Kapisa Province of Afghanistan

Kapisa 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.

History;

The earliest references to Kapisa appear in the writings of fifth century BCE Indian scholar Pa?ini. Pa?ini refers to the city of Kapisi, a city of the Kapisa kingdom. Pa?ini also refers to Kapisayana, a famous wine from Kapisa.The city of Kapisi also appeared as Kavisiye on Graeco-Indian coins of Apollodotus I and Eucratides.

Archeological discoveries in 1939 confirmed that the city of Kapisa was an emporium for Kapisayana wine, bringing to light numerous glass flasks, fish-shaped wine jars, and drinking cups typical of the wine trade of the era.The grapes (Kapisayani Draksha) and wine (Kapisayani Madhu) of the area are referred to in several works of ancient Indian literature. The epic Mahabharata also mentions the common practice of slavery in the city.

According to the scholar Pliny, the city of Kapisi (also referred to as Kaphusa by Pliny's copyist Solinus 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.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.

Demographics;

The population of the province is around 406,200 people. The major ethnic groups are Tajiks (70%), Pashtuns (10%) and Pashai (1%). There is also a sizable minority of Hazara and Nuristanis.

Districts;

         

Alasay                                               

Hesa Awal Kohistan                                               

Hesa Duwum Kohistan                                          

Koh Band                                         

Mahmud Raqi                                              

Nijrab                                     

Tagab

Capital;

Mahmud-i-Raqi

Area;

1,842 km² (711 sq mi)

Population;

364,900

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Kapisa Province of Afghanistan

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