Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan

Kabul, with a population of about 2.8 million, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the province with the same name. It lies on the Kabul River in north-eastern Afghanistan, about 80 kilometres east of the border with Pakistan. The economy used to be based on handicrafts and the manufacture of building materials, machinery, textiles, and processed foods. Kabul University was founded in 1932.
Kabul as a city is more than 3,500 years old. In 664 CE it was conquered by Arabs, who made attempts to convert the inhabitants to Islam; in 870 the first Islamic dynasty in the region was established. In the thirteenth century, Kabul was sacked by the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. The rise of the Mogul Empire under Babur saw the city elevated to its capital in 1512. It remained the capital until 1526 when the centre of the empire shifted towards India. In 1773, Kabul became the capital of Afghanistan. It was captured by the British in both 1842 and 1879 during the Afghan Wars. The city was a major Soviet military base during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It was devastated by civil war among various Afghan rebel groups and more recently also by American bombardments.

The bus station of Kabul, where buses to Kandahar and Herat leave from. There are Russian-built Volga taxis and two women in the all-enveloping “burqa” crossing the street.

Whole neighbourhoods have been built on the barren hills surrounding the downtown area of Kabul.

A man is selling biscuits on a street market along busy Jadi Maiwand, the main avenue of Kabul.

A family of one of Afghanistan's nomadic peoples waiting on the street for their husband and father to return from business.

View to Char Chatta in the centre of Kabul.

A busy street leading towards the old city of Kabul.

Traffic in front of the Masjid Shah-du-Shamera, the mosque near the Kabul River.

A view over the city with a small religious building (probably a tomb) in the foreground. In the distance, in the centre of Kabul, the blue-domed Pul-i-Khisti mosque with its tall minaret.

A group of Pashtu (or Pathan) men having a discussion on the street. The Pashtun people are the dominant ethnic and linguistic community, about half the population of Afghanistan.

The blue-tiled minaret of a mosque near the University of Kabul.

A corner of Kabul with houses on the hill and shops along the street.

Two Sikh boys from Kabul. The Sikhs are a minority group in Afghanistan and distinguish themselves by never cutting their hair. The boys' topknot will later be covered by a turban.

Kabul is situated at about 2000 metres above sea level and is surrounded by mountains. It has been Afghanistan's capital since 1773.

Kabul, at about 2000 metres above sea level and surrounded by mountains.