Kabul

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Kabul, Afghanistan
View of Kabul City
View of Kabul City
Country Afghanistan
Province Kabul
Area  
 - City km²
Population  
 - City (2005) 2,994,000[1]
  UN estimate of city proper
Time zone GMT+04:30 Kabul (UTC)

Kābul (Pashto/Persian: کابل), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 3 million people.

It is an economic and cultural center, strategically situated in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. Kabul is linked with Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat and Mazari Sharif via a long beltway (circular highway) that stretches across Afghanistan. It is also linked by highways with Pakistan to the southeast and Tajikistan to the north, and is 5,900 feet (1,800 metres) above sea level.

Kabul's main products include ordnance, cloth, furniture, and beet sugar, though, since 1978, a state of nearly continuous war has limited the economic productivity of the city.

Kabul is over 3,000 years old. Many empires long fought over the city, due to its strategical location along the trade routes of Central Asia. In 1504, Babur made it the capital of his Moghul Empire. Finally, in 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of modern Afghanistan.[2] The city's population is multicultural and multi-ethnic, reflecting the diversity of Afghanistan and the nearby regions, with Tajiks being the majority and Pashtuns, Hazaras, Uzbeks and others being important minorities. Kabul is in the process of being rebuilt following decades of wars and destruction.

Contents

History

Timur Lang is sitting in the center, handing his crown (representing his empire) to Emperor Babur in this fictional setting. Babur's son and successor, Humayun, is sitting to the right.
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Timur Lang is sitting in the center, handing his crown (representing his empire) to Emperor Babur in this fictional setting. Babur's son and successor, Humayun, is sitting to the right.

In the earlier records of Kabul are a mention of Kubha as the name of river around 1200 BCE and a reference to the settlement Kabura by the Persian Achaemenids around 300 BCE. Kabul was known as Chabolo in antiquity [citation needed]. According to other scholars, the Sanskrit name of Kabol or Kabul is Kamboj (Supplementary Glossary, p 304, H. M. Elliot).

It is mentioned as Kophes or Kophene in the classical writings. Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency 1904 maintains that ancient name of Kabol was Kambojapura which Ptolemy (160 CE) mentions as Kaboura (from Ka(m)bo(j)pura?). Hiuen Tsang refers to the name as Kaofeu, which according to Dr J. W. McCrindle, Dr B. C. Law, Dr R. K. Mukkerji and others is equivalent to Kambu (Kamboj/Kambuj). The Bactrians founded the town of Paropamisadae near Kabul, but it was later ceded to the Mauryans in the 1st century BCE.

Kabul (Gaofu) was conquered by the first Kushan Emperor, Kujula Kadphises in the early 1st century CE, and it remained Kushan territory until at least the 3rd century CE. [3] [4] Kabul was one of the two capital cities of Kushans. In 425 AD, Kabul was conquered by the Hephthalites. From the end of 6th century until the Islamic invasion in late 7th century, Kabulistan had its own kingdom called Kabulshahan or Ratbelshahan. [citation needed] They built a defensive wall around the city for the protection against eventual Arab attacks. Today, this wall is considered as an old historical site. The Islamic troops met the most strict defense in Kabul than any other city nearby.

In most of the historical books as well as the Dari (Persian) literature books, the word Kabulistan has been used 1. It indicates that Kabul contained a larger territory and region, and that it was sometimes considered a state of Khorasan. However, the last kingdom in Kabulistan was Kabulshahan or Ratbelshahan who were defeated by the Islamic troops. The word Kabulistan was attributed to the regions lying between Kapisa (in the north) and Peshawar (in the south) [5]

In 674, the Islamic invasions reached Khorasan and conquered Kabul. Over the next 900 years, the city was successively controlled by the Samanids, the Hindu Shahi dynasty, the Ghaznavids, the Ghorids, the Timurids and the Mughols.

In the 13th century the Mongol horde passed through. In the 14th century, Kabul rose again as a trading centre under the kingdom of Timur Lang, who married the sister of Kabul's ruler. But as Timurid power waned, the city was captured in 1504 by Emperor Babur and made into his headquarters. Haidar, an Indian poet who visited at the time wrote "Dine and drink in Kabul: it is mountain, desert, city, river and all else."

Nader Shah of Persia captured Kabul in 1738 but was assassinated nine years later. Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan military commander and bodyguard of Nader Shah, took the throne in 1747, asserting Pashtun rule and further expanding his new Afghan Empire. His son Timur Shah Durrani, after inheriting power, transferred the capital of Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776.[6] Timur Shah died in 1793 and was succeeded by his son Zaman Shah Durrani.

In 1826 the throne was claimed by Dost Mohammed, but it was taken by the British army in 1839 (see Afghan Wars), who installed the unpopular puppet Shah Shuja. An 1841 local uprising massacred both the British mission and approximately 16,000 British-Indian army troops on their subsequent retreat from Kabul to Jalalabad. In 1842 the British returned, plundering Bala Hissar in revenge before retreating to India. Dost Mohammed returned to the throne.

Zahir Shah became the youngest, longest-serving and last King of Afghanistan.
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Zahir Shah became the youngest, longest-serving and last King of Afghanistan.

The British returned in 1878 as Kabul was under Sher Ali Khan's rule, but its residents were again massacred. The British army came again in 1879 under General Roberts, partially destroying Bala Hissar before retreating to India. Amir Abdur Rahman was left in control of the country.

In the early 20th century King Amanullah Khan came to power. His reforms included electricity for the city and schooling for girls. He drove a Rolls Royce, and lived in the famous Darul Aman Palace. In 1919, after the Third Anglo-Afghan War, Amanullah announced Afghanistan's independence from foreign interventions at Eidgah Mosque. In 1929, Ammanullah Khan left Kabul due to a local uprise and his brother Nadir Shah took control. in 1933, Nadir Shah was assassinated and his son Zahir Shah was put in his place, who was only 19 years old and would remain as the last King of Afghanistan for a long time.

Kabul University opened for classes in early 1930s, and in 1940s, the city began to grow as an industrial center. The streets of the city began being paved in the 1950s.

In the 1960s, Kabul developed a cosmopolitan mood. The first Marks and Spencer store in Central Asia was built there, and Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967. The Zoo was maintained with the help of visiting German Zoologists, and focused on Afghan fauna.

In 1969, a religious uprising at the Pulli Khishti Mosque protested the Soviet Union's increasing influence over Afghan politics and religion. This protest ended in the arrest of many of its organizers including Mawlana Faizani, a popular Islamic scholar.

In 1975 an east-west electric trolley-bus system provided public transportation across the city. The system was built with assistance from Czechoslovakia.

After Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, on December 23, 1979, the red army occupied the city turning it into their command center during the 10-year conflict between the Soviet-allied government and the mujahideen rebels. The American Embassy in Kabul closed on January 30, 1989. Kabul fell into the hands of local militias after the 1992 collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's pro-communist government. As these forces divided into warring factions, the city increasingly suffered. In December, the last of the 86 trolley buses in the city came to a halt due to the conflict. A system of 800 public buses continued to provide transportation to the population. By 1993 electricity and water in the city was completely out.

Section of Kabul that was destroyed during the 1990s 10-year civil war.
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Section of Kabul that was destroyed during the 1990s 10-year civil war.

At this time, Burhannudin Rabbani's millitia (Jamiat-e Islami) held power but the nominal prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami began a five-year shelling of the city, which lasted until 1996. Kabul was factionalised, and fighting continued between Jamiat-e Islami, Abdul Rashid Dostum and the Hezbi Wahdat. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and many more fled as refugees.

Kabul was captured by the Taliban in September, 1996, publicly lynching ex-president Najibullah and his brother. During this time, all the fighting between different militias came to an end. Burhannudin Rabbani, Gulbuddin Heckmatyar, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Ahmad Shah Masood, and the rest all fled the city.

Approximately five years later, in October 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan. The Taliban abandoned Kabul in the following months due to extensive American bombing, while the Afghan Northern Alliance (former militias) came to retake control of the city. On December 20, 2001, Kabul became the capital of the Afghan Transitional Administration, which transformed to the present government of Afghanistan that is led by US backed President Hamid Karzai.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Kabul's public bus (Millie Bus) carrying passengers.
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Kabul's public bus (Millie Bus) carrying passengers.

Kabul International Airport serves the population of the city as a method of traveling to far destinations. The airport is a hub to Ariana Afghan Airlines, which is the national airlines carrier of Afghanistan. However, airlines from other nations also use the airport to arrive and depart. A new US 35 million dollar terminal for international flight passengers, near the old terminal, is under construction and will be completed by 2008.[7]

Kabul has its own public buses (Millie Bus) that take commuters on daily routes to many destinations throughout the city. The service currently has approximately 200 buses but is gradually expanding and upgrading with more buses being added. Plans are underway to re-introduce the modern electric buses that the city once had. Besides the buses, there are yellow taxicabs that can be spotted just about anywhere in and around the city.

Private vehicles are also on the rise in Kabul, with Toyota, Land Rover, BMW and Hyundai dealerships all over the city. More and more people are buying new cars as the roads and highways are being improved. The average car driven in Kabul is a Toyota Corolla.

Communications and technology

Telecommunications in the city are provided by Afghan Wireless, Roshan and Areeba, all have boasted increase in rapid cellular phone usage. In November 2006, the Afghan Ministry of Communications has signed a US 64.5 million dollar agreement with a company (ZTE Corporation) on the establishment of a countrywide fibre optical cable network. This will improve telephone, internet, television and radio broadcast services not just in Kabul but throughout the country.[8]

Local (Afghan) television channels include:

Reconstruction and developments

A Kabul Business Center.
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A Kabul Business Center.
The plan for Kabul's nine billion dollar future modern urban development project, the Kabul - City of Light Development.
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The plan for Kabul's nine billion dollar future modern urban development project, the Kabul - City of Light Development.
The plan of the mezzanine level, Jade Meywand Avenue Development, part of the City of Light Development.
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The plan of the mezzanine level, Jade Meywand Avenue Development, part of the City of Light Development.
New apartment buildings are being built all across the city in Kabul.
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New apartment buildings are being built all across the city in Kabul.

As of October 2006, there are fourteen licensed banks in Kabul: including Afghanistan International Bank (managed by the Dutch ING Bank), Standard Chartered Bank, Kabul Bank, Azizi Bank, Punjab National Bank, Habib Bank and others. Western Union offices are also found in many locations throughout the city.

A modern indoor shopping mall (Kabul City Center) with a 4-star (Safi Landmark) hotel on the top six floors opened in 2005. A 5-star Serena Hotel also opened in 2005. Another 5-star Hyatt Regency Hotel is under construction, which is scheduled for completion in mid 2007. The landmark InterContinental Hotel has also been refurbished and is in operation.

An initial concept design called the City of Light Development, envisioned by Dr. Hisham N. Ashkouri, Prinicpal of ARCADD, Inc. 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[9], revitalizing some of the most commercial and historic districts in the City of Kabul, which contains numerous historic mosques and shrines as well as viable commercial activities among war damaged buildings. Also incorporated in the design is a new complex for the Afghan National Museum. Dr. Ashkouri has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with His Excellency Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad in Washington, DC to undertake this project and to develop it for actual implementation over the next 20 to 25 years. Dr. Ashkouri has presented the City of Light Plan to President Karzai and has received a letter of support from the President and the Minister of Urban Development in support of this project’s development.

About 4 miles from downtown Kabul, in Bagrami section, a 22 acres wide industrial complex has completed with modern facilities, which will allow companies to operate businesses there. The park has professional management for the daily maintenance of public roads, internal streets, common areas, parking areas, 24 hours perimeter security, access control for vehicles and persons. Another phase with additional 27 acres of land will be added immediately proceeding the first phase.[10]

A $25 million Coca-Cola bottling plant was opened in September 2006. Financing was provided by a Dubai-based Afghan family. President Hamid Karzai formally opened the facility in an attempt to attract more foreign investment in the city.[11]

Tourism and sightseeing

The old part of Kabul is filled with bazaars nestled along its narrow, crooked streets. Cultural sites include the Afghan National Museum, notably displaying an impressive statue of Surya excavated at Khair Khana, the Mausoleum of Emperor Babur, the mausoleum of Mohammad Nader Shah, the Minar-i-Istiklal (column of independence) built in 1919 after the Third Afghan War, the mausoleum of King Timur Shah, and the very huge Id Gah Mosque (founded 1893). Bala Hissar is a fort destroyed by the British in 1879, in retaliation for the death of their envoy, now restored as a military college. The Minaret of Chakari, destroyed in 1998, had Buddhist swastika and both Mahayana and Theravada qualities.

Other places of interest include Kabul City Center, which is Kabul's first shopping mall, the shops around Flower Street and Chicken Street, Wazir Akbar Khan district, Kabul Zoo, Babur's Gardens, Shah Do Shamshera and other famous Mosques, the Afghan National Gallery, Afghan National Archive, Afghan Royal Family Mausoleum, the OMAR Mine Museum, Bibi Mahroo Hill, Kabul Cemetery, and Paghman Gardens.

Tappe-i-Maranjan is a nearby hill where Buddhist statues and Graceo-Bactrian coins from the 2nd century BC have been found. Outside the city proper is a citadel and the royal palace. Paghman and Jalalabad are interesting valleys north and east of the city.

Inside the Afghan National Museum.
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Inside the Afghan National Museum.
The Mausoleum of Tamim Ansar's.
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The Mausoleum of Tamim Ansar's.
Kabul City Center and Safi Landmark Hotel.
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Kabul City Center and Safi Landmark Hotel.
The Kabul Serena.
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The Kabul Serena.
  • Districts
    • Shahr-e Naw (New District)
    • Sherpur
    • Macro Ryans
    • Wazir Akbar Khan
    • Chehlstoon
    • Darul-Amaan
  • General
    • Flower Street
    • Chicken Street
  • Mosques
    • Grand Mosque (Under Construction)
    • Id Gah Mosque
    • Pull-e Khishti Mosque
    • Shah-e Do Shamshera Mosque

Education

Universities in Kabul

Kabul in literature and poetry

Kabul is mentioned on numerous occasions in classical Persian (Dari) literature well back into the last millennium. Many examples are notable.

ززابل به کابل رسید آن زمان
From Zabul he arrived to Kabul
گرازان و خندان و دل شادمان
Strutting, happy, and mirthful
---Ferdowsi in Shahnama

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ^ UN World Urbanization Prospects: The 2005 Revision Population Database...link
  2. ^ Britannica Concise Encyclopedia - Kabul...Link
  3. ^ Hill, John E. 2004. The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu. Draft annotated English translation...link
  4. ^ Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢: A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation... Link
  5. ^ Zāhir ud-Dīn Mohammad Bābur in Bāburnāma, "Transactions of the year 908", translated by John Leyden, Oxford University Press 1921 (LINK)
  6. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica - The Durrani dynasty (from Afghanistan)...Link
  7. ^ Pajhwok Afghan News - Work on terminal at Kabul Airport starts...Link
  8. ^ Pajhwok Afghan News - Ministry signs contract with Chinese company...Link
  9. ^ Kabul - City of Light Project...link
  10. ^ Afghanistan Industrial Parks Development Authority...link
  11. ^ Yahoo News...link
  12. ^ Kabul International School...link

External links

Government and organizations

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