Kapisa Province
| Kapisa (کاپیسا) | |
| Province | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Capital | Mahmud-i-Raqi |
| - coordinates | |
| Area | 1,842 km² (711 sq mi) |
| Population | 364,900 [1] |
| Density | 195 / km² (505 / sq mi) |
| Timezone | UTC+4:30 |
| Main language | Pashayi Dari Persian Pashto |
 Map of Afghanistan with Kapisa highlighted
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Kapisa (Persian/Pashto: کاپيسا) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nijrab and Tagab. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate. The area of the province is 1,842 km².[2]
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History
The earliest references to Kapisa appear in the writings of fifth century BCE Indian scholar Pāṇini. Pāṇini refers to the city of Kapiśi, a city of the Kapisa kingdom.[3] Pāṇini also refers to Kapiśayana,[4] a famous wine from Kapisa.[5] The city of Kapiśi also appeared as Kaviśiye on Graeco-Indian coins of Apollodotus I and Eucratides.[6]
Archeological discoveries in 1939 confirmed that the city of Kapisa was an emporium for Kapiśayana wine, bringing to light numerous glass flasks, fish-shaped wine jars, and drinking cups typical of the wine trade of the era.[7] The grapes (Kapiśayani Draksha) and wine (Kapiśayani Madhu) of the area are referred to in several works of ancient Indian literature.[8] The epic Mahabharata also mentions the common practice of slavery in the city.[9]
According to the scholar Pliny, the city of Kapiśi (also referred to as Kaphusa by Pliny's copyist Solinus[10] and Kapisene by other classical chroniclers) was destroyed in the sixth century BCE by the Achaemenid emperor Cyrus (Kurush) (559-530 BC). Based on the account of the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang, who visited in AD 644, it seems that in later times Kapisa was part of a kingdom ruled by a Buddhist kshatriya king holding sway over ten neighboring states, including Lampaka, Nagarahara, Gandhara, and Banu.[11] Hiuen Tsang notes the Shen breed of horses from the area, and also notes the production of many types of cereals and fruits, as well as a scented root called Yu-kin.
Politics and security
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Currently, the governor of Kapisa province is Ghulam Qawis Abubaker. The previous governor of the province, Abdul Sattar Murad, was removed from office in July 2007 by President Hamid Karzai, and a replacement has not yet been named. The ostensible reason for Murad's removal was 'ineffective governance', but it was widely believed by press sources that Murad was removed because of critical comments he made in a Newsweek interview regarding the central government's ineffectiveness in remote areas of the province.[12][13]
Insurgent activity in the province increased in 2006 and 2007. Southern areas of the province, in particular the Tagab district, have been the site of repeated clashes between U.S. and Afghan forces and insurgent groups.[14]
On January 19, 2009, coalition military forces led a raid near the village of Inzeri in the Tagab district of Kapisa. While coalition forces claimed at least 15 militants were killed (including a local Taliban commander), local villagers claimed that many of those killed were actually civilians. The raid was strongly criticized by Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who stated that such raids undermine the national government. The villagers were paid a total of $40,000 in condolence payments, and received an apology for any civilian deaths.[15]
On 17 November 2009, Taliban militants fired rockets on a bazaar in Tagab district where French forces were meeting with tribal elders, killing 10 Afghan civilians and wounding 28.[16]
Districts
| District | District Center | Population | Area[17] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alasay | ||||
| Hesa Awal Kohistan | Created in 2005 within Kohistan District | |||
| Hesa Duwum Kohistan | Created in 2005 within Kohistan District | |||
| Koh Band | ||||
| Mahmud Raqi | ||||
| Nijrab | ||||
| Tagab |
Demographics
The population of the province is around 406,200 people.[18] The major ethnic groups are Tajiks (30%), Pashtuns (27%) and Pashai (17%).[1][19] There is also a sizable minority of Nuristanis.
Economy
Agriculture is the largest portion of the economy. One particular crop, saffron, has been introduced as a major trade commodity in the province.
Once a week, a trade day (called a Mela) occurs. The concept of the mela is ancient, and translates to "party" in Sanskrit, as the event is as much a social event as a trade day.
Sport
The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket tournaments by the Kapisa Province cricket team.
Amenities
Currently, there is one hospital in the province. Previously, the province contained a textile company and cinema, which were both destroyed during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Kapisa is home to Al Biruni university, named after the Islamic scholar Alberuni. The university offers programs in engineering, medicine, law, and literature, and is located in the Hesa Awal Kohistan district.
Currently, the number of girls' schools is limited, but has increased through the efforts of charities and NGOs.
Provincial Reconstruction Team
The Kapisa province is served by the Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction Team located at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier in Nijrab District.
See also
- Alexandria of the Caucasus
- Achaemenid dynasty
- Arachosia
- Bagram
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Afghanistan's Provinces – Kapisa at NPS
- ↑ http://www.statoids.com/uaf.html
- ↑ Ashtadhyayia Sutra IV.2.99.
- ↑ Sutra IV.2.29.
- ↑ Dr S. Chattopadhyaya 1974: 58; India as Known to Panini, 1953, p 71, Dr V. S. Aggarwala; Foreign Elements in Ancient Indian Society, 2nd Century BC to 7th Century AD, 1979, p 86, Dr Uma Prasad Thapliyal.
- ↑ See: Notes on Indian coins and Seals, Part IV, E. J. Rapson in Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 1905, p 784, (Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland).
- ↑ A Grammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Reviews of the Best Books for ..., 1953, p 118, Dr Peggy Melcher, Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, Surya Kanta, Jacob Wackernagel, Arthur Anthony Macdonell.
- ↑ Cultural History of Ancient India: A Socio-economic and Religio-cultural Survey of Kapisa and ... , 1979, p 29, Jaya Goswami; India as Known to Pāṇini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1953, 118, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala
- ↑ Mahabharata 2.48.7.; Tribes in the Mahabharata: A Socio-cultural Study, 1987, pp 94,314, Krishna Chandra Mishra - Mahābhārata; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 44, Dr Moti Chandra - India
- ↑ Polyh C. 54.
- ↑ Su-kao-seng-chaun, Chapter 2, (no. 1493); Kai-yuan-lu, chapter 7; Publications, 1904, p 122-123, published by Oriental Translation Fund (Editors Dr T. W. Rhys Davis, S. W. Bushel, London, Royal Asiatic Society).
- ↑ http://www.e-ariana.com/ariana/eariana.nsf/allDocs/3C8778E76AB1C420872573170058C1FF?OpenDocument
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6901461.stm
- ↑ http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/71E72AE4-CB59-4725-8798-4D11A1C76573.htm
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Rubin, Alissa J. "Taliban Militants Fire Rockets on Crowded Bazaar Northeast of Kabul. Accessed at: http://www.afghanemb-canada.net/en/news_bulletin/2009/Nov/17/index.php
- ↑ Afghanistan Geographic & Thematic Layers
- ↑ AREU "The Afghan Research Newsletter" Issue 25. April/May 2010
- ↑ Kapisa provincial profile
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