Kabul Province of Afghanistan

Kabul is situated in the east of the country; Kabul is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also Afghanistan's capital.

History;
Kabul's history dates back more than 3,000 years. It was once the center of Zoroastrianism and subsequently also a home for Buddhists and Hindus. The Arabs conquered the area in the 7th century but was slowly taken back by the Hindu Shahi's of Kabul. It was then conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1002, when the Hindu Shahi King Jay Pala committed suicide.

For much of its time Kabul was independent until it became part of the Durrani Empire in 1700s. During the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1839, the British army took over Kabul. In 1842, the withdrawing British troops were ambushed and almost annihilated after the Afghans had promised them safe conduct; in retaliation another British force partly burned Kabul. The British again occupied the city in 1879, after their resident staff was massacred there. On December 23, 1979, Soviet armed forces landed at Kabul International Airport to help bolster a Communist government.

Kabul became the Soviet command center for approximately 10 years during their stay in Afghanistan. In February 1989, Soviet forces withdrew from the city after they were defeated by the Afghan Mujahideens. In spring of 1992 the government of Mohammad Najibullah collapsed, Kabul fell into the hands of Mujahideen forces. Destruction of the city increased as the coalition of the parties broke into rival warring factions, and much of Kabul was damaged. In 1996 the Taliban took over the city and started a new strict Islamic Sharia law which included Islamic schools, government, clothing, food, and recruitment to Al Qaeda, impacting the Afghan people's daily life. Some people happier with the strict Islamic laws, while some were unhappy.

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Districts                    Capitals             Population             Main Languages%

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Bagrami                    Bagrami                           85,000                    70% Tajiks, 30% Pashtuns

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Chahar Asyab           Qalai Naeem                 32,500                    Tajik, Pashtuns and Hazara

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Deh Sabz                   Tarakhel                       47,900                    70% Pashtuns, 30% Tajiks

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Farza                          Dehnawe Farza          19,100                          Pashtuns and Tajiks 

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Guldara                       Guldara                        20,300                         50% Tajiks, 50% Pashtuns

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Istalif                            Istalif                            29,800                          Tajik, Pashtun and Hazara

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Kabul                          Kabul (capital)           1,925,548                   45% Tajiks, 25% Pashtun,  25% Hazara, 2% Uzbek, 1% Balochi, 1% Turkmen, 1% others.

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Kalakan                       Kalakan                      26,900                      Tajik, some Pashtun

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Khaki Jabbar              Khak-i Jabbar            75,000                      95% Pashtuns, 5% Tajiks

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Mir Bacha Kot               Mir Bacha Kot         46,300                    Tajik, some Pashtun 

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Mussahi                          Mussahi                   30,000                    Pashtuns, Tajiks

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Paghman                       Paghman                 150,000                 70% Pashtuns, 30% Tajiks

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Qarabagh                       Qara Bagh               67,700                   60% Tajiks, 40% Pashtuns

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Shakardara                   Shakar Dara             72,900                    Majority of Tajik

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Surobi                            Surobi                       150,000                    90% Pashtuns

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Population;

 3,568,500 (2009) 

Area;

 4,462 km² (1,723 sq mi)

Main languages;

Pashto

Dari Persian

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Kabul the Capital of Afghanistan

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