold semi-arid climate ( BSk), with precipitation concentrated in the winter (almost exclusively falling as snow) and spring months. Summers have very low humidity, providing some relief from the heat. Autumns feature warm afternoons and sharply cooler evenings. Winters are very cold by South Asian standards, with a subzero January daily average temperature of , mainly due to the high elevation of the city. Spring is the wettest time of the year. Sunny conditions dominate year-round, and the annual mean temperature is only , much lower than that of Afghanistan's other large cities.


Environment

The Kabul River flowed through the heart of the city, dividing the central bazaars. There are several bridges (''pul'') crossing the river, the major ones being Pul-e Shah-Do Shamshira, Pul-e Bagh-e Omomi, Pul-e Khishti, and Pul-e Mahmoud. Due to climate change, since the 21st century, the river runs dry most of the year, only filling up in the wetter winter and spring seasons. A large lake and wetland was located just to the southeast from the old city called '' Kol-e Hashmat Khan''. The marsh provides a critical resting place to thousands of birds who fly between the Indian subcontinent and Siberia. In 2017 the government declared the lake a
protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
. Some rare species of birds have been spotted at the lake, such as the Eastern imperial eagle and the Dalmatian pelican. Kabul's other large lake is
Qargha Qargha ( prs, بند قرغه) is a dam and reservoir at Qargheh, Qargha near Kabul, in Afghanistan. The reservoir and its peripheral areas provide for recreation facilities such as boating, surfing, golfing, etc. and has a hotel on its bank. The ...
, located some 9 km northwest from the centre. It is a major attraction for locals as well as foreigners. Air pollution is a major problem in the city during the winter season, when many residents burn low-quality fuels.


Districts

The city of Kabul located within
Kabul District Kabul District is a district of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. The seat lies at Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of ...
, one of the 15 districts of Kabul Province. As the provincial capital, it forms a municipality (''shārwāli'') which is further divided into 22 administrative districts called municipal districts or city districts (''nāhia''), which coincide with the official Police Districts (PD). The number of city districts increased from 11 to 18 in 2005, and then to 22 by 2010 after the incorporation of Districts 14 and 19–22 which were annexed by Kabul Municipality from surrounding rural districts. The
city limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...
have thus substantially increased. Due to demarcation disputes with the provincial administration, some of these new districts are more administered by the provincial districts than the municipality. District 1 contains most of the old city. Downtown Kabul mostly consist of Districts 2, 4 and 10. In addition, Districts 3 and 6 house many commercial and governmental points of interests. The city's north and west are the most urbanised, as opposed to the south and east. The table below show the 22 city districts and their settlements, with information about its land size and usage, accurate as of 2011.


Demographics

Kabul's population was estimated in 2020 at about 4.6 million. The city's population has long fluctuated due to the wars. The lack of an up-to-date census means that there are various estimates of the population. Kabul's population was estimated to have been about 10,000 in 1700, 65,000 by 1878, and 120,000 by 1940. More recently, the population was around 500,000 in 1979, whilst another source claims 337,715 as of 1976. This figure rose to about 1.5 million by 1988, before dramatically dropping in the 1990s. Kabul became one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, with its population growing fourfold from 2001 to 2014. This was partly due to the return of refugees after the fall of the Taliban regime, and partly due to Afghans moving from other provinces mainly due to war between Taliban insurgents and Afghan government forces in their native areas as well as looking for labor. This resulting rapid urbanisation means that many residents today live in informal settlements. Shanty mud-brick homes on the mountainsides and steep hills have been built by them and these are usually poverty-stricken, not connected to the water and electricity grid. Although the settlements are illegal, they have been tolerated by authorities. In 2017 Kabul Municipality started a project to paint the homes in these settlements in bright colors in an effort to "cheer up" residents. Kabul is and has historically been the most ethnically diverse city in the country, with the population including Afghans from all over the country. About 55% of Kabul's population is
Tajik Tajik, Tadjik, Tadzhik or Tajikistani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Tajikistan * Tajiks, an ethnic group in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan * Tajik language, the official language of Tajikistan * Tajik (surname) * Tajik cu ...
. 25% Hazara, another 20% is Pashtun, and minority ethnic groups include Baloch, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Afghan Hindu. Almost three-quarters of the population of Kabul follow Sunni Islam, and around Twenty-five percent of residents are Shiites. Other religions in the city include Sikhism and Hinduis
Kabul Population 2022 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)
In 1525,
Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
described the region in his memoirs by writing that: Along with Pashtun,
Tajik Tajik, Tadjik, Tadzhik or Tajikistani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Tajikistan * Tajiks, an ethnic group in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan * Tajik language, the official language of Tajikistan * Tajik (surname) * Tajik cu ...
and
Hazara Hazara may refer to: Ethnic groups * The Hazaras, a Persian-speaking people of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Aimaq Hazara, Aimaq's subtribe of Hazara origin * Hazarawals, a Hindko-speaking people of the Hazara region of northern Pakistan * Hazar ...
communities, who make up the majority of the population of the city, there was a significant population of Uzbek,
Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
,
Kuchi Kochis or Kuchis (Pashto: کوچۍ Kuchis) are pastoral nomads belonging primarily to the Ghilji Pashtuns. In the southern, western and northern regions of Afghanistan they are also referred to at times as maldar (Pashto: مالدار maldar, ...
, Qizilbash,
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
,
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
and other groups. The broader province of Kabul however, is dominated by Pashtun and
Tajik Tajik, Tadjik, Tadzhik or Tajikistani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Tajikistan * Tajiks, an ethnic group in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan * Tajik language, the official language of Tajikistan * Tajik (surname) * Tajik cu ...
groups. The Dari (Persian) and Pashto languages are widely used in the region, although Dari serves as the
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
. Multilingualism is common throughout the area, particularly among the Pashtun people. The term "Kabuli" (کابلی) is referred to the urbanites of the city. They were ethnic-neutral, typically speak Dari (Persian), were generally secularly educated, and favor Western fashion. Many Kabulites (especially elites and the upper class) left the country during the civil war and are now outnumbered by rural people who moved in from the countryside, mostly refugees but also labor-seekers. About 68% of the city's population follow
Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
while 30% are
Shiites Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
(mainly the Hazaras and Qizilbash). The remaining 2% are followers of Sikhism and Hinduism, as well as one known
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
resident (First Lady
Rula Ghani Rula F. Saadah Ghani (Afghan name: Bibi Gul; born 1948) is a former first lady of Afghanistan and wife of former president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani. In 2015, Rula Ghani was named to the Time 100, a list of the world's most influential people, ...
) and one Jewish resident (
Zablon Simintov Zablon Simintov (; he, זבולון סימן-טוב; born 1959), also known as Zebulon Simentov is an Afghan Jew, former carpet trader and restaurateur. Before his evacuation from Afghanistan to Israel in 2021, he was widely known as the only ...
) in the 2010s. It is estimated that there were 500–8,000 Afghan Christians in the country as a whole; due to restrictions on religious freedom, they often worship in secret, rendering it difficult to estimate the number of Christians in Kabul specifically. Hundreds of non-Muslims still remain after the Taliban retakeover Afghanistan. Kabul also has small Indian (which the Sikhs and Hindus belong to) and
Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
communities (mostly business-owners and investors), and in the 1980s had a sizable Russian community during the Soviet campaign in the country.


Sports

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
has historically been the dominant sport in Kabul, with 2 of 3 sports stadiums reserved for it. ;Professional sports teams from Kabul *Sports complexes ** Alokozay Kabul International Cricket Ground **
Ghazi Stadium Ghazi Stadium (; ) is a multi-purpose stadium located in eastern Kabul, Afghanistan, which is mainly used for association football matches. It is sometimes called by other names such as the Afghan Football Federation Stadium. It was built during t ...
used for football **Olympic Committee Gymnasium


Government and politics

The municipality's administrative structure consisted of 17 departments under a mayor. Like other provincial municipalities in Afghanistan, the municipality of Kabul dealt with city affairs such as construction and infrastructure. The city districts (''nāhia'') collected certain taxes and issued building licenses. Each city district had a district head appointed by the mayor, and lead six major departments in the district office. The neighbourhood organisation structure at the ''nahia'' level was called a ''gozar''. Kabul has been Divided in to 630 Gozars. A ''wakil-e gozar'' was a person chosen to represent a community within a city district. Kabul's Chief of Police was Lt. Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi. The police were part of the Afghan National Police (ANP) under the Ministry of Interior and were arranged by city districts. The Police Chief was selected by the Interior Minister and is responsible for all law enforcement activities throughout the Kabul province.


Economy and infrastructure

Kabul's main products included fresh and dried fruit,
nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
, beverages,
Afghan rug An Afghan rug (or Afghan carpet) is a type of handwoven floor-covering textile traditionally made in the northern and western areas of Afghanistan, mainly by Afghan Turkmens and Uzbeks. Types and varieties One of the most exotic and distin ...
s, leather and sheep skin products, furniture,
antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...
s, and domestic clothes. The World Bank authorised
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
25 million for the Kabul Urban Reconstruction Project which closed in 2011. Over the last decade, the United States has invested approximately $9.1 billion into urban infrastructure in Afghanistan. The wars since 1978 have limited the city's economic productivity but after the establishment of the Karzai administration since late 2001, local economic developments have included a number of
indoor shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
s. The first of these was the
Kabul City Center Kabul City Center ( prs, کابل سیتی سینتر) is a shopping mall in Shahr-e Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan. Opened in 2005, it consists of 100 stores and a food court. It is equipped with see-through elevators and escalators and is notable f ...
, opened 2005. Others have also opened in recent years including
Gulbahar Center Gulbahar or Gul Bahar ( ur, گلبهار ) is one of the neighborhoods of Liaquatabad Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Gulbahar Colony, which was known as Golimar, is a suburb of Karachi. This area is along the Lyari River and was mainly farml ...
,
City Walk Mall A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
Majid Mall Majid or majeed may refer to: * , ''majīd'' 'majestic', and , ''mājid'' 'magnificent', two names of God in Islam Arts and entertainment * ''Majid'' (film), a 2010 Moroccan film *Majid (rapper) (born 1975), a Danish rapper of Moroccan-Berber orig ...
. Mandawi Road on the south side of the river, located between Murad Khani and Shur Bazaar neighbourhoods, is one of the main bazaars of Kabul. This wholesale market is very popular amongst locals. Nearby is the Sarai Shahzada money exchange market. Chicken Street is perhaps best known to foreigners. Kabul's largest industrial hub was located in District 9, on the north banks of the River Kabul and near the airport. About from downtown Kabul, in
Bagrami Bagrami is a village situated in the eastern fringes of Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; ...
, a industrial complex had been completed with modern facilities, which allowed companies to operate businesses there. The park had professional management for the daily maintenance of public roads, internal streets, common areas, parking areas, 24 hours perimeter security, access control for vehicles and people. A number of factories operated there, including the $25 million Coca-Cola bottling plant and the Omaid Bahar juice factory. According to Transparency International, the government of Afghanistan was the third most- corrupt in the world, as of 2010. Experts believe that the poor decisions of Afghan politicians contributed to the unrest in the region. This also prevented foreign investment in Afghanistan, especially by Western countries. In 2012, there were reportedly $3.9 billion paid to public officials in
bribes Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...
which contributed to these issues.
Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB, ps, د افغانستان بانک; prs, بانک مرکزی افغانستان) is the central bank of Afghanistan. It regulates all banking and money handling operations in Afghanistan. The bank currently has 46 branches throughout the ...
, the nation's central bank, was headquartered in Kabul. In addition, there are several commercial banks in the city. Each year about 20,000 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan.


Development planning

A US$1 billion contract was signed in 2013 to commence work on the "New Kabul City", which is a major residential scheme that would accommodate 1.5 million people. In the meantime, many high rise buildings were being constructed in order to control the overcrowding and also to modernise the city. An initial concept design called the
City of Light Development {{Short description, Urban reconstruction plan in Afghanistan The Kabul - City Of Light Development is an urban reconstruction plan, first proposed by urban planner and architect Hisham N. Ashkouri to revitalize the capital city of Afghanistan. T ...
, envisioned by Dr.
Hisham N. Ashkouri Hisham N. Ashkouri ( ar, هشام أشكري, born August 15, 1948) is a Boston and New York City, New York-based architect. Ealry Life Ashkouri was born August 15, 1948 in Baghdad, Iraq. He graduated first in class in 1970 with a Bachelor of Ar ...
, for the development and the implementation of a privately based investment enterprise has been proposed for multi-function commercial, historic and cultural development within the limits of the Old City of Kabul, along the southern side of the Kabul River and along Jade Meywand Avenue,


Communications

As of November 2015, there were more than 24 television stations based out of Kabul. Terrestrial TV transmitters were located at the summit of the
Koh-e Asamai The Koh-e Asamai ( prs, کوه آسمایی ''Kōh-e Āsamā'ī'') is a mountain located directly to the west of downtown Kabul, Afghanistan at an elevation of . It is known colloquially as the ''Television Hill'' due to the large TV mast and ant ...
. In Kabul, Minister Amir Zai Sangin of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology maintained statistics regarding telecommunications in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Afghanistan Information Management Services (AIMS) provided software development, capacity development, information management, and project management services to the Afghan Government and other NGOs, thereby supporting their on-the-ground activities. GSM/
GPRS General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data standard on the 2G and 3G cellular communication network's global system for mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was established by European Telecommunications Standards Insti ...
mobile phone services in the city were provided by
Afghan Wireless Afghan Wireless Communication Company, also known as Afghan Wireless and AWCC, is Afghanistan's first wireless communications company. Founded in 1998, it is based in Kabul, Afghanistan with various regional offices. Headquartered in Kabul, Afgha ...
,
Etisalat Etisalat by e& is an Emirati-based multinational telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 16 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is the 18th largest mobile network operator in the world by number of subscri ...
, Roshan, MTN and
Salaam As-salamu alaykum ( ar, ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, , ), also ''Salamun Alaykum'' is a greeting in Arabic that means 'Peace be upon you'. The (, meaning 'peace') has become a religious salutation for Muslims worldwide when greet ...
. , all of them provided 3G services as well. In November 2006, the
Afghan Ministry of Communications ps, د مخابراتو او معلوماتي ټکنالوجۍ وزارت) , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Logo of The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Afghanistan).png , logo_width = 100px , logo_caption ...
signed a $64.5 million US dollar deal with
ZTE ZTE Corporation is a Chinese partially state-owned technology company that specializes in telecommunication. Founded in 1985, ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. ZTE's core business is wireless, exchange, optic ...
on the establishment of a countrywide fibre optical cable network to help improve telephone, internet, television and radio broadcast services not just in Kabul but throughout the country. Internet cafes were introduced in 2002 and has been expanding throughout the country. , 3G services were also available. There were a number of post offices throughout the city. Package delivery services like
FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
,
TNT N.V. PostNL (), formerly TNT N.V., is a mail, parcel and e-commerce corporation with operations in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. It provides universal delivery in the Netherlands, and is publicly listed at Eurone ...
, and
DHL DHL is an American founded, German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, which is a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. The company group delivers over 1.8 billion parcels per year. DHL ...
were also available.


Hotels and other lodging

Major hotels in Kabul included; the
Serena Hotel Serena Hotels is a hospitality company which operates up-scale hotels and resorts in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Asia. Serena comprises a collection of 36 luxury resorts, safari lodges, and hotels, which are located in East Africa (K ...
, the Inter-Continental, and the
Safi Landmark Hotel Safi Landmark Hotel is a four star hotel, in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was opened in 2005 with the attached Kabul City Center mall. The hotel has nine floors and contains 90 rooms, according to SnapTravel. The Safi Landmark hotel is located in dow ...
above the
Kabul City Center Kabul City Center ( prs, کابل سیتی سینتر) is a shopping mall in Shahr-e Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan. Opened in 2005, it consists of 100 stores and a food court. It is equipped with see-through elevators and escalators and is notable f ...
. Most visitors preferred lodging at
guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...
s, which were found all over the city. The better and safer ones were in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood where the embassies were located. *
Serena Hotel Serena Hotels is a hospitality company which operates up-scale hotels and resorts in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Asia. Serena comprises a collection of 36 luxury resorts, safari lodges, and hotels, which are located in East Africa (K ...
* Inter-Continental *
Safi Landmark Hotel Safi Landmark Hotel is a four star hotel, in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was opened in 2005 with the attached Kabul City Center mall. The hotel has nine floors and contains 90 rooms, according to SnapTravel. The Safi Landmark hotel is located in dow ...


Culture and landmarks

The old part of Kabul was filled with
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...
s nestled along its narrow, crooked streets, examples being the Mandawi and the Bird Market (''Ka Foroshi''). Cultural sites included: the National Museum of Afghanistan, notably displaying an impressive statue of
Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...
excavated at
Khair Khana Khair is a town and a municipal board in Aligarh district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Khair is the biggest town of Aligarh district. It is situated around 27 km from Aligarh, 114 km from Delhi and 60 km from Mathura. Histo ...
, the ruined Darul Aman Palace, the tomb of Mughal Emperor
Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
at
Bagh-e Babur The Garden of Babur (locally called Bagh-e Babur; fa, باغ بابر, ''bāġ-e bābur'') is a historic park in Kabul, Afghanistan, and also has the tomb of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The garden is thought to have been developed around 152 ...
, and Chihil Sutun Park, the Minar-i-Istiqlal (Column of Independence) built in 1919 after the Third Afghan War, the
tomb of Timur Shah Durrani The tomb of Timur Shah Durrani (''Maqbara-i-Timur Shah'') is located in Kabul and was built in 1815. It is the mausoleum of Timur Shah Durrani, who was the second ruler of the Durrani Empire, from 1772–1793. In 1776 Timur Shah chose Kabul as the ...
, the Bagh-e Bala Palace and the imposing Id Gah Mosque (founded 1893). Bala Hissar was a fort which was partially destroyed during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, then restored as a military college. There was also the Kolola Pushta fort, which was garrisoned by the Afghan Army, and the nearby 19th-century
Shahrara Tower Shahrara is a neighbourhood in north-west Tehran, the capital city of Iran. It is centred on the park bounded by Shahrara square (incorrectly filed as Shahr Asa by Google) and can be found at Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform ...
fort, which was ruined in 1928. The
Koh-e Asamai The Koh-e Asamai ( prs, کوه آسمایی ''Kōh-e Āsamā'ī'') is a mountain located directly to the west of downtown Kabul, Afghanistan at an elevation of . It is known colloquially as the ''Television Hill'' due to the large TV mast and ant ...
mountain had a temple that was considered important to Hinduism. Other places of interest include
Kabul City Center Kabul City Center ( prs, کابل سیتی سینتر) is a shopping mall in Shahr-e Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan. Opened in 2005, it consists of 100 stores and a food court. It is equipped with see-through elevators and escalators and is notable f ...
, which was Kabul's first shopping mall, the shops around Flower Street and Chicken Street, Wazir Akbar Khan district,
Kabul Golf Club The Kabul Golf Club is a nine-hole golf course located near Qargha, around 7 miles from the center of Kabul, Afghanistan. Overview The greens at the Kabul Golf Club are actually brown to black due to their composition of a mixture of sand and oi ...
, Kabul Zoo,
Abdul Rahman Mosque The Abdul Rahman Mosque ( ps, د عبدالرحمان جومات; Dari: مسجد عبدالرحمان), also known as the Grand Mosque of Kabul, is one of the largest mosques in Afghanistan. It is located in one of Kabul's central commercial are ...
, Shah-Do Shamshira and other famous mosques, the
National Gallery of Afghanistan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...
, the
National Archives of Afghanistan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
, Afghan Royal Family Mausoleum, the
OMAR Mine Museum The OMAR Mine Museum in Kabul, Afghanistan, contains a collection of 51 types of land mines out of the 53 that have been used in that country. OMAR is an acronym for the Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation. Mine collectio ...
, Bibi Mahro Hill, Kabul Cemetery, and
Paghman Gardens Paghman (Persian/Pashto: پغمان) is a town in the hills near Afghanistan's capital of Kabul. It is the seat of the Paghman District (in the western part of Kabul Province) which has a population of about 120,000 (2002 official UNHCR est.), ma ...
best known for the famous
Taq-e Zafar The Taq-e Zafar (Persian: طاق ظفر, English: Arch of Victory) is a triumphal arch located at the front of the gardens in Paghman, Afghanistan. The famous victory arch commemorates Afghan independence after the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 191 ...
arch. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) was also involved in the restoration of the
Bagh-e Babur The Garden of Babur (locally called Bagh-e Babur; fa, باغ بابر, ''bāġ-e bābur'') is a historic park in Kabul, Afghanistan, and also has the tomb of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The garden is thought to have been developed around 152 ...
(Babur Gardens). Maranjan Hill (''Tappe-i-Maranjan'') was a nearby hill where Buddhist
statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
s and Graeco-Bactrian coins from the 2nd century BC have been found. Outside the city proper lied the Buddhist
Guldara stupa The Guldara stupa is not far from the village of Guldara (or ''Gol Darreh'') in, Kabul Province, Afghanistan, set on the summit of a high hill at the end of the Valley of Guldara ('Valley of Flowers'). It appears to have been established in the l ...
and another stupa at
Shewaki Shewaki ( prs, شيوکى) is a village located in the Hindaki area of Afghanistan, in Bagrami District, Kabul Province, near the mountains Koh e Hindaki and Munar e Chakari (not related to Chakari, Afghanistan). Shewaki is derived from Shiva, th ...
. Paghman and Jalalabad were interesting valleys west and east of the city. On the latter road, about 16 miles east of the city, was the Tang-e Gharu gorge. Kabul used to have as many as 23 cinemas, but currently only had four, including the state owned
Ariana Cinema Ariana Cinema ( prs, سینما آریانا ''Sīnemā Ārīāna'') is a movie theater in Kabul, Afghanistan located near the Pashtunistan Square on the north side of the Kabul river bank. It is considered to be the second oldest cinema in Kabul ...
. The decline of
cinema of Afghanistan Cinema was introduced in Afghanistan at the beginning of the 20th century. Political troubles slowed the indusry over the years. However, numerous Pashto cinema, Pashto and Dari films have been made both inside and outside Afghanistan throughout ...
since the 1990s, both due to war and oppressive regimes, had meant many of these have closed. The Nandari, or Kabul National Theater, was one of the largest theaters in Asia before it was destroyed in the civil war and has not been restored. The lack of investment meant that the sector did not recover after 2001, and notably the rundown Park Cinema was controversially demolished in 2020. * Parks **
Bagh-e Babur The Garden of Babur (locally called Bagh-e Babur; fa, باغ بابر, ''bāġ-e bābur'') is a historic park in Kabul, Afghanistan, and also has the tomb of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The garden is thought to have been developed around 152 ...
(Gardens of Babur) ** Bagh-e Chihil Sutun (Gardens of
Chihil Sutun Chihilsitoon ( fa, چهل‌ستون, meaning "Forty Columns"), also spelled Chehel Sutoon, Chelsutoon, Chihil Sutun or Chihilsutoon, is an area in southern Kabul, Afghanistan, part of District 7. History It is named after the Chihilsitoon ...
) ** Bagh-e Bala Park ** Zarnegar Park ** Shokouh Zana **
Shahr-e Naw Park Shahr-e Naw Park ( prs, پارک شهرنو), also known as Pārk-e Shahr-e Now, is a general public park in the Shahr-e Naw district of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is one of several original open-space parks planned by Afghan kings during the 19th c ...
** Bagh-e Zanana **
Chaman-e-Hozori Chaman-i Hazouri ( prs, چمن حضوری)
, Center for Environmental Management of Military ...
** Bibi Mahro Park ** Lake Qargha * Mosques **
Abdul Rahman Mosque The Abdul Rahman Mosque ( ps, د عبدالرحمان جومات; Dari: مسجد عبدالرحمان), also known as the Grand Mosque of Kabul, is one of the largest mosques in Afghanistan. It is located in one of Kabul's central commercial are ...
** Id Gah Mosque **
Abul Fazl Shrine Abul Fazl Shrine (Pashto/ prs, زیارت ابوالفضل‎) is a shrine and mosque, located in Murad Khane, Kabul, Afghanistan. The facility was hit with a massive blast on 21 February 2023. See also * 2011 Afghanistan Ashura bombings * Lis ...
**
Sakhi Shrine Sakhi Shah-e Mardan Shrine or Ziyarat-e Sakhi (Pashto/ prs, زیارت سخی), is a shrine and mosque located in the Karte Sakhi area of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is associated with the place to which the cloak of the Islamic prophet Muhammad was ...
**
Pul-e Khishti Mosque Pul-e Khishti Mosque ( ps, د خښتي پل جومات) is the largest mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan. Located in the center of old Kabul, the Pul-e Khishti Mosque can be identified by its large blue dome. The mosque originally was erected in the ...
** Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque * Mausoleums ** Mausoleum of Timur Shah Durrani ** Mausoleum of Abdur Rahman Khan ** Mausoleum of Zahir Shah, Nadir Shah and other members of the royal Musahiban family ** Mausoleum of Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani * Palaces ** Tajbeg Palace **
Stor Palace Ulises Infante Azocar, (born 8 April 1987) is a Swedish rapper best known under the artistname ''Stor''. Azocar grew up in Huddinge outside of Stockholm with his mother and siblings. His parents are Chilean who fled to Sweden in 1976. his father ...
** Darul Aman Palace **
Chihil Sutun Palace Chihilsitoon ( fa, چهل‌ستون, meaning "Forty Columns"), also spelled Chehel Sutoon, Chelsutoon, Chihil Sutun or Chihilsutoon, is an area in southern Kabul, Afghanistan, part of District 7. History It is named after the Chihilsitoon ...
** Bagh-e Bala Palace **
Shah Bobo Jan Palace Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
** Arg (Presidential Palace), including numerous other palaces inside the compound ***
Char Chenar Palace Char may refer to: People *Char Fontane, American actress *Char Margolis, American spiritualist *René Char (1907–1988), French poet *The Char family of Colombia: **Fuad Char, Colombian senator **Alejandro Char Chaljub, mayor of Barranquilla ** ...
*** Delgusha Palace and its
clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
***
Haram Sara Palace ''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...
***
Salam Khana Palace As-salamu alaykum ( ar, ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, , ), also ''Salamun Alaykum'' is a greeting in Arabic that means 'Peace be upon you'. The (, meaning 'peace') has become a religious salutation for Muslims worldwide when greet ...
***
Kuti Baghcha Kuti or Küti may refer to: People *Sándor Kuti (1908-1945), Hungarian-Jewish composer *Ransome-Kuti family, a prominent Nigerian family *Fela Kuti, musician and prominent figure in Afrobeat music Places *Kuti, Bileća, a village in Bosnia and H ...
* Museums ** National Museum of Afghanistan ** National Archives of Afghanistan ** National Gallery of Afghanistan ** Negaristani Milli *Other landmarks **Clock tower at Mahmoud Khan Bridge **Minaret of Knowledge and Ignorance **Minaret of the Unknown Corps on
Jada-e Maiwand Jada-e Maiwand or Jadah-i Maiwand ( prs, جاده میوند, ''Maiwand Road'') is a major thoroughfare in the old center of Kabul, Afghanistan. The wide boulevard was built around 1948 as a modern main road cutting through the cluttered ancient ...
** Sherpur Cantonment (British Cemetery) File:Kabul Baghe Babur mosque.jpg, 16th-century mosque inside the Gardens of Babur File:Victory-Arch-Paghman.jpg, The
Taq-e Zafar The Taq-e Zafar (Persian: طاق ظفر, English: Arch of Victory) is a triumphal arch located at the front of the gardens in Paghman, Afghanistan. The famous victory arch commemorates Afghan independence after the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 191 ...
in Paghman File:Minar-e-Elm-wa-Jahil, Kabul, Afghanistan.JPG, The ''Minaret of Knowledge and Ignorance'', built in the 1920s on a hill in
Deh Mazang Deh Mazang ( prs, ده‌مزنگ), also spelled Demazang or Dih Mazang, is a hillside settlement in west Kabul, Afghanistan, located on the southern side of the Asamayi mountain. It forms part of District 3. Kabul Zoo is located to its south and ...
, commemorating king Amanullah's victory over the Mullah-e Lang in the Khost rebellion File:Zarnegar mausoleum palace postcard.jpg, Mausoleum of emir Abdur Rahman Khan, Zarnegar Park File:Maiwand memorial in Kabul.jpg, Minaret of the Unknown Corps, memorial of the 1880 Battle of Maiwand File:Guldara stupa.jpg, Buddhist stupa of Guldara File:Tomb of former King Zahir Shah - panoramio (cropped).jpg, Royal Mausoleum at Maranjan hill File:Kabul Gorge 2 1968.jpg, The Tang-e Gharu canyon east of Kabul


Architecture

Kabul's various architectural designs reflected the various links it has had with empires and civilisations, particularly being on the ancient trade route connecting India and China with Persia and the West. The Buddhist Chakari minaret was likely built in the
Kushan The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...
era and had traces of Greco-Bactrian and Gandhara Art. It had Buddhist
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
and both Mahayana and Theravada qualities. Following the Islamic conquest, a new age of architectural realms appeared in the Kabul region. The Gardens of Babur was perhaps the best preserved example of Islamic and
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
architecture. Emperor
Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
had also built seven other big gardens in Kabul at the time. The present Gardens of Babur also reflect Afghanistan's traditional architecture by the wooden carving, pressed stucco, decorative stone masonry and other features. Another fine example of the Babur era is the Id Gah Mosque, using stones from the Punjab and
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
and designed by Persians.
Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahm ...
's rise as the Afghan ruler brought changes to Kabul and the nation, with a more inward-looking and self-protecting society reflecting the architecture that were no different between the rich and poor peoples. mausoleum of Timur Shah Durrani, the Afghan ruler until his death in 1793, was another example of Islamic design, built in an octagonal structure. It followed Central Asian traditions of decorative brick masonries along with a colorless appearance. After the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the country's emir Abdur Rahman Khan brought European styles for the first time. The Bagh-e Bala Palace was designed in a mixed Mughal and British Indian style, the first significant change from traditional Afghan and Islamic styles. However palaces were still built with Central Asian Islamic design at heart. Numerous lavish buildings were created during this time, combined with large gardens. The Dilkusha Palace within the
Arg Arg or ARG may refer to: Places *''Arg'' () means "citadel" in Persian, and may refer to: **Arg, Iran, a village in Fars Province, Iran **Arg (Kabul), presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan **Arg, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan P ...
was the first created by a British architect. Its accompanying
clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
, circa 1911, was also a British creation. Houses in Kabul during this time were generally made up of walled compounds, built around courtyards and having narrow passageways to places. In the 1920s, new styles were strongly influenced by European architectural styles due to king Amanullah Khan's visits to Europe, particularly Berlin and Paris. Darul Aman Palace was the best known example of modern Western design. The Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque was built in an unusual style for a mosque in Western and Italian style
baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
. The
Taq-e Zafar The Taq-e Zafar (Persian: طاق ظفر, English: Arch of Victory) is a triumphal arch located at the front of the gardens in Paghman, Afghanistan. The famous victory arch commemorates Afghan independence after the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 191 ...
in Paghman and other landmarks there were also based on European designs. Houses also became more open, without having many of the walls. Later in the century, several Soviet inspired designs made its way into Kabul. Most notable of these were the various '' microraion''s built in the city in the 1960s and afterwards. A different flavor of modern style was seen on the
Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul The Inter-Continental (also known as the Inter-Con) is a five star hotel located in the Karte Parwan neighbourhood in western Kabul, Afghanistan. It served as the nation's first international luxury hotel, one of the most visited by foreigners s ...
and
Serena Hotel Serena Hotels is a hospitality company which operates up-scale hotels and resorts in East Africa, Southern Africa and South Asia. Serena comprises a collection of 36 luxury resorts, safari lodges, and hotels, which are located in East Africa (K ...
. In the 21st century, modern designs based on glass facades became popular. Examples of this modern Western style were the
Kabul City Center Kabul City Center ( prs, کابل سیتی سینتر) is a shopping mall in Shahr-e Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan. Opened in 2005, it consists of 100 stores and a food court. It is equipped with see-through elevators and escalators and is notable f ...
and
Golbahar Center Golbahar ( fa, گلبهار) may refer to: Afghanistan * Gulbahar, Afghanistan Iran * Shahr Jadid-e Golbahar, a city near Mashhad city (40 km far from Mashhad) * Golbahar, Khuzestan * Golbahar-e Atabaki, a village in Lorestan Province, Iran * ...
. The National Assembly building opened in 2015 had elements of modern Islamic
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
architecture, considered to have the largest dome in Asia. The Indian architecture could also be influenced by the fact it was built by the government of India, but its carving and large porch represent Afghan traditional architectural forms. The new Ministry of Defense building followed traditional, Islamic and Western designs inspired by the Pentagon. Another mix of these designs appeared on the
Paghman Hill Castle Paghman Hill Castle, also known as Paghman Palace ( ps, د پغمان ماڼۍ), is located in the town of Paghman in Afghanistan, next to the city of Kabul. The site opened to the public in 2014 and is visited by many tourists, especially during ...
completed in 2014. Increasing numbers of high rises have been built in this period, with the Kabul Markaz tower in 2020 becoming the city's first to break the tall barrier. The construction boom with modern high-rises throughout the 2010s had led to a major change in the city's skyline. File:Kabul street scene, 1974.jpg, Traditional hill dwellings File:Kabul Old "MicroRayon" (5451145168).jpg, "Old Mikroyan", 1960s built File:66-183 Kabul Khyber Restaurant Afghanistan 1966.jpg, Ministry of Finance and Khyber Restaurant (1966) File:Вадим Чуприна-Кабул VADIM CHUPRINA © Kabul 08.jpg, Pamir Cinema building (Agricultural Development Bank) File:Pashtany Bank and Kabul Tower.jpg,
Pashtany Bank Pashtany Bank is the firm controlled by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan that controls the Central Bank of Afghanistan, the Afghan national insurance company and Ariana Afghan Airlines. It was established in 1954 to manage the Da Afghanistan ...
and the brutalist Kabul Tower File:Newly renovated - panoramio.jpg, Andarabi Road dwellings on the riverbank File:Afghanese architecture, 2000s-built flats in Kabul.jpg, Apartments built in the 2000s with contemporary Afghan style


Transportation

Kabul has no train service.


Air

Hamid Karzai International Airport , nativename-r = , image = Flightline at Kabul International Airport.jpeg , caption = The flightline at Kabul International Airport in January 2012 , IATA = KBL , ICAO = OAKB , ...
(Kabul International Airport) was located from the centre of Kabul, which had always served as the country's main airport. It was a hub to Ariana Afghan Airlines, the national carrier of Afghanistan, as well as private airlines such as
Afghan Jet International Afghan Jet International Airlines ( fa, هواپیمایی بین‌المللی افغان جت) was a regional airline based in Afghanistan;
,
East Horizon Airlines East Horizon Airlines was an Afghan regional airline. History The airline began operations in December 2013. As of May 2014 the airline had regularly scheduled flights to nine airports from its hubs at Herat and Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ...
, Kam Air,
Pamir Airways Pamir Airways was a privately owned airline headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan, operating scheduled passenger flights out of Kabul International Airport. The company name is derived from the Pamir Mountains and translates "roof of the world". H ...
, and
Safi Airways Safi Airways Co. ( ps, صافي هوايي شرکت; fa, خطوط هوایی صافی) was the first and largest privately owned airline from Afghanistan. The airline had its headquarters in Shahr-e-Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan, an administrative offi ...
. Regional airlines such as Air India, SpiceJet, flydubai,
Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...
, Gulf Air, Mahan Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines and others also had regularly scheduled flights to the airport. A new international terminal was built by the government of Japan and began operation in 2008.


Road

The
AH76 Asian Highway 76 (AH76) is a major road of northern Afghanistan. It connects Pole khomri at AH7 to Mazar-i-Sharif, passing through Samangan on the way, and then passes west and eventually ends at Herat, where it unites with AH1 and AH77 At Mazar ...
highway (or Kabul-Charikar Highway) connected Kabul north towards Charikar,
Pol-e Khomri Puli Khumrī (Dari: ), also spelled Pul-i-Khumri or Pol-e Khomri, is a city in northern Afghanistan. Puli Khumri is the capital and largest city of Baghlan Province, whose name comes from the other major town in the province, Baghlan. The city h ...
and Mazar-i-Sharif ( away), with leading roads to Kunduz ( away). The AH77 highway went west towards
Bamiyan Province Bamyan Province ( prs, ولایت بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan, Bāmīān or Bāmyān is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central highlands of the Afghanistan. The terrain in Bamyan is mountainous or semi-m ...
( away) and
Chaghcharan Chaghcharān (Dari-Persian: ), also called Firozkoh (Dari-Persian: ), is a town and district in central Afghanistan, which serves as the capital of Ghor Province. It is located on the southern side of the Hari River, at an altitude of 2,230 m abov ...
in the central mountains of Afghanistan. To the south-west, the Kabul-Ghazni Highway went to Ghazni ( away) and Kandahar ( away). To the south, the Kabul-Gardez Highway connected it to
Gardez , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_sea ...
( away) and Khost. To the east, the Kabul-Jalalabad Highway went to Jalalabad ( away) and across the border to Peshawar. Much of the road network in downtown Kabul consisted of square or circle intersections (''char-rahi''). The main square in the city was Pashtunistan Square (named after Pashtunistan), which had a large fountain in it and was located adjacent to the presidential palace, the Central Bank, and other landmarks. The
Massoud Circle Massoud Circle is a major roundabout in Kabul, Afghanistan, named after Ahmad Shah Massoud. It is situated close to the Embassy of the United States, Kabul and has the road leading to Hamid Karzai International Airport. It is located in the easte ...
was located by the U.S. Embassy and had the road leading to the airport. In the old city, Sar-e Chawk roundabout was at the center of Maiwand Road (''
Jadayi Maiwand Jada-e Maiwand or Jadah-i Maiwand ( prs, جاده میوند, ''Maiwand Road'') is a major thoroughfare in the old center of Kabul, Afghanistan. The wide boulevard was built around 1948 as a modern main road cutting through the cluttered ancient a ...
''). Once all roads led to it, and in the 16th century was called the "navel of Kabul". In the
Shahr-e Naw Shahr-e Naw ( ps, شهر نو; prs, شهرنو), also spelled Share Naw, Shahre Naow or Shari Naw, is an affluent neighborhood in the northwestern section of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is a downtown commercial area housing most of the bigger buildin ...
district there were several major intersections: Ansari, Haji Yaqub, Quwayi Markaz, Sedarat, and Turabaz Khan. The latter, named after
Turabaz Khan Turabaz Khan ( ps, طره بازخان; 1885–1982) was a general who served in the Afghan National Army. He was born in Kabul to a Safi Pashtun family. He was educated at a military school in Kabul. He also served an associate to the Sardar Moham ...
, connected Flower Street and Chicken Street. There were also two major intersections in western Kabul: the
Deh Mazang Deh Mazang ( prs, ده‌مزنگ), also spelled Demazang or Dih Mazang, is a hillside settlement in west Kabul, Afghanistan, located on the southern side of the Asamayi mountain. It forms part of District 3. Kabul Zoo is located to its south and ...
Circle and
Kote Sangi Kote Sangi ( prs, کوته سنگی) is a neighborhood and major intersection in western Kabul, Afghanistan, part of District 5. It is one of the city's most populated urban areas, located south of the Silo Road and west of Deh Bori and Kabul Un ...
. Salang Watt was the main road to the north-west, whereas Asamayi Watt and Seh Aqrab (also called Sevom Aqrab) was the main road to western Kabul. The steep population rise in the 21st century had caused major congestion problems for the city's roads. In efforts to tackle this issue, a 95 km outer
ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
costing $110 million was approved in 2017. Construction would have taken five years and it will run from
Char Asiab Persian: چهار آسیاب ''Chahār Aasiāb'' Char Asiab, Chahar Asiab, Charasiab, Charasiah or Charasia is a town, ca. 7 miles south of Kabul in the Char Asiab District. It was the site of the Battle of Charasiab in 1879 and the Second B ...
via
Ahmad Shah Baba Mina Ahmad Shah Baba Mina ( ps, احمدشاه بابا مېنه), formerly known as Arzan Qimat (ارزان قیمت), is a neighborhood in far eastern Kabul (District 12), nearby the Pul-e-Charkhi prison. Formerly a village, the area has become a mo ...
,
Deh Sabz Deh Sabz District, also romanized Dih Sabz District, (the name translating to 'Green Village') is situated northeast of Kabul city in Afghanistan. It has a population of 100,136 people (2002 UNHCR estimate). About 70% are Pashtuns and 30% are Taji ...
("Kabul New City" development area), the AH76 highway, Paghman and back to Char Asyab. A new bus public transport service was also planned to be opened in 2018 (see below). In September 2017, the head of the Kabul Municipality announced that 286 meters of pedestrian overpass footbridges will be built in eight busy areas "in the near future". Under the Kabul Urban Transport Efficiency Improvement Project that was signed in 2014 and backed by the World Bank, the city has seen widespread improvements in road conditions, including the building of new pedestrian sidewalks, drainage systems, lighting and asphalted road surfaces. The project runs until 31 December 2019. Private vehicles had been on the rise in Kabul since 2002, with about 700,000 cars registered as of 2013 and up to 80% of the cars reported to be
Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...
s. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Dodgy cars clogging Kabul's roads
The number of dealerships had also increased from 77 in 2003 to over 550 by 2010. Gas stations were mainly private-owned. Bicycles on the road were a common sight in the city.


Public transport

The taxicabs in Kabul were painted in a white and yellow livery. The majority of these were older model Toyota Corollas. A few Soviet-era Russian cabs were also still in operation. Long-distance road journeys were made by private Mercedes-Benz coach buses or vans, trucks and cars. Although a nationwide bus service was available from Kabul, flying was safer, especially for foreigners. The city's public bus service ( Millie Bus / "National Bus") was established in the 1960s to take commuters on daily routes to many destinations. The service had about 800 buses. The Kabul bus system had discovered a new source of revenue in whole-bus advertising from MTN similar to "bus wrap" advertising on public transit in more developed nations. There was also an express bus that runs from downtown to Hamid Karzai International Airport for
Safi Airways Safi Airways Co. ( ps, صافي هوايي شرکت; fa, خطوط هوایی صافی) was the first and largest privately owned airline from Afghanistan. The airline had its headquarters in Shahr-e-Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan, an administrative offi ...
passengers. An electric trolleybus system operated in Kabul from February 1979 to 1992 using
Škoda Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...
fleet built by a Czechoslovak company (see
Trolleybuses in Kabul The Kabul trolleybus system was a public transport service in Kabul, the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. The system was built by the Czechoslovak ''(Electrification of railways, Prague)'' from 1976. The service launched on February&nbs ...
for more). The trolleybus service was highly popular mainly due to its low price compared to the Millie Bus conventional bus service. The last trolleybus came to a halt in late 1992 due to warfare – much of the copper overhead wires were later looted but a few of them, including the steel poles, can still be seen in Kabul today. In June 2017 Kabul Municipality unveiled plans for a new bus rapid transit system, the first major urban public transportation scheme. It was expected to open by 2018, but its construction had been hampered. In March 2021, a new city bus service was launched in Kabul using American vehicles built by IC Bus, and accompanied by newly built
bus stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...
s throughout the city. Five buses entered service on one route which is expected to be expanded to a fleet of 200 buses on 16 different routes.


Internet-based participatory planning

In 2019, the
Nagoya Institute of Technology The , abbreviated to Nitech (or in Japanese to 名工大, ''Meikōdai''), is a public highest-level educational institution of science and technology located in Nagoya, Japan. Nitech was founded in 1905 as ''Nagoya Higher Technical School'', then ...
, in partnership with the Kabul city Municipality, jointly agreed to deploy a digital platform, called D-Agree in urban planning to provide support for stakeholders to promote meaningful public participation and help reach consensus in Kabul city planning process. From September 2019 until the
Fall of Kabul (2021) On 15 August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul was captured by the Taliban after a major insurgent offensive that began in May 2021. This led to the overthrowing of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani and ...
in August 2021, the platform was used on behalf of Kabul Municipality to moderate more than 300 Kabul city-related planning discussions. In these discussions, more than 15,000 citizens participated in planning activities hosted by D-Agree and generated more than 71,000 opinions which catalogued into issue-based information system regarding urban-related thematic areas. Despite the Taliban take-over, D-Agree will continue to play an important role in facilitating urban planning and infrastructure-related consultations. In 2022, United Nations reported that D-Agree Afghanistan is used as a digital and smart city solutions in Afghanistan. D-Agree, is a discussion support platform with artificial intelligence–based facilitation. The discussion trees in D-Agree, inspired by issue-based information system, contain a combination of four types of elements: issues, ideas, pros, and cons. The software extracts a discussion's structure in real time based on IBIS, automatically classifying all the sentences.


Education

The Ministry of Education led by
Ghulam Farooq Wardak Ghulam Farooq Wardak (born 1959) is a politician in Afghanistan, formerly serving as the Minister of Education. He was appointed to that position by Afghan President Hamid Karzai on October 11, 2008. Early life Farooq Wardak was born in the Say ...
was responsible for the education system in Afghanistan. Public and private schools in the city have reopened since 2002 after they were shut down or destroyed during fighting in the 1980s to the late 1990s. Boys and girls were strongly encouraged to attend school under the
Karzai administration Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Republi ...
but many more schools were needed not only in Kabul but throughout the country. The
Afghan Ministry of Education The Afghan Ministry of Education ( fa, وزارت معارف افغانستان , links=no)( ps, د پوهني وزارت افغانستان , links=no) is responsible for policy formulation, the organization and supervision of education in Afgha ...
had plans to build more schools in the coming years so that education was provided to all citizens of the country. High schools in Kabul included: * Abdul Rahim-e-Shaheed High School, a school for boys and girls (up to Year 6) founded in 1970 *
Habibia High School Habibia High School ( fa, لیسه عالی حبیبیه) is a school in southwestern Kabul, Afghanistan which has educated many of the former and current Afghan elite, including President Ashraf Ghani and musician Ahmad Zahir. It was founded by K ...
, a British-Afghan school founded in 1903 by King Habibullah Khan *
Lycée Esteqlal In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
, a Franco-Afghan school founded in 1922 *
Malalai High School Malalai of Maiwand ( ps, د ميوند ملالۍ), also known as Malala ( ps, links=no, ملاله), or Malalai Anna ( ps, links=no, ملالۍ انا, meaning ''Malalai the "Grandmother"'') is a national folk hero of Afghanistan who rallied ...
, a Franco-Afghan school for girls *
Amani High School Amani High School, also known in German as , ( prs, لیسه عالی امانی) is a school in Kabul (District 10), Afghanistan. From the time of its founding in 1924 until 1985, Amani High School was recognized as one of the elite schools in K ...
, a German-Afghan school for boys founded in 1924 *
Aisha-i-Durani School The Aisha-i-Durani School or Durani High School is a girls' school in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is one of two schools reconstructed with German help after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the other being Amani High School Amani High School, also ...
, a German-Afghan school for girls *
Rahman Baba High School The Rahman Baba High School () is a High-school located in western Kabul, Afghanistan. It was originally built in the 1950s, but saw large-scale destruction during the Soviet–Afghan War and ongoing Afghanistan conflict. Following the United ...
, an American-Afghan school for boys *
International School of Kabul The International School of Kabul (ISK) was a private co-educational K-12 school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Founded in 2003 as Kabul International Academy (KIA), the International School of Kabul provided a college-prep level U.S. (English speaking) ...
, an American-Afghan school *
Afghan Turk High Schools Afghan-Turk Maarif Schools are private chain of Turkish educational institutions currently working under Turkish Maarif Foundation, an educational institution connected to Turkish Republic with a special status. 20 branches of Afghan-Turk Schools ...
, Turkish-Afghan schools *
Ghulam Haider Khan High School Ghulam Haidar Khan High School is an all-boys school located in Khair Khana, Kabul, Afghanistan. The school is named after Afghan Prince Ghulam Haidar Khan, son of Emir Dost Mohammad Khan, who fought against the British forces in the July 18 ...
, a school for boys * Abdul Hadi Dawi High School, a school for boys *
Nazo Ana High School Nazo Ana High School is a boys' high school located in District 16 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The school is named after Nazo Tokhi Nāzo Tokhī (نازو توخۍ), commonly known as Nāzo Anā ( ps, نازو انا, "Nazo the grandmother"), was an A ...
, a school for boys


Universities

Universities included: *
American University of Afghanistan The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) ( fa, ; ps, ) is an Afghan private university located in the Darulaman section of Kabul. Most students of AUAF currently live abroad and there are plans to create a new AUAF campus in Qatar in the ...
* Kabul University * Kabul Medical University *
Kabul Polytechnic University Kabul Polytechnic University is the main center of educating engineers in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was founded on 13 October 1963 (1342 mizan in the Afghan calendar) as Kabul Polytechnic Institute and is located in 72 hectares of land in Karte Mam ...
* Kabul Education University of Rabbani * Kateb University * Kardan University * Afghan National Security University *
Bakhtar University Bakhtar University ( ps, د باختر پوهنتون, translit=, prs, پوهنتون باختر)Bakhtar University (BU) is one of Afghanistan's oldest and most prestigious privately held universities. It was Established in 2005 from a small beg ...
*
Dawat University Dawat University ( ps, د دعوت پوهنتون) is a private university registered with the government of Afghanistan. Established in 2009, Dawat University is a non-profit private higher-education institution located in the urban setting of t ...
* Dunya University of Afghanistan (DUA) * Gawharshad Institute of Higher Education * Gharjistan University * Afghanistan Institute Of Higher Education * Kaboora Institute of Higher Education * Kabul Health Sciences Institute * Karwan University * Khatam Al-Nabieen University *
Maryam University Maryam University ( prs, دانشگاه مریم) is a private university established in 2007, located in the Kabul city of the Kabul Province, Afghanistan. Programs and Courses * Bachelor in Law (LLB) * Bachelor in Political Science (BPS) * B ...
*
Mashal University Mashal University is private university established in 2009, located in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country ...
* Qalam institute of higher education * Rana Institute of Higher Education * Rifah Afghanistan Institute * Salam University


Health care

Health care in Afghanistan was relatively poor. The wealthy Afghans usually went abroad when seeking treatment. * Jinnah Hospital * French Medical Institute for Children *
Kabul City Hospital Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
*
Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital Indira Gandhi Children's hospital located in Kabul is a Children's hospital of Afghanistan.Jamhuriat Hospital The Afghan Jamhuriat Hospital is a state-owned hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is located in the affluent Shahr-e Naw neighborhood, near the Arg (Kabul), Afghan Presidential Palace and Abdul Rahman Mosque. The hospital is a 10-storey building ...
* Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital * Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital * Malalai Maternity Hospital * Rabia-I-Balki Maternity Hospital * Maywand Hospital * Afshar Hospital * Noor Eye Hospital * Atatürk Children's Hospital * American Medical Center Afghanistan * DK-German Medical Diagnostic Center * CURE International Hospital * KIA ISAF Role 3 Hospital


Notable people

* Abdullah Abdullah (born 1960), former chief executive officer of Afghanistan *
Leena Alam Leena Alam (Persian Language, Persian: , born in Kabul, Afghanistan) is an Afghans, Afghan film, television, and theater actress. She has appeared in films such as ''Kabuli Kid'', ''Black Kite (film), Black Kite'', ''Loori'', ''A Letter to the P ...
(born 1978), film actress * Zubayr Amiri (born 1990), footballer who plays for SC Hessen Dreieich and the Afghanistan national team * Asghar Afghan, retired cricketer, Afghanistan's former captain and ended his career with the highest T20I wins as a captain. *
Hafizullah Amin Hafizullah Amin (Pashto/ prs, حفيظ الله امين; 1 August 192927 December 1979) was an Afghan communist revolutionary, politician and teacher. He organized the Saur Revolution of 1978 and co-founded the Democratic Republic of Afghanist ...
(born 1929), former Prime Minister of Afghanistan *
Zamina Begum Zamina Begum (11 January 1917 – 28 April 1978), also known as Zainab Begum, was an Afghan princess. She was the First Lady of Afghanistan in 1973–1978, as the wife of the first President of Afghanistan, ''Sardar'' Mohammed Daoud Khan. Life Sh ...
(born 1917), former Afghan princess *
Shukria Barakzai Shukria Barakzai ( ps, شکريه بارکزۍ) is an Afghan politician, journalist and a prominent Muslim feminist. She was the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Norway. She is a recipient of the International Editor of the Year Award. Early life ...
(born 1972), Afghan Politician and former Ambassador of Afghanistan to Norway * Farhad Darya (born 1962), singer *
Salim Durani Salim Aziz Durani (born 11 December 1934) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 29 Test matches from 1960 to 1973. An all-rounder, Durani was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a left-handed batsman famous for his six-hitting prowess. He ...
(born 1934), former cricketer. He is the only Indian Test cricketer to have been born in Afghanistan. *
Ghezaal Enayat Ghezaal Enayat (Dari/Pashto: ; born 1996) is an Afghan singer and songwriter. She rose to fame with her first duet song "Dil-e Beqarar". She sings both in Dari and Pashto languages. She was born in Kabul, and her parents are from Laghman. Caree ...
(born 1989), singer * Farahnaz Forotan (born 1992), journalist *
Azita Ghanizada Azita Ghanizada is an Afghan-born American actress. She is known for her films and television series. She debuted her career with a short film entitled A kiss on the nose, in which she played the role of Ciara. Ghanizada is also the founder and ...
(not disclosed), American actress * Mozhdah Jamalzadah (born 1982), singer, actress, and talk show host *
Karim Janat Karim Janat (born 11 August 1998) is an Afghan cricketer. He made his first-class debut against the England Lions on 7 December 2016. Prior to his first-class debut, he was part of Afghanistan's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. ...
, cricketer, brother to Asghar Afghan * Naveen-ul-Haq (born 1999), cricketer *
Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini (;Pashto/Dari ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan Americans, Afghan-American novelist, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel ''The Kite Runner'' (2003) wa ...
(born 1965), Afghan-American novelist *
Habibullāh Kalakāni Habibullah Kalakani ( prs, , 19 January 1891 – 1 November 1929), also known by his nickname "Bacha-ye Saqao" (also romanized Bachai Sakao; literally ''son of the water carrier'') was the ruler of Afghanistan from 17 January to 13 October 1929 ...
(born 1890), politician and ruler of Afghanistan from 17 January to 13 October 1929 * Babrak Karmal (born 1929), former President of Afghanistan * Amanullah Khan (born 1892), First as Emir of Afghanistan and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929 * Abdur Rahman Khan (born between 1840 and 1844), Emir of Afghanistan *
Sher Ali Khan Sher Ali Khan (); c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan. Life Sher Ali Khan ...
(born 1825), Former Emir of Afghanistan * Annet Mahendru (born 1985), Afghan-born American actress *
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada (born 23 December 1997) is an Afghan former child actor. He played the role of Hassan, the loyal friend and servant of the richer boy Amir, in the film ''The Kite Runner'' (2007). In one scene, Hassan is attacked and it ...
(born 1994), former child actor. * Sibghatullah Mojaddedi (born 1925), former President of Afghanistan *
Nainawaz Fazel Ahmad Zekrya (Pashto/Dari: ; 1935–1979), known professionally as Nainawaz (Pashto/Dari: ) (or Ustad Nainawaz) was a renowned Afghan artist, poet and composer. He has composed some of the most iconic pieces in Afghan popular music. Backg ...
(born 1935), artist, poet and composer * Omar Nazar (born 1978), footballer *
Sayed Hamid Noori Sayed Hamid Noori was one of the leading journalists in Afghanistan. Life Sayed Hamid Noori was born and raised in Kabul. He attended the University of Kabul and graduated with a degree in journalism. According to his family he always enjoyed ...
(born 1965), journalist *
Homeira Qaderi Homeira Qaderi (Dari: حمیرا قادری, also spelled Homeira Qadari) born in 1980 is an Afghan writer, advocate for women's rights, and professor of Persian literature, currently serving as a Robert G. James Scholar Fellow at Radcliffe Ins ...
(born 1980), writer *
Seeta Qasemi Seeta Qasemi also spelled as Seeta Qasemie ( fa, سيتا قاسمى) is an Afghanistan, Afghan singer-songwriter. She entered the Afghan music scene in 2008. She sings both in Pashto language, Pashto and Dari language, Dari and lives in German ...
(born 1979), singer *
Anahita Ratebzad Anahita Ratebzad (Persian/ ps, آناهیتا راتبزاد; November 1931 – 7 September 2014) was an Afghan socialist and Marxist-Leninist politician and a member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) and the Revolutionary C ...
(born 1931), former Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism of Afghanistan * Mohammed Zahir Shah (born 1933), the last king of Afghanistan *
Abdul Rahim Sarban Abdul-Rahim Sārbān' (Persian: ) (1930 – April 2, 1993), known as Sarban, was an Afghan singer who was born in Kabul. He was the first Afghan artist to break away from the prevalent musical forms in Afghanistan at the time, the Indian inspir ...
(born 1930), singer * Roya Rahmani (born 1978), Former Afghan Diplomat, who has served as Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the United States. *
Hamid Rahimi Hamid Rahimi ( fa, حمید رحیمی) is a boxer from Afghanistan. He is an ethnic Hazara who lives in Germany. In February 2012, he won the New World Boxing Union (WBU) Championship by defeating his Belarusian rival in Hamburg. He also hold ...
(born 1983), boxer * Vida Samadzai (born 1978), model * Mohammad Hussain Sarahang (born 1924), singer *
Aryana Sayeed Aryana Sayeed (Dari/Pashto: ) is an Afghan singer, songwriter and TV personality. She sings mostly in Dari but also has many songs in Pashto and some in Uzbek. She is one of Afghanistan's most famous musical artist, performing regularly in conc ...
(born 1985), singer * Ahmad Zahir (born 1946), singer


Twin towns – sister cities

* Ankara, Turkey (since 2003) * Istanbul, Turkey (since 1992) * Kazan, Russia (since 2005) * Omaha, Nebraska, United States (since 2003) *
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
, United States (since 2018)


See also

* List of cities in Afghanistan *
2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes The 2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes struck in northern Afghanistan during the month of March. At least 166 people were killed with a very large and intermediate-depth mainshock on March 3. Three weeks later, at least a further two-thousand were kille ...
*
List of terrorist attacks in Kabul This is a list of terrorist attacks in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. 1995 * September 6: 1995 attack on the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul 2002 * September 5: 2002 Kabul bombing 2003 * July 9: 2003 attack on the Embassy of Pakistan in Kab ...
* Kabul Province *
Kabul Airport , nativename-r = , image = Flightline at Kabul International Airport.jpeg , caption = The flightline at Kabul International Airport in January 2012 , IATA = KBL , ICAO = OAKB , ...
* List of rulers of Kabul *
Timeline of Kabul The following is a timeline of the history of Kabul, Afghanistan. Prior to 20th century * Circa 1500–1200 B.C. – The ''Rigveda'', a book of Vedic Sanskrit hymns, called this town "Kubha". By about 1000 BC the Zend Avesta of Zoroastrianism ...


References


Further reading

* * * Hill, John E. (2009). ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd centuries CE''. Charleston, South Carolina: BookSurge. . * * *


External links


People of Kabul – report by Radio France Internationale in English
{{Authority control 2nd-millennium BC establishments Capitals in Asia Cities in Afghanistan Kabul Shahi Places in Shahnameh Populated places along the Silk Road Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC Populated places in Kabul Province Provincial capitals in Afghanistan