37 Facts About Kabul

Kabul is said to be over 3, 500 years old, mentioned since at least the time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.

Kabul has been under the rule of various other dynasties and empires, including the Seleucids, the Kushans, the Hindu Shahis, the Turk Shahis, the Samanids, the Khwarazmians, the Timurids, and the Mongols, among others.

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.

In 1996, Kabul was captured by the Taliban after four years of intermittent fighting with other Afghan factions.

In 2021, Kabul was re-captured by the Taliban following the withdrawal of American-led military forces from Afghanistan.

Related searches

The name "Kabul" was first applied to the Kabul river before being applied to the area situated between the Hindu Kush and Sindh.

Kabul rulers built a defensive wall around the city to protect it from enemy raids.

Kabul has a castle celebrated for its strength, accessible only by one road.

Under Mughal governance, Kabul became a prosperous urban centre, endowed with bazaars such as the non-extant Char Chatta.

Kabul was a recreational retreat for the Mughals, who hunted here and constructed several gardens.

Kabul experienced considerable urban development during the reigns of Timur Shah and his successor Zaman Shah; 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.

In 1842 the British returned to Kabul, demolishing the city's main bazaar in revenge before returning to British India.

Second Anglo-Afghan War broke out in 1879 when Kabul was under Sher Ali Khan's rule, as the Afghan king initially refused to accept British diplomatic missions and later the British residents were again massacred.

Kabul University opened in 1932 and by the 1960s western educated Afghans made up the majority of teachers.

When Zahir Shah took power in 1933 Kabul had the only 10 kilometers of rail in the country and the country had few internal telegraphs, phone lines or roads.

Textile mills, power plants, carpet and furniture factories were built in Kabul, providing much-needed manufacturing and infrastructure.

Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967, which was maintained with the help of visiting German zoologists.

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 and became a major tourist attraction for western hippies.

On 27 September 1996, the hardline Taliban militia seized Kabul and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Kabul was periodically the scene of deadly bombings carried out mostly by the Taliban but by the Haqqani network, ISIL, and other anti-state groups.

Kabul was situated in the eastern part of the country, 1, 791 meters above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River.

Kabul is roughly equidistant between Istanbul and Hanoi (eastern Asia).

Kabul has a continental, cold semi-arid climate with precipitation concentrated in the winter (almost exclusively falling as snow) and spring months.

Kabul River flowed through the heart of the city, dividing the central bazaars.

Related searches

Kabul's population was estimated to have been about 10, 000 in 1700, 65, 000 by 1878, and 120, 000 by 1940.

Kabul became one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, with its population growing fourfold from 2001 to 2014.

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.

Almost three-quarters of the population of Kabul follow Sunni Islam, and around Twenty-five percent of residents are Shiites.

Kabul has small Indian and Turkish communities (mostly business-owners and investors), and in the 1980s had a sizable Russian community during the Soviet campaign in the country.

Major hotels in Kabul included; the Serena Hotel, the Inter-Continental, and the Safi Landmark Hotel above the Kabul City Center.

Old part of Kabul was filled with bazaars nestled along its narrow, crooked streets, examples being the Mandawi and the Bird Market.

Kabul used to have as many as 23 cinemas, but currently only had four, including the state owned Ariana Cinema.

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".

In June 2017 Kabul Municipality unveiled plans for a new bus rapid transit system, the first major urban public transportation scheme.

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 stops throughout the city.