102-480: Gigyani is a tribe of Pakhtuns . This article about an Afghan ethnicity is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a Pakistani ethnicity is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pakhtuns Pashtuns ( / ˈ p ʌ ʃ ˌ t ʊ n / , / ˈ p ɑː ʃ ˌ t ʊ n / , / ˈ p æ ʃ ˌ t uː n / ; Pashto : پښتانه , romanized: Pəx̌tānə́ ; ), also known as Pakhtuns , or Pathans , are
204-583: A nomadic , pastoral , eastern Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan . They historically were also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the term's meaning had become a demonym for members of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan . The Pashtuns speak the Pashto language , which belongs to the Eastern Iranian branch of
306-635: 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. 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
408-514: A Jewish quarter in Kabul. In the early 19th century, Kabul and other major Afghan cities became sites of refuge for Jews fleeing persecution in neighboring Iran. Jews were generally tolerated for most of their time in Afghanistan, up until the passage of anti-Jewish laws in the 1870s. Jews were given a reprieve under the rule of King Nadir Shah until his assassination in 1933. The influence of Nazi propaganda led to increased violence against Jews and
510-667: A Pashtun population of over 1 million, whilst Jaipur and Bangalore have an estimate of around 100,000. The Pashtuns in Bangalore include the khan siblings Feroz , Sanjay and Akbar Khan , whose father settled in Bangalore from Ghazni . During the 19th century, when the British were recruiting peasants from British India as indentured servants to work in the Caribbean , South Africa and other places, Rohillas were sent to Trinidad , Surinam , Guyana , and Fiji , to work in
612-578: A cement factory,a 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 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
714-449: 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 and was traditionally seen as the meeting point between Tartary , India and Persia . Over the centuries Kabul has been under
816-675: 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 . 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
918-407: 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
1020-633: A group of opposing Afghans, as also corroborated by Abulfazl Beyhaqi . It is recorded that Afghans were also enrolled in the Ghurid Kingdom (1148–1215). By the beginning of the Khilji dynasty in 1290, Afghans have been well known in northern India. Ibn Battuta , when visiting Afghanistan following the era of the Khilji dynasty, also wrote about the Afghans. "We travelled on to Kabul, formerly
1122-606: A nexus of ethnic groups in the region, caused Kabul to become known as the Paris of Central Asia in the late 20th century. The origin of Kabul, who built it and when, is largely unknown. 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
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#17327837338381224-557: A rabbi in her home throughout the first Islamic Emirate, lived in Morad Khane , Kabul for decades. While she was married to a Muslim man as a child, she still covertly attended synagogue and tried to teach her children what Hebrew prayers she could remember from her childhood. As of her departure in November 2021, there are believed to be no Jews in Afghanistan. The Islamic conquest reached modern-day Afghanistan in 642 AD, at
1326-476: 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
1428-608: A time when Kabul was independent. Until then, Kabul was considered politically and culturally part of the Indian world. A number of failed expeditions were made to Islamise the region. In one of them, Abdur Rahman bin Samara arrived in Kabul from Zaranj in the late 600s and converted 12,000 inhabitants to Islam before abandoning the city. Muslims were a minority until Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar of Zaranj conquered Kabul in 870 from
1530-568: A tribe mentioned by Herodotus ( Pactyans ) in 430 BCE in the Histories : Other Indians dwell near the town of Caspatyrus[Κασπατύρῳ] and the Pactyic [Πακτυϊκῇ] country, north of the rest of India; these live like the Bactrians; they are of all Indians the most warlike, and it is they who are sent for the gold; for in these parts all is desolate because of the sand. These Pactyans lived on
1632-440: A vast town, the site of which is now occupied by Afghans. They hold mountains and defiles and possess considerable strength, and are mostly highwaymen. Their principal mountain is called Kuh Sulayman . It is told that the prophet Sulayman [Solomon] ascended this mountain and having looked out over India, which was then covered with darkness, returned without entering it." Ferishta , a 16th-century Muslim historian writing about
1734-457: A vast town, the site of which is now occupied by a village inhabited by a tribe of Persians called Afghans. They hold mountains and defiles and possess considerable strength, and are mostly highwaymen. Their principal mountain is called Kuh Sulayman . In the 14th century, Kabul became a major trading centre under the kingdom of Timur ( Tamerlane ). In 1504, the city fell to Babur from the north and made into his headquarters, which became one of
1836-516: 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, Chandavel, Shorbazar, Saraji and Baghe Alimardan. Kabul is said to be over 3,500 years old, and was mentioned at the time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire . Located at
1938-493: Is divided for administration into 22 municipal districts . In 2025 its population is estimated to be 6.74 million people. In contemporary times, Kabul has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural and economical center. Rapid urbanisation has made it the country's primate city and the 75th-largest city in the world . The modern-day city of Kabul is located high in a narrow valley in the Hindu Kush mountain range, and
2040-708: 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 , who were then replaced in the 460s by the Hephthalites . It became part of the surviving Turk Shahi Kingdom of Kapisa , also known as Kabul-Shahan . According to Táríkhu-l Hind by Al-Biruni , Kabul
2142-609: Is known for its historical gardens, bazaars , and palaces 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 and gained the nickname " Paris of Central Asia". This period of tranquility ended in 1978 with the Saur Revolution , and the subsequent Soviet military intervention in 1979 which sparked
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#17327837338382244-574: Is mentioned as Kophes or Kophene in some classical Greek writings. The Chinese Buddhist monk Hsuan Tsang 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 Common Era . It was conquered by Kushan Emperor Kujula Kadphises in about 45 AD and remained Kushan territory until at least
2346-639: The Amu river and west of the Indus River . They can be found all over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Big cities with a Pashtun majority include Jalalabad , Kandahar , Bannu , Dera Ismail Khan , Khost , Kohat , Lashkar Gah , Mardan , Ghazni , Mingora , Peshawar , Quetta , among others. Pashtuns also live in Abbottabad , Farah , Herat , Islamabad , Kabul , Karachi , Kunduz , Lahore , Mazar-i-Sharif , Mianwali , and Attock . The city of Karachi ,
2448-517: The Assakenoi of Arrian , which was the name used for ancient inhabitants of the Hindu Kush . Aśvakan literally means "horsemen", "horse breeders", or " cavalrymen " (from aśva or aspa , the Sanskrit and Avestan words for " horse "). This view was propounded by scholars like Christian Lassen , J. W. McCrindle , M. V. de Saint Martin, and É. Reclus , The earliest mention of
2550-560: 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 c. 170 CE ) recorded Kabul as Καβουρα ( Kabura ). According to a legend, one could find a lake in Kabul, in
2652-576: The British Raj in colonial India . These include Bombay (now called Mumbai ), Farrukhabad , Delhi , Calcutta , Saharanpur , Rohilkhand , Jaipur , and Bangalore . The settlers are descended from both Pashtuns of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan ( British India before 1947). In some regions in India , they are sometimes referred to as Kabuliwala . In India significant Pashtun diaspora communities exist. While speakers of Pashto in
2754-701: The Ghilji Pashtuns to the Mazandaran Province in northern Iran. The remnants of this once sizable exiled community, although assimilated, continue to claim Pashtun descent. During the early 18th century, in the course of a very few years, the number of Durrani Pashtuns in Iranian Khorasan, greatly increased. Later the region became part of the Durrani Empire itself. The second Durrani king of Afghanistan, Timur Shah Durrani
2856-533: The Hellenic world ". 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 Koafu (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 (present-day Pakistan ). This area
2958-463: The Hindu Shahis and established the first Islamic dynasty in the region. It was reported that the rulers of Kabul were Muslims with non-Muslims living close by. Iranian traveller and geographer Istakhri described it in 921: Kábul has a castle celebrated for its strength, accessible only by one road. In it there are Musulmáns , and it has a town, in which are infidels from Hind . Over
3060-557: The Iranian language family . Additionally, Dari serves as the second language of Pashtuns in Afghanistan, while those in Pakistan speak Urdu and English. In India, the majority of those of Pashtun descent have lost the ability to speak Pashto and instead speak Hindi and other regional languages. There are an estimated 350–400 Pashtun tribes and clans with a variety of origin theories . In 2021, Shahid Javed Burki estimated
3162-691: The Oxus at that time. Others however have suggested a much older Iranic ancestor given the affinity to Old Avestan . According to one school of thought, Pashtun are descended from a variety of ethnicities, including Persians , Greeks , Turks , Arabs , Bactrians , Dards , Scythians , Tartars , Huns ( Hephthalites ), Mongols , Moghals (Mughals), and anyone else who has crossed the region where these Pashtun live. Further they are also, and probably most surprisingly, of Israelite descent. Some Pashtun tribes claim descent from Arabs , including some claiming to be Sayyids . One historical account connects
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3264-795: The Red Sea , many of the Copts became converts to the Jewish faith ; but others, stubborn and self-willed, refusing to embrace the true faith, leaving their country, came to India, and eventually settled in the Sulimany mountains, where they bore the name of Afghans. The ethnogenesis of the Pashtun ethnic group is unclear. There are many conflicting theories amongst historians and the Pashtuns themselves. Modern scholars believe that Pashtuns do not all share
3366-549: The Sogdian language , as well as Khwarezmian , Shughni , Sanglechi , and Khotanese Saka . It is suggested by some that Pashto may have originated in the Badakhshan region and is connected to a Saka language akin to Khotanese. In fact major linguist Georg Morgenstierne has described Pashto as a Saka dialect and many others have observed the similarities between Pashto and other Saka languages as well, suggesting that
3468-453: The Soviet invasion in 1979. As of 1992, there were believed to be two Jews remaining in Afghanistan, both living in a synagogue in Kabul. The congregation's Torah scroll was confiscated during the first Islamic Emirate . Zebulon Simontov was believed and widely reported to be Afghanistan's last Jew, until Tova Moradi fled months after him, with her grandchildren. Moradi, who harbored
3570-611: 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 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 many as twelve party members were being assassinated on
3672-528: The ghettoization of their communities in Kabul and Herat . Most of Afghanistan's Jews fled the country or congregated in these urban hubs. After the establishment of the state of Israel , the Jewish community requested permission from King Zahir Shah to migrate there. Afghanistan was the only country that allowed its Jewish residents to migrate to Israel without relinquishing their citizenship. Most of those remaining, approximately 2,000 in number, left after
3774-497: 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. It "came into prominence" following the destruction of Kapisa and other cities in what is present-day Afghanistan by Genghis Khan (c. 1162–1227) in the thirteenth century. The centrality of the city within the region, as well as its cultural importance as
3876-534: The 1940s and 1950s, urbanisation accelerated and the built-up area was increased in size to 68 km by 1962, an almost fourteen-fold increase since 1925. The Serena Hotel opened in 1945 as the first Western-style luxury hotel. In the 1950s, under the premiership of Mohammad Daoud Khan , foreign investment and development increased. In 1955, the Soviet Union forwarded $ 100 million in credit to Afghanistan which financed public transportation, airports,
3978-866: The 3rd century AD. The Kushans were Indo-European-speaking peoples related to the Yuezhi and based in Bactria . Around 230 AD, the Kushans were defeated by the Sassanid Empire and replaced by Sassanid vassals known as the Indo-Sassanids . 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
4080-612: The 982 Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam , where a reference is made to a village, Saul, which was probably located near Gardez , Afghanistan. "Saul, a pleasant village on a mountain. In it live Afghans ". The same book also speaks of a king in Ninhar ( Nangarhar ), who had Muslim, Afghan and Hindu wives. In the 11th century, Afghans are mentioned in Al-Biruni 's Tarikh-ul Hind ("History of the Indus"), which describes groups of rebellious Afghans in
4182-530: The Afghans, so [you should] impose a penalty on Nat Kharagan ... ...lord of Warnu with ... ... ...the Afghan... ... " The name Afghan is later recorded in the 6th century CE in the form of "Avagāṇa" [अवगाण] by the Indian astronomer Varāha Mihira in his Brihat-samhita . "It would be unfavourable to the people of Chola, the Afghans (Avagāṇa), the white Huns and the Chinese." The word Afghan also appeared in
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4284-919: The British/ Commonwealth links of their respective countries, and modern communities have been established starting around the 1960s mainly in the United Kingdom , Canada , Australia but also in other commonwealth countries (and the United States ). Some Pashtuns have also settled in the Middle East, such as in the Arabian Peninsula . For example, about 300,000 Pashtuns migrated to the Persian Gulf countries between 1976 and 1981, representing 35% of Pakistani immigrants. The Pakistani and Afghan diaspora around
4386-919: The Great annexed the Achaemenid Empire, the Kabul region came under his control. After his death, his empire was seized by his general Seleucus , becoming part of the Seleucid Empire . In 305 BC, the Seleucid Empire was extended to the Indus River which led to friction with the neighbouring Mauryan Empire . 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, jewelers, and carpenters. The Greco-Bactrians took control of Kabul from
4488-399: The Mauryans in the early 2nd century BC, then lost the city to their successors in the Indo-Greek Kingdom around the mid-2nd century BC. Buddhism was greatly patronised by these 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 about 100 years later. It
4590-422: The Pashtuns nowadays constitute a clear ethnic group with their own language and culture, there is no evidence whatsoever that all modern Pashtuns share the same ethnic origin. In fact it is highly unlikely." Pashto is generally classified as an Eastern Iranian language. It shares features with the Munji language , which is the closest existing language to the extinct Bactrian , but also shares features with
4692-427: The Pashtuns to a possible Ancient Egyptian past but this lacks supporting evidence. Henry Walter Bellew , who wrote extensively on Afghan culture, noted that some people claim that the Bangash Pashtuns are connected to Ismail Samani . Kabul Kabul 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
4794-407: The Soviet manner. 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
4896-413: 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 . Kabul is also spelled as Cabool , Cabol , Kabol , or Cabul . Kabul was known by different names throughout its 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
4998-579: 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. 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
5100-420: The chief of the Afghans, ' the judge of Tukharistan and Gharchistan . Moreover, ' a letter [ has come hither ] from you, so I have heard how [ you have ] written ' ' to me concerning ] my health . I arrived in good health, ( and ) ( afterwards ( ? ) ' ' I heard that a message ] was sent thither to you ( saying ) thus : ... look after the farming but the order was given to you thus. You should hand over
5202-409: 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 , 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
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#17327837338385304-447: The city's new-found tourism, western-style accommodations were opened in the 1960s, notably the Spinzar Hotel. Western, American and Japanese tourists visited the city's attractions including Chicken Street and the National Museum that contained some of Asia's finest cultural artifacts. Lonely Planet called it an upcoming "tourist trap" in 1973. Pakistanis visited to watch Indian movies that were banned in their own country. Kabul
5406-417: The connection of the Pashtuns with names such as the Parsiētai (Παρσιῆται), Parsioi (Πάρσιοι) that were cited by Ptolemy 150 CE: "The northern regions of the country are inhabited by the Bolitai, the western regions by the Aristophyloi below whom live the Parsioi (Πάρσιοι). The southern regions are inhabited by the Parsiētai (Παρσιῆται), the eastern regions by the Ambautai. The towns and villages lying in
5508-455: The control of the Afsharids following Nader Shah's invasion of India , until finally coming under local rule by the Afghan Empire in 1747. Kabul became the capital of Afghanistan in 1776 during the reign of Timur Shah Durrani (a son of Ahmad Shah Durrani ). 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
5610-484: 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 the majority of teachers were western educated Afghans and the majority of instructors at the university had degrees from Western universities. Kabul's only railway service, the Kabul–Darulaman Tramway , operated for six years from 1923 to 1929. When Zahir Shah took power in 1933, Kabul had
5712-463: The country of the Paropanisadai are these: Parsiana Zarzaua/Barzaura Artoarta Baborana Kapisa niphanda" Strabo , the Greek geographer, in the Geographica (written between 43 BC to 23 AD) makes mention of the Scythian tribe Pasiani (Πασιανοί), which has also been identified with Pashtuns given that Pashto is an Eastern-Iranian language, much like the Scythian languages : "Most of the Scythians...each separate tribe has its peculiar name. All, or
5814-431: The country only number 21,677 as of 2011, estimates of the ethnic or ancestral Pashtun population in India range from 3,200,000 to 11,482,000 to as high as double their population in Afghanistan (approximately 30 million). The Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh is named after the Rohilla community of Pashtun ancestry; the area came to be governed by the Royal House of Rampur , a Pashtun dynasty. They also live in
5916-437: 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 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 was visiting Kabul and wrote: We travelled on to Kabul, formerly
6018-413: The eastern frontier of the Achaemenid Arachosia Satrapy as early as the 1st millennium BCE, present-day Afghanistan. Herodotus also mentions a tribe of known as Aparytai (Ἀπαρύται). Thomas Holdich has linked them with the Afridi tribe: The Sattagydae, Gandarii, Dadicae, and Aparytae (Ἀπαρύται) paid together a hundred and seventy talents; this was the seventh province Joseph Marquart made
6120-505: The entertainment industry and sports. Pashtuns are also found in smaller numbers in the eastern and northern parts of Iran . Records as early as the mid-1600s report Durrani Pashtuns living in the Khorasan Province of Safavid Iran . After the short reign of the Ghilji Pashtuns in Iran , Nader Shah defeated the last independent Ghilji ruler of Kandahar , Hussain Hotak . In order to secure Durrani control in southern Afghanistan, Nader Shah deported Hussain Hotak and large numbers of
6222-431: The famous Persian couplet , which states: اگرفردوس روی زمین است همین است و همین است و همین است Transliteration: Agar fardus rui zamayn ast', hameen ast', o hameen ast', o hameen ast'. (If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, and it is this, and 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
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#17327837338386324-462: The financial capital of Pakistan, is home to the world's largest urban community of Pashtuns, larger than Kabul and Peshawar . Likewise, Islamabad , the country's political capital also serves as the major urban center of Pashtuns with more than 20% of the city's population belonging to the Pashto speaking community. Pashtuns in India are often referred to as Pathans (the Hindustani word for Pashtun) both by themselves and other ethnic groups of
6426-473: 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 . It acted as a military base for Shah Jahan's campaigns in Balkh 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,
6528-410: The following centuries, the city was successively controlled by the Samanids , Ghaznavids , Ghurids , Khwarazmshahs , 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 is recorded around this period, where the entire population of the valley was annihilated by the Mongol troops as revenge for
6630-437: The grain and then request it from the citizens store: I will not order, so.....I Myself order And I in Respect of winter sends men thither to you then look after the farming, To Ormuzd Bunukan, Greetings" "because [you] (pl.), the clan of the Afghans, said thus to me:...And you should not have denied? the men of Rob [that] the Afghans took (away) the horses" "[To ...]-bid the Afghan... Moreover, they are in [War]nu(?) because of
6732-471: The greatest part of them, are nomades. The best known tribes are those who deprived the Greeks of Bactriana, the Asii, Pasiani, Tochari, and Sacarauli, who came from the country on the other side of the Iaxartes (Syr Darya)" This is considered a different rendering of Ptolemy's Parsioi (Πάρσιοι). Johnny Cheung, reflecting on Ptolemy's Parsioi (Πάρσιοι) and Strabo's Pasiani (Πασιανοί) states: "Both forms show slight phonetic substitutions, viz. of υ for ι, and
6834-488: The history of Muslim rule in the subcontinent , stated: He [Khalid bin Abdullah son of Khalid bin Walid ] retired, therefore, with his family, and a number of Arab retainers, into the Sulaiman Mountains, situated between Multan and Peshawar, where he took up his residence, and gave his daughter in marriage to one of the Afghan chiefs, who had become a proselyte to Mahomedism. From this marriage many children were born, among whom were two sons famous in history. The one Lodhi ,
6936-405: The killing of the British resident and loss of mission in Kabul and the 1842 retreat from Kabul to Jalalabad , in which 4,500 regular British troops and 14,000 civilians were killed by Afghan tribesmen. In 1842 the British returned to Kabul, demolishing the city's main bazaar in revenge during the Kabul Expedition (1842) before returning to British India (now Pakistan). Akbar Khan took to
7038-403: The largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan , constituting around 18.24% of the total Pakistani population and around 47% of the total Afghan population. In India , significant and historical communities of the Pashtun diaspora exist in the northern region of Rohilkhand as well as in major Indian cities such as Delhi and Mumbai . Pashtuns are spread over a wide geographic area, south of
7140-452: The length and breadth of India, with the largest populations principally settled in the plains of northern and central India . Following the partition of India in 1947, many of them migrated to Pakistan . The majority of Indian Pashtuns are Urdu-speaking communities , who have assimilated into the local society over the course of generations. Pashtuns have influenced and contributed to various fields in India, particularly politics,
7242-454: The loss of r in Pasianoi is due to perseveration from the preceding Asianoi. They are therefore the most likely candidates as the (linguistic) ancestors of modern day Pashtuns." In the Middle Ages until the advent of modern Afghanistan in the 18th century, the Pashtuns were often referred to as "Afghans" . The etymological view supported by numerous noted scholars is that the name Afghan evidently derives from Sanskrit Aśvakan , or
7344-540: 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
7446-555: The name Afghan ( Abgân ) is by Shapur I of the Sassanid Empire during the 3rd century CE, In the 4th century the word "Afghans/Afghana" (αβγανανο) as a reference to a particular people is mentioned in the Bactrian documents found in Northern Afghanistan. "To Ormuzd Bunukan, from Bredag Watanan ... greetings and homage from ... ), the ( sotang ( ? ) of Parpaz ( under ) [ the glorious ) yabghu of Hephthal ,
7548-399: The new king was assassinated during an award ceremony in 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 . During the inter-war period , France and Germany helped to develop
7650-472: The oldest and most clever of the tribe, can give satisfactory information on this point." Others have suggested that a single origin of the Pashtuns is unlikely but rather they are a tribal confederation. "Looking for the origin of Pashtuns and the Afghans is something like exploring the source of the Amazon . Is there one specific beginning? And are the Pashtuns originally identical with the Afghans? Although
7752-679: The only 10 kilometers (6 miles) of rail and the country had few internal telegraphs, phone lines or roads. Zahir turned to the Japanese, Germans and Italians for help in developing a modern transportation and communications network. A radio tower built in Kabul by the Germans in 1937 provided communication with outlying villages. A national bank and state cartels were organised to allow for economic modernisation. Textile mills, power plants, carpet and furniture factories were built in Kabul, providing much-needed manufacturing and infrastructure. During
7854-407: The original Pashto speakers might have been a Saka group. Furthermore, Pashto and Ossetian , another Scythian-descending language, share cognates in their vocabulary which other Eastern Iranian languages lack Cheung suggests a common isogloss between Pashto and Ossetian which he explains by an undocumented Saka dialect being spoken close to reconstructed Old Pashto which was likely spoken north of
7956-569: The other Sur ; who each, subsequently, became head of the tribes which to this day bear their name. I have read in the Mutla-ul-Anwar , a work written by a respectable author, and which I procured at Burhanpur , a town of Khandesh in the Deccan , that the Afghans are Copts of the race of the Pharaohs ; and that when the prophet Moses got the better of that infidel who was overwhelmed in
8058-591: 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 , who was en route to invade the Indian subcontinent . Nine years after Nader Shah 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 , commander of 4,000 Abdali Afghans , asserted Pashtun rule in 1747 and further expanded his new Afghan Empire . His ascension to power marked
8160-514: The population was concentrated on the south side of the river. The city was 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 at Eidgah Mosque in Kabul. Amanullah
8262-496: The principal cities of his later Mughal Empire . In 1525, Babur described Kabulistan in his memoirs by writing that: There are many differing tribes in the Kābul country ; in its dales and plains are Turks and clansmen and 'Arabs ; and in its town and in many villages, Sārts ; out in the districts and also in villages are the Pashāi , Parājī , Tājik , Bīrkī and Afghān tribes. In
8364-945: 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. It briefly came under
8466-464: The same origin. The early ancestors of modern-day Pashtuns may have belonged to old Iranian tribes that spread throughout the eastern Iranian plateau . historians have also come across references to various ancient peoples called Pakthas ( Pactyans ) between the 2nd and the 1st millennium BC, Mohan Lal stated in 1846 that "the origin of the Afghans is so obscure, that no one, even among
8568-551: The states of Maharashtra in central India and West Bengal in eastern India that each have a population of over a million with Pashtun ancestry; both Bombay and Calcutta were primary locations of Pashtun migrants from Afghanistan during the colonial era. There are also populations over 100,000 each in the cities of Jaipur in Rajasthan and Bangalore in Karnataka . Bombay (now called Mumbai ) and Calcutta both have
8670-720: The subcontinent. Some Indians claim descent from Pashtun soldiers who settled in India by marrying local women during the Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent . Many Pathans chose to live in the Republic of India after the partition of India and Khan Mohammad Atif, a professor at the University of Lucknow , estimates that "The population of Pathans in India is twice their population in Afghanistan". Historically, Pashtuns have settled in various cities of India before and during
8772-451: The sugarcane fields and perform manual labour. Many stayed and formed communities of their own. Some of them assimilated with the other South Asian Muslim nationalities to form a common Indian Muslim community in tandem with the larger Indian community, losing their distinctive heritage. Some Pashtuns travelled as far as Australia during the same era. Today, the Pashtuns are a collection of diversely scattered communities present across
8874-483: 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 '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. In Kabul, an established bazaar city, leather and textile industries developed by 1916. The majority of
8976-432: The total Pashtun population to be situated between 60 to 70 million, with 15 million in Afghanistan. Others who accepted the 15 million figure include British academic Tim Willasey-Wilsey as well Abubakar Siddique, a journalist specialized in Afghan affairs. Although this figure is disputed due to the lack of an official census in Afghanistan since 1979 . They are the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan and one of
9078-534: The tribal lands west of the Indus River in what is today Pakistan. Al-Utbi, the Ghaznavid chronicler, in his Tarikh-i Yamini recorded that many Afghans and Khiljis (possibly the modern Ghilji ) enlisted in the army of Sabuktigin after Jayapala was defeated. Al-Utbi further stated that Afghans and Ghiljis made a part of Mahmud Ghaznavi 's army and were sent on his expedition to Tocharistan , while on another occasion Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked and punished
9180-660: The western mountains are the Hazāra and Nikdīrī tribes, some of whom speak the Mughūlī tongue. In the north-eastern mountains are the places of the Kāfirs , such as Kitūr and Gibrik . To the south are the places of the Afghān tribes . 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
9282-1001: The world includes Pashtuns. A tribe called Pakthās , one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna , or "Battle of the Ten Kings" , are mentioned in the seventh mandala of the Rigveda , a text of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dated between c. 1500 and 1200 BCE: Together came the Pakthas (पक्थास), the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Sivas, the Visanins. Yet to the Trtsus came the Ārya's Comrade, through love of spoil and heroes' war, to lead them. Heinrich Zimmer connects them with
9384-526: Was a stop on the Hippie trail from Bamyan to the west towards Peshawar . The city was known for its street sales of hashish and became a major attraction for western hippies . 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 . Pro-Soviet PDPA under Nur Muhammad Taraki seized power and slowly began to institute reforms. Private businesses were nationalised in
9486-436: Was also known as Kabulistan . Alexander Cunningham (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
9588-590: Was born in Mashhad . Contemporary to Durrani rule in the east, Azad Khan Afghan , an ethnic Ghilji Pashtun, formerly second in charge of Azerbaijan during Afsharid rule , gained power in the western regions of Iran and Azerbaijan for a short period. According to a sample survey in 1988, 75 percent of all Afghan refugees in the southern part of the Iranian Khorasan Province were Durrani Pashtuns. Indian and Pakistani Pashtuns have utilised
9690-450: Was built in the city. Kabul Zoo was inaugurated in 1967, which was maintained with the help of visiting German zoologists . 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 demonstrations by Socialist, Maoist, liberal or Islamist factions. Foreigners flocked to Kabul as the nation's tourism industry expanded. To accompany
9792-476: Was from here that Babur began his 1526 conquest of Hindustan, which was ruled by the Afghan Lodi dynasty and began east of the Indus River in what is present-day Pakistan . Babur 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
9894-524: Was governed by princes of Turkic lineage. It was briefly held by the Tibetan Empire between 801 and 815. Jews had a presence in Afghanistan from ancient times until 2021. There are records of religious correspondence establishing the presence of Jews in Kabul since the 8th century, though it is believed that they were present centuries or even millenia earlier. The 12th century Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi wrote down his observations of
9996-496: 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
10098-456: Was nicknamed the Paris of Central Asia . According to J. Bruce Amstutz , an American diplomat in Kabul: [Before the 1978 Marxist coup d'etat] Kabul was a pleasant city [..] Though poor economically, it was spared the eyesore slums so visible in other Asian cities. The Afghans themselves were an imposing people, the men tall and self-assured and the women attractive. Until the late 1970s, Kabul
10200-614: Was part of the Median Empire (c. 678–549 BC). In 549 BC, the Median Empire was annexed by Cyrus The Great and Kabul became part the Achaemenid Empire (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 's tombstone lists Kabul as one of the 29 countries of the Achaemenid Empire. When Alexander
10302-472: Was reform-minded and he had a plan to build a new capital city on land 6 km from Kabul. This area, named Darulaman , 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 after a local uprising orchestrated by Habibullah Kalakani , but he was imprisoned and executed after nine months in power by King Nader Khan . Three years later, in 1933,
10404-565: 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 advocated for the idea of covert operation in Afghanistan by arming Islamic extremists who formed the mujahideen. General Rahman
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