Kabul

For other places with the same name, see Kabul (disambiguation).

Kabul
کابل
Capital city
Left-to-right from top:
Skyline in 2020, the Arg, Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque, Sakhi Shrine, modern Kabul, skyline in 2021
Official seal of Kabul
Seal
Nickname: 
Paris of Central Asia[1][2]
Kabul is located in Afghanistan
Kabul
Kabul
Kabul is located in Asia
Kabul
Kabul
Coordinates: 34°31′31″N 69°10′42″E / 34.52528°N 69.17833°E / 34.52528; 69.17833
CountryAfghanistan
ProvinceKabul
No. of districts22
No. of Gozars630
Capital formation1776[4]
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • MayorHamdullah Nomani
 • Deputy MayorMaulvi Abdul Rashid[5]
Area
 • Total
1,028.24 km2 (397.01 sq mi)
 • Land1,028.24 km2 (397.01 sq mi)
 • Water0 km2 (0 sq mi)
Elevation
1,791 m (5,876 ft)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
4.954 million[3]
 • Density4,815/km2 (12,470/sq mi)
DemonymsKabuli
Time zoneUTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time)
 • Summer (DST)(Not Observed)
Postal code
10XX
Area code(+93) 20
ClimateBSk
Websitekm.gov.af

Kabul[a] is the capital city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into 22 municipal districts. In 2023 its population was estimated to be 4.95 million people.[3] In contemporary times, Kabul has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural and economical center.[9] Rapid urbanisation has made it the country's primate city and the 75th-largest city in the world.[10]

The modern-day city of Kabul is located high in a narrow valley in the Hindu Kush mountain range, and is bounded by the Kabul River. At an elevation of 1,790 metres (5,873 ft), it is one of the highest capital cities in the world. The center of the city contains its old neighborhoods, including the areas of Khashti Bridge, Khabgah, Kahforoshi, Deh-Afghanan, Ghaderkuni, Chandavel, Shorbazar, Saraji and Baghe Alimardan.[11]

Kabul is said to be over 3,500 years old, and was mentioned at the time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Located at a crossroads in Asia—roughly halfway between Istanbul, Turkey, in the west and Hanoi, Vietnam, in the east—the city is situated in a strategic location along the trade routes of Central Asia and South Asia. It was a key destination on the ancient Silk Road[12] and was traditionally seen as the meeting point between Tartary, India and Persia.[13] Over the centuries Kabul has been under the rule of various dynasties and empires, including the Seleucids, Bactrian Greeks, Mauryans, the Kushans, the Hindu Shahis, Western Turks, the Turk Shahis, the Samanids, the Khwarazmians, the Timurids, the Mongols and the Arman Rayamajhis.

In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire used Kabul as a summer capital, during which time it prospered and increased in significance.[13] It briefly came under the control of the Afsharids following Nader Shah's invasion of India, until finally coming under local rule by the Afghan Empire in 1747.[14] Kabul became the capital of Afghanistan in 1776 during the reign of Timur Shah Durrani (a son of Ahmad Shah Durrani).[4] In the 19th century the city was occupied by the British: after establishing foreign relations and agreements, they withdrew from Afghanistan and returned to British India.

Kabul is known for its historical gardens, bazaars, and palaces[15][16][17] such as the Gardens of Babur, Darul Aman Palace and the Arg. In the second half of the 20th century, the city became a stop on the hippie trail undertaken by many Europeans[18][19][20] and gained the nickname "Paris of Central Asia".[1][2][21] This period of tranquility ended in 1978 with the Saur Revolution, and the subsequent Soviet military intervention in 1979 which sparked a 10-year Soviet–Afghan War. The 1990s were marked by civil wars between splinter factions of the disbanded Afghan mujahideen which destroyed much of the city.[22] In 1996, Kabul was captured by the Taliban after four years of intermittent fighting. The Taliban-ruled city fell to the United States after the American-led invasion of Afghanistan which followed the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001. In 2021, Kabul was re-occupied by the Taliban following the withdrawal of American and NATO-led military forces from Afghanistan.

  1. ^ a b Bumiller, Elisabeth (17 October 2009). "Remembering Afghanistan's Golden Age". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Kohzad, Nilly. "Kabul Residents, Visitors Recall Capital's Golden Era Before Conflict". Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty. RFE/RL. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2023-24" (PDF). nsia.gov.af. 10 July 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Stanford was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "د اسلامي امارت په تشکیلاتو کې نوي کسان پر دندو وګومارل شول". باختر خبری آژانس. 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  6. ^ American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 1969.
  7. ^ "Kabul". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  8. ^ "American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language". Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  9. ^ Foschini, Fabrizio (April 2017). Kabul and the challenge of dwindling foreign aid (PDF). Peaceworks no. 126. United States Institute of Peace. ISBN 978-1-60127-641-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021 – via ETH Zurich.
  10. ^ "Largest cities in the world and their mayors – 1 to 150". City Mayors. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Kabul | History, Culture, Map, & Facts | Britannica". 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Afghanistan: The Heart of Silk Road in Asia". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  13. ^ a b Samrin, Farah (2005). "The City of Kabul Under the Mughals". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 66: 1307. JSTOR 44145943. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  14. ^ Nancy Hatch Dupree / Aḥmad ʻAlī Kuhzād (1972). "An Historical Guide to Kabul – The Story of Kabul". American International School of Kabul. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  15. ^ Gopalakrishnan, Raju (16 April 2007). "Once called paradise, now Kabul struggles to cope". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  16. ^ Abdul Zuhoor Qayomi. "Kabul City: Isn't just capital of Afghanistan but of palaces as well – Afghanistan Times". Afghanistan Times. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  17. ^ Sayed A Azimi. "Reversing Kabul's Environmental Setbacks". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference overthrown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Dateline Mongolia: An American Journalist in Nomad's Land by Michael Kohn
  20. ^ "'Mein Kabul': ORF-Reporterlegende Fritz Orter präsentiert im 'Weltjournal' 'seine Stadt' – am 31. August um 22.30 Uhr in ORF 2" (in German). OTS.at. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Taliban Peace Talks in Afghanistan". 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  22. ^ "History of Kabul". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2013.


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