The region around Kandahar is one of the oldest known areas of human settlement. A major fortified city existed at the site of Kandahar, probably as early asc. 1000–750 BC,[2] and it became an important outpost of theAchaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC.[3]Alexander the Great laid the foundation of what is nowOld Kandahar (in the southern section of the city) in the 4th century BC and named itAlexandria Arachosia. Many empires have long fought over the city due to its strategic location along the trade routes ofsouthern,central andwestern Asia. In 1709,Mirwais Hotak made the region an independent kingdom and made Kandahar the capital of theHotak dynasty. In 1747,Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of theDurrani dynasty, made Kandahar the capital of theAfghan Empire.[4][5]
Kandahar is the founding city and spiritual center of theTaliban. Despite the capital ofAfghanistan being Kabul, where the government administration is based, Kandahar is the seat of power in Afghanistan as thesupreme leader and his spiritual advisers are based there. Kandahar has therefore been called thede facto capital ofAfghanistan, though the Taliban maintain Kabul as the official capital.[6]
Kandahar is one of the most culturally significant cities of thePashtun community and has been their traditional seat of power for more than 300 years. It is a major trading center for fresh anddried fruit, includingfood grains, sheep,wool, cotton, silk, andfelt. The region produces fine fruits, especiallypomegranates and grapes, and the city has plants for canning, drying, and packing fruits. Kandahar continues to experience violence, with numerous armed clashes, bombings, and attacks that harm civilians.[7][8][9]
The modern name of the city derives from the name of the original city built here,Alexandria. This city (often referred to asAlexandria in Arachosia to distinguish it fromother Alexandrias) was founded after the invasion ofAlexander the Great in 330 BC. The name "Alexander" in the localPashto language is rendered as "Iskandar". It is believed that over time this transformed into"Scandar", and eventually the modern"Kandahar".[10] The change of the name from"Scandar" to Candar is mentioned by the 16th-century Portuguese historianJoão de Barros in his most famous work,Décadas da Ásia.[11][12]
Afolk etymology offered is that the word "kand" or "qand" inPersian andPashto (the local languages) is the origin of the word "candy". The name "Candahar" or "Kandahar" in this form probably translates to candy area. This probably has to do with the location beingfertile and historically known for producing fine grapes,pomegranates,apricots, melons and other sweet fruits.[citation needed]
Ernst Herzfeld claimed Kandahar perpetuated the name of theIndo-Parthian kingGondophares, who re-founded the city under the name Gundopharron.[13] However, modern historians and linguists generally find this derivation implausible.[10]
Excavations of prehistoric sites by archaeologists such asLouis Dupree and others suggest that the region around Kandahar is one of the oldest known human settlements known so far.
Early peasant farming villages came into existence in Afghanistan ca. 5000 B.C., or 7000 years ago. Deh Morasi Ghundai, the first prehistoric site to be excavated in Afghanistan, lies 27 km (17 mi) southwest of Kandahar (Dupree, 1951). AnotherBronze Age village mound site with multiroomed mud-brick buildings dating from the same period sits nearby at Said Qala (J. Shaffer, 1970). Second millennium B.C. Bronze Agepottery, copper andbronze horse trappings and stone seals were found in the lowermost levels in the nearby cave called Shamshir Ghar (Dupree, 1950). In theSeistan, southwest of these Kandahar sites, two teams of American archaeologists discovered sites relating to the 2nd millennium B.C. (G. Dales,University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, 1969, 1971; W, Trousdale,Smithsonian Institution, 1971 – 76). Stylistically the finds from Deh Morasi and Said Qala tie in with those of pre-Indus Valley sites and with those of comparable age on theIranian Plateau and in Central Asia, indicating cultural contacts during this very early age.[14]
British excavations in the 1970s discovered that Kandahar existed as a large fortified city during the early 1st millennium BC; while this earliest period at Kandahar has not been precisely dated viaradiocarbon, ceramic comparisons with the latest period at the majorBronze Age city ofMundigak have suggested an approximate time-frame of 1000 to 750 BC.[2] This fortified city became an important outpost of theAchaemenid Empire in the 6th to 4th centuries BC, and formed part of the province ofArachosia.[3]
The main inhabitants of Arachosia were thePakhtas,[15] an ancient Indo-Iranian tribe, who might have been among the ancestors of today'sPashtuns. Mundigak served as the provincial capital of Arachosia and was ruled by theMedes followed by the Achaemenids until the arrival of the Macedonians. The now known "Old Kandahar" was founded in 330 BC byAlexander the Great, near the site of the ancient city of Mundigak (established around 3000 BC era). Kandahar was namedAlexandria, a name given to some cities that Alexander founded during his conquests.[16]
Kandahar was a frequent target for conquest because of its strategic location in Asia, controlling the main trade route linking theIndian subcontinent with theMiddle East andCentral Asia.[17] The territory became part of theSeleucid Empire after the death of Alexander. The city eventually became part of theGreco-Bactrian Kingdom (250 BC – 125 BC), and continued that way for two hundred years under the laterIndo-Greek Kingdom (180 BC – 10 AD).
It is mentioned byStrabo that a treaty of friendship was established eventually between the Greeks and theMauryas (Indians).[18][19] While theDiadochi were warring amongst themselves, the Mauryas were developing in the northern part of theIndian subcontinent. The founder of the empire,Chandragupta Maurya, confronted a Macedonian invasion force led bySeleucus I in 305 BC and following a brief conflict, an agreement was reached as Seleucus cededGandhara and Arachosia and areas south ofBagram to the Mauryas. During the 120 years of the Mauryas in southern Afghanistan, Buddhism was introduced and eventually become one of the major religions alongside Zoroastrianism.
Inscriptions made by EmperorAshoka, a fragment ofEdict 13 in Greek, as well as a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic has been discovered in Kandahar. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka the great used the wordEusebeia ("Piety") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous "Dharma" of his other Edicts written inPrakrit.
It is believed that the Zunbil dynasty governed the Kandahar region from the 7th century until the late 9th century AD.[22] Kandahar was taken bySultan Mahmud ofGhazni in the 11th century followed by theGhurids ofGhor.
Kandahar appears to have been renamedTeginābād in the 10th–12th centuries, but the origin of the new name is unclear. During this period, nearbyPanjway served as the administrative center for the area. However, Kandahar was of much more strategic importance, to the extent thatMinhaj-i-Siraj attributes the downfall of theGhaznavids to the loss of Kandahar. The city's name was changed back to Kandahar by the 13th century, afterAla ad-Din Husayn Jahansuz sackedLashkari Bazar, nearBost. Again, the reason for the name change is not clear.[23]
Kandahar was besieged by aMongol army in 1221, althoughJalal al-Din Mangburni defeated them. In 1251, upon accession to the Mongol throne,Möngke Khan granted Kandahar, along with other lands in Afghanistan, toShams ad-Din Mohammad Kart of theKart dynasty. However, the city is mentioned as being underChagatai control in 1260–61; Kandahar didn't come under Kart control until 1281. Later, in 1318, a Chagatai prince raised an army from Kandahar against theIlkhanid governor ofSistan.[24] Kandahar was described byIbn Battuta in 1333 as a large and prosperous town three nights journey fromGhazni.[25]
Tamerlane, founder of theTimurid Empire, captured Kandahar in 1383. He appointed his grandsonPir Muhammad as governor of Kandahar in 1390.[24] Following his death in 1405, the city was ruled by other Timurid governors. Kandahar was entrusted to theArghuns in the late 15th century, who eventually achieved independence from the Timurids.Guru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism, is believed to have visited the town (c. 1521 AD) during his important journey between Hindustan andMecca in Arabia.
Mughal and Safavid Era
Tamerlane's descendant,Babur, the founder of theMughal Empire, annexed Kandahar in 1508. In 1554, Babur's son,Humayun, handed it over to theSafavidShah Tahmasp in return of 12,000 soldiers he received from the Shah to reconquer India. In 1595,Humayun's sonAkbar the Great reconquered the city by diplomacy. Akbar died in 1605 and when this news reached the Persian court, Shah Abbas ordered his army to besiege the city which continued until early 1606 and finally failed due to the reinforcements sent by the Mughal EmperorJahangir that forced the Safavid retreat. In theMughal–Safavid War, Kandahar was once again lost to the Safavids. In 1698, Balochs underSamandar Khan andMir Abdullah Khan Ahmadzai ofKalat State captured Kandahar again. Kandahar was regarded as important to the Mughal Empire because it was one of the gateways to India, and Mughal control over Kandahar helped to prevent foreign intrusions.[26]
The memory of the wars fought over Kandahar at this time is preserved in the epic poemQandahār-nāma ("The Campaign Against Qandahār"), a major work ofSaib Tabrizi which is a classic of Persian literature.
Mirwais Hotak, chief of theGhilji tribe, revolted in 1709 by killingGurgin Khan, an ethnicGeorgian subject and governor of the ShiaSafavid Persians. After establishing theHotak dynasty in Kandahar, Mirwais and his army successfully defeated subsequent expeditions byKay Khusraw and Rustam Khán. Mirwais resisted attempts by the Persian government who were seeking to convert the Afghans fromSunni to the Shia sect of Islam. He died of a natural death in November 1715 and was succeeded by his brotherAbdul Aziz, but after being suspected of giving Kandahar's sovereignty back to the Persians he was killed by his nephewMahmud Hotak.[27][28]
In 1722, Mahmud led an army of Afghans to the Safavid capitalIsfahan and proclaimed himself King of Persia. TheHotak dynasty was eventually removed from power by a new Persian ruler,Nader Shah. In 1738, Nader Shah invaded Afghanistan and destroyed the nowOld Kandahar, which was held byHussain Hotak and hisGhilji tribes.[29] In the meantime, Nader Shah freedAhmad Khan (laterAhmad Shah Durrani) and his brother Zulfikar who were held prisoners by the Hotak ruler. Before leaving southern Afghanistan for Delhi in India, Nader Shah laid out the foundation for a new town to be built next to the destroyed ancient city, naming it "Naderabad". His rule ended in June 1747 after being murdered by his Persian guards.[30]
This lithograph is taken from plate 23 ofAfghaunistan by LieutenantJames Rattray, 1848. He sketched Kandahar in December 1841 from the rooftop of the former residence of the province's governor, Sirdar Meer Dil Khaun, who was brother to the Emir. Pictured on the left is the tomb of Ahmed Shah Durrani and on the right the Bala Hissar (fort) and citadel.Painting byAbdul Ghafoor Breshna depicting the 1747coronation ofAhmad Shah Durrani, who is regarded as thefounding father of Afghanistan (Father of the Nation).
Ahmad Shah Durrani, chief of theDurrani tribe, gained control of Kandahar and made it the capital of his newAfghan Empire in October 1747. Initially, Ahmad Shah had trouble finding land on which to build his city. His own tribe had no extensive lands and others who had, such as the Alikozai and Barakzai, refused to give up their lands. Only the Popalzai finally offered him his pick of their lands. The foundations for the city were laid in June 1761.[31] Once begun, the city was built with grand proportions. It was laid out in the form of a regular rectangle with a circumference of three miles; walls 30 feet thick at the bottom and 15 feet at the top, rose 27 feet high to enclose it. Outside, the walls were ringed by a moat 24 feet wide. Six mammoth gateways pierced these walls: the Eid Gah Gate on the north, the Shikarpur Gate on the south; the Herat and Top Khana Gates on the west; and, the Bar Durrani and Kabul Gates on the east. At its peak, Ahmad Shah's empire included present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, theKhorasan andKohistan provinces of Iran, along withPunjab in India. In October 1772, Ahmad Shah retired and died from a natural cause.[32] A new city was laid out by Ahmad Shah and is dominated by his mausoleum, which is adjacent to theMosque of the Cloak in the centre of the city. By 1776, his eldest sonTimur Shah had transferred Afghanistan's main capital, due to several conflicts with various Pashtun tribes, from Kandahar to Kabul, where theDurrani legacy continued.[14]
From 1818 to 1855, Kandahar was ruled by half-brothers ofDost Mohammad Khan as anindependent principality. In September 1826,Syed Ahmad Shaheed's followers arrived to Kandahar in search of volunteers to help them wagejihad against theSikh invaders to what is now Pakistan. Led byRanjit Singh, theSikhs had captured several of Afghanistan's territories in the east, including what is nowKhyber Pakhtunkhwa andKashmir. More than 400 local Kandahar warriors assembled themselves for the jihad. Sayed Din Mohammad Kandharai was appointed as their leader.
Kandahar remained peaceful for the next 100 years, except during 1929 when loyalists ofHabibullah Kalakani (Bache Saqqaw) placed the fortified city on lock-down and began torturing its population. Nobody was allowed to enter or leave from within the city's tall defensive walls, and as a result of this many people suffered after running out of food supplies. This lasted until October 1929 whenNadir Khan and his Afghan army came to eliminate Kalakani, known as the Tajik bandit from the village ofKalakan in northern Kabul Province.
DuringZahir Shah's rule, the city slowly began expanding by adding modern style streets and housing schemes. Although Kandahar remained less international than Kabul, with fewer foreigners in residence and thus no market for coffee, jam, potatoes, or other European produce, a modest German community took root there in the 1930s. Engineers and factory managers, accompanied by their spouses, arrived to supervise wool-processing plants. A Siemens electrical station powered these emerging industries, signaling a step toward the broader modernization taking shape across Afghanistan during this period.[33]
Street in the city, 1973
In the 1960s, during the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union,Kandahar International Airport was built by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers next to the city. The U.S. also completed several other major projects in Kandahar and in other parts of southern Afghanistan. In the meantime, Soviet engineers were busy building major infrastructures in other parts of the country, such asBagram Airfield andKabul International Airport.
During the 1980s,Soviet–Afghan War, Kandahar city (and the province as a whole) witnessed heavy fighting as it became a centre of resistance as themujahideen forces waged a strongguerrilla warfare against theSoviet-backed government, who tightly held on control of the city. Government and Soviet troops surrounded the city and subjected it to heavy air bombardment in which many civilians lost their lives.[34] In January 1982 indiscriminate shelling and bombing by the Soviets killed hundreds.[35][36] 300 civilians were killed during Soviet bombings in July 1984.[37] It was under siege again in April 1986.[38] The city's population was reduced from 200,000 before the war to no more than 25,000 inhabitants, following a months-long campaign of carpet bombing and bulldozing by the Soviets and Afghan communist soldiers in 1987.[39] Kandahar International Airport was used by theSoviet Army during their ten-year troop placement in the country. The city also became a battle ground for the US and Pakistani-backed forces against the pro-Communist government of Afghanistan.[40]
Kandahar underwent a complete sociopolitical collapse in the early 1990s, driven in part by the divide-and-rule tactics of the communist governor-general,Nur ul-Haq Ulumi, who manipulated rival mujahideen factions against each other, and by the rampant greed within both the communist and mujahideen militias.[41] After the Soviet withdrawal and the collapse ofNajibullah's government in 1992, Kandahar fell to local mujahideen commander,Gul Agha Sherzai. However Sherzai lacked authority against other local commanders which led to lawlessness in the city,[40] and fighting in 1993.[42] During this time, banditry, rape, and murder became rampant in Kandahar, creating a demand for a more moral and unified alternative. This led to the rise of thetalibs (students), who eventually formed the Taliban movement. By the spring of 1994, the nucleus of theTaliban emirate had begun to take shape, and that year, they launched operations to dismantle warlord militia checkpoints around the city. The talibs gained considerable popularity and legitimacy during this period by defeating these predatory warlords.[41]
In August 1994, the Taliban, underMullah Omar, captured Kandahar from commanderMullah Naqib almost without a fight[40] and turned the city into their headquarters. The capture of Afghanistan's second-largest city marked the Taliban's transformation from a fledgling militia into an Islamic emirate, solidifying their legitimacy as a governing authority through the imposition of a strict interpretation of Islamic law.[41] Formal education for girls was banned as well as the consumption of TV, films, music with instrumentalaccompaniments, and the playing of sports. In December 1999, a hijackedIndian Airlines Flight 814 plane by Pakistani militants loyal toHarkat-ul-Mujahideen landed at Kandahar International Airport and kept the passengers hostage as part of a demand to release three Pakistani militants from prison in India.
NATO forces expanded the Afghan police force for the prevention of a Taliban comeback in Kandahar, the militants'"spiritual birthplace" and a strategic key to ward off theTaliban insurgency, as a part of a larger effort that also aimed to deliver services such as electricity and clean drinking water that the Taliban could not provide – encouraging support for the government in a city that was once the Taliban's headquarters. The most significant battle between NATO troops and the Taliban lasted throughout the summer of 2006, culminating inOperation Medusa. The Taliban failed to defeat the Western troops in open warfare, which marked a turn in their tactics towardsIED emplacement.[46] In June 2008, it was reported that over 1,000inmates had escaped fromSarposa prison. In Spring 2010, the province and the city of Kandahar became a target of American operations followingOperation Moshtarak in the neighbouringHelmand Province.[47] In March 2010, U.S. and NATO commanders released details of plans for the biggest offensive of the war against the Taliban insurgency.[48]
In May 2010, Kandahar International Airport became subject of a combined rocket and ground attack by insurgents, following similar attacks on Kabul and Bagram in the preceding weeks. Although this attack did not lead to many casualties on the side of NATO forces, it did show that the militants are still capable of launching multiple, coordinated operations in Afghanistan. In June 2010, ashura was held by Afghan President Hamid Karzai with tribal and religious leaders of the Kandahar region. The meeting highlighted the need for support of NATO-led forces in order to stabilize parts of the province.
By 2011, Kandahar became known as the assassination city of Afghanistan after witnessing many targeted killings. In JulyAhmed Wali Karzai, brother of President Hamid Karzai, was shot by his long time head of security. Soon after theQuetta Shura of the Taliban claimed responsibility. The next day an Islamic cleric (mulla) of the famousRed Mosque in the Shahr-e Naw area of the city and a number of other people were killed by a Taliban suicide bomber who had hidden explosives inside histurban. On 27 July 2011, the mayor of the city,Ghulam Haider Hamidi, was assassinated by another Taliban militant who had hidden explosives in his turban. Twodeputy mayors had been killed in 2010,[49] while many tribal elders and Islamic clerics have also been assassinated in the last several years. The overwhelming majority of the victims in the attacks are ordinary Afghan civilians.[50] On 6 June 2012, at least 21 civilians were killed and 50 others injured when two Taliban suicide bombers on motorcycles blew themselves up in a market area near Kandahar International Airport.[51]
On4 May 2020, a policewoman was assassinated in the centre of Kandahar, making her the fifth policewoman to be killed during the previous two months in Kandahar. No group claimed responsibility for the killing of the policewomen by the end of the day of the reported event.[52]
On 12 August 2021, the Talibancaptured Kandahar. After days of brutal clashes withANA soldiers retreating from the city, the Taliban were finally able to capture the city.[53][54] It became the twelfth provincial capital to be seized by Taliban as part of the wider2021 Taliban offensive.
TheArghandab River runs along the west of Kandahar. The city has 15 districts and a total land area of 27,337 hectares.[56] The total number of dwellings in Kandahar is 61,902.[56]
Only 64% of families in Kandahar have access to safe drinking water; 22% of households have access to safe toilet facilities; and 27% of households have access to electricity, with the remainder dependent on public power. Kandahar's transportation infrastructure is well-developed, with 76.8% of the province's roads capable of carrying car traffic in all seasons. However, there are no roads in a minor portion of the province (3.3 percent). In terms of telecommunications, Kandahar City and major roadways are covered by the three major mobile networks AWCC, Roshan, and MTN.[57]
Kandahar is the regional hub in southern Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan.[56] Non-built up land use accounts for 59% of the total land area.[56] Within the built-up area, vacant plots occupy a slightly higher percentage of land (36%) than residential land (34%).[56] There is a significant commercial cluster along the road to Pakistan in District 5.[56] India, Iran and Pakistan have consulates here for trade, military and political links.
Kandahar has ahot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh),[58] that borders on ahot desert climate (BWh), characterised by little precipitation and high variation between summer and winter temperatures. Summers start in mid-May, last until late September, and are extremely dry. Temperatures peak in July with a 24-hour daily average of around 31.9 °C (89.4 °F). They are followed by dry autumns from early October to late November, with days still averaging in the 20s °C (above 68 °F) into November, although nights are sharply cooler. Winter begins in December and sees most of its precipitation in the form of rain. Temperatures average 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) in January, although lows can drop well below freezing. They end in early March and are followed by a pleasant spring until late April with temperatures generally in the upper 10s °C to lower 30s °C (65–88 °F) range. Sunny weather dominates year-round, especially in summer, when rainfall is extremely rare. The annual mean temperature is 18.6 °C (65.5 °F).
Kandahar International Airport serves as southern Afghanistan's main airport for domestic and international flights. It is also used as a major military base as well as shipping and receiving of supplies for the NATO armies. The entire area in and around the airport is heavily guarded but a section is designated for civilian passengers. Most international flights are to the UAE, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
Kandahar is connected toQuettaPakistan viaChaman andKabul by theKabul-Kandahar Highway and toHerat by theKandahar-Herat Highway. There is a bus station located at the start of the Kabul-Kandahar Highway, where a number of privately owned older-modelMercedes-Benzcoach buses are available to take passengers to most major cities of the country. Kandahar is also connected by road toQuetta in neighbouring Pakistan. Due to the ongoing war, the route to Kabul has become increasingly dangerous as insurgent attacks on convoys and destruction of bridges make it an unreliable link between the two cities.[60][61]
Commuters in the city of Kandahar use the public bus system (Milli Bus), and taxicabs andrickshaws are common. Private vehicle use is increasing, partially due to road and highway improvements. Large dealerships are importing cars fromDubai,UAE.[62]
Kandahar has a population of approximately 1,057,500 people in 2008. In the province, there are around 14,445 households, with an average of seven individuals per home. Around 68 percent of Kandahar's population resides in rural districts, with males accounting for 51 percent of the population. Pashtuns are the province's largest ethnic group. Major Pashtun tribes such as theDurrani including Barakzai, Popalzai, Alkozai, Noorzai, Ishaqzai, Achakzai, Maku, and Qizilbash Shia's andKhilji are included. More than 98 percent of the population speaks Pashtu. Only a small percentage of the population speaksBalochi language andDari.Kochi people (Pashtun Nomads) also live in Kandahar province, and their numbers fluctuate depending on the season, with estimates stating approximately 79,000 in the winter and 39,000 in the summer.[57]
The population of Kandahar numbers approximately 651,484 as of 2021[update].[63] ThePashtuns make up the overwhelming majority population of the city and province
"The major ethnic group living in Khandahar province is Pashtoons. This includes major tribes such asDurrani sub tribes includingBarakzai,Popalzai,Alkozai,Achakzai,Ishaqzai,Noorzai andAlezai.Pashtu is spoken by more than 98% of population and in more than 98% of villages.Dari is spoken in six villages by 4000 people andBalochi is spoken by 8000 people in two villages. 19000 people in nine villages speak some other unspecified language."[64]
Before the 1978 coup in Kabul, the majority of the city's population was enrolled in schools.[citation needed] Nearly all of the elite class of the city fled to neighboring Pakistan during the early 1980s, and from there they began immigrating to North America, Europe,Australia and other parts of the world.
The two oldest known schools are Ahmad Shah Baba High School and Zarghona Ana High School. There are a number of new schools that opened in the last decade, with more being built in the future as the city's population grows with the large returning Afghans from neighboring countries.Afghan Turk High Schools is one of the top private schools in the city.
The main university is theKandahar University. A number of private higher education institutions have also opened in the last decade such as Benawa Institute of Higher Education, Mirwais Neeka Institute of Higher Education, Malalay Institute of Higher Education and Saba Institute of Higher Education.[65][66][67][68]
Telecommunication services in the city are provided byAfghan Wireless,Roshan,Etisalat,MTN Group andAfghan Telecom. In November 2006, theAfghan Ministry of Communications signed a $64.5 million agreement withZTE for the establishment of a countrywide fibre optical cable network. This was intended to improve telephone, internet, television and radio broadcast services not just in Kandahar but throughout the country.
The tomb ofAhmad Shah Durrani is located in the city centre, which also houses Durrani's brass helmet and other personal items. In front of Durrani's mausoleum is theShrine of the Cloak, containing one of the most valued relics in the Islamic world, which was given by the Emir ofBokhara (Murad Beg) to Ahmad Shah Durrani. The Sacred Cloak is kept locked away, taken out only at times of great crisis.Mullah Omar took it out in November 1996 and displayed it to a crowd ofulema of religious scholars to have himself declaredAmir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful). Prior to that it was taken out when the city was struck by a cholera epidemic in the 1930s.[69]
The village ofSher Surkh is located southeast of the city, in the suburbs of the old city ofNadirabad. Kandahar Museum is located at the western end of the third block of buildings lining the main road east ofEidgah Durwaza (gate). It has many paintings by the now famous Ghiyassuddin, painted while he was a young teacher in Kandahar. He is acknowledged among Afghanistan's leading artists.
Just to the north of the city, off its northeast corner at the end ofburia (matting) bazaar, there is a shrine dedicated to a saint who lived in Kandahar more than 300 years ago. The grave ofHazratji Baba, 7.0 m (23 ft) long to signify his greatness, but otherwise covered solely by rock chips, is undecorated save for tall pennants at its head. A monument to Islamic martyrs stands in the centre of Kandahar's main square, calledDa Shahidanu Chawk, which was built in the 1940s.
Ancient city ofOld Kandahar (red) andChilzina mountainous outcrop (blue) on the western side of Kandahar.
TheChilzina is a rock-cut chamber above the plain at the end of the rugged chain of mountains forming the western defence of Kandahar'sOld City. This is here thatAshoka'sKandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription was found. Forty steps, about, lead to the chamber, which is guarded by two chained lions, defaced, and inscribed with an account ofMughal conquest. The rugged cliffs from which theChilzina was hewn form the natural western bastion of theOld City of Kandahar, which was destroyed in 1738 byNadir Shah Afshar of Persia.
A short distance fromChilzina, going west on the main highway, a bright blue dome appears on the right. This is the mausoleum ofMirwais Hotak, the Ghiljai chieftain who declared Kandahar's independence from the Persians in 1709. The shrine ofBaba Wali Kandhari[70] (Baba Sahib), its terraces shaded by pomegranate groves beside theArghandab River, is also very popular for picnics and afternoon outings.[14] He was a Muslimpir who had a strange encounter withGuru Nanak atHasan Abdal in what is nowAttock District of Pakistan. The shrine of Baba Wali is important to Muslims andSikhs. Close to Baba Wali's shrine is a military base established by theUnited States armed forces in about 2007.
The original model plan of theAino Mina neighbourhood, which began in 2003 byMahmud Karzai and associates.[71]
Decades of war left Kandahar and the rest of the country destroyed and depopulated, but in recent years billions of dollars began pouring in for construction purposes and millions of expats have returned to Afghanistan. New residential areas have been established around the city, and a number of modern style buildings have been constructed.
Some residents of the city have access to clean drinking water and electricity, and the government is working to extend these services to every home.[72] The city relies on electricity from theKajakihydroelectricity plant in neighbouringHelmand, which is being upgraded or expanded. About 30 km (20 mi) north of the city is theDahla Dam, the second largestdam in Afghanistan.
TheAino Mina is a new housing project for up to two million people on the northern edge of the city.[73] Originally called theKandahar Valley and started byMahmud Karzai,[71] it was announced that the project would build up to 20,000 single-family homes and associated infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer systems, andcommunity buildings, including schools.[74]
It recently won 2 awards, theResidential Project andSustainable Project of the Year at the Middle East Architect Awards.[75] Many of the high-ranking government employees and civil servants as well as wealthy businessmen live in this area, which is a more secured community in Kandahar. Work on the next $100 million scheme was initiated in 2011.
Also, construction of Hamidi Township in the Morchi Kotal area of the city began in August 2011. It is named afterGhulam Haider Hamidi, the mayor of Kandahar who was assassinated by militants in late July 2011.[76] Situated along the Kandahar-Uruzgan Highway in the northeast of the city, the new township will have 2,000 residential and commercial plots. Including new roads, schools, commercial markets, clinics, canals and other facilities.[77]
About 10 km (6 mi) east of Kandahar, a hugeindustrial park is under construction with modern facilities. The park will have professional management for the daily maintenance of public roads, internal streets, common areas, parking areas, 24 hours perimeter security, access control for vehicles and persons.[78]
Themausoleum ofBaba Wali Kandhari[70] next to the Arghandab Valley, in the northern outskirts of the city.The mausoleum ofAhmad Shah Durrani in the centre of the city, which also serves as theCongregational Mosque and contains a sacredcloak that used to be worn by Islam's ProphetMuhammad.Governor's MansionAl-Jadeed MarketLocal children watching a football match at the playground of Ahmad Shah Baba High School.
^abJohn E. Hill,Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han dynasty, 1st to 2nd centuries AD. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina, 2009.ISBN978-1-4392-2134-1, pp. 517–518. This derivation, as that from Gondophares, was characterised as "philologiquement impossible" by P. Bernard, "Un probleme de toponymie antique dans l'Asie Centrale: les noms anciens de Qandahar",Studia Iranica, tome 3, 1974 andAfghanistan Quarterly, vol.33, no.1, June 1980/Spring 1359, pp.49–62, p59, n.10.
^Barros, João de (1552).Da Asia De Joāo De Barros: Dos Feitos, Que Os Portuguezes Fizeram No Descubrimento, E Conquista Dos Mares, E Terras Do Oriente. Decada Quarta. Parte Segunda (in Portuguese). Na Regia Officina Typografica.Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved2 October 2020.Those who go from Persia, from the kingdom of Horaçam (Khorasan), from Bohára, and all the Western Regions, travel to the city which the natives corruptly call Candar, instead of Scandar, the name by which the Persians call Alexander.:ruptamente Candar, havendo de dizer Scandar, nome per que os Perfas chamam Alexandre, por elle (como efcreve Arriano ") edificar efia Cidade, e do feu nome fe chamou Alexandria fituada ...
^Those who go from Persia, from the kingdom of Horaçam (Khorasan), from Bohára, and all the Western Regions, travel to the city which the natives corruptly call Candar, instead of Scandar, the name by which the Persians call Alexander
^Ernst Herzfeld,Archaeological History of Iran, London, Oxford University Press for the British Academy, 1935, p.63; Ernst Herzfeld,The Persian Empire: Studies in Geography and Ethnography of the Ancient Near East, Wiesbaden, Steiner, 1968, p.335.
^abcDupree, Nancy Hatch (1970).An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. Vol. First Edition. Kabul: Afghan Air Authority, Afghan Tourist Organization. p. 492.Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved17 June 2012.
^Map of theMedian Empire from the University of Texas in Austin, showingPactyans in what is now Kandahar, Afghanistan ...LinkArchived 4 October 2003 at theWayback Machine
^Mentioned in Bopearachchi, "Monnaies Greco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques", p52. Original text in paragraph 19 ofParthian stationsArchived 31 May 2020 at theWayback Machine
^"Last Afghan empire".Louis Dupree, Nancy H. Dupree and others. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved24 September 2010.
^Crews, Robert D. (2015). "Seduced by Capital".Afghan Modern: The History of a Global Nation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 161.ISBN978-0-674-49574-6.
^abcMoiz, Ibrahim (2024).The True Story of the Taliban: Emirate and Insurgency, 1994–2021. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press. pp. 47–53.ISBN9798336042269.OCLC1458059551.
^"Home Free".Time. Archived fromthe original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved9 January 2011.Hamid Karzai dreamed for years of his eventual homecoming. But for both him and his newly reborn nation, the journey has only begun
Hill, John E. (2009)Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han dynasty, 1st to 2nd centuries CE. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina.ISBN978-1-4392-2134-1.
Frye, Richard N. (1963).The Heritage of Persia. World Publishing company, Cleveland, Ohio. Mentor Book edition, 1966.
Toynbee, Arnold J. (1961).Between Oxus and Jumna. London. Oxford University Press.
Willem Vogelsang (1985). "Early historical Arachosia in South-east Afghanistan; Meeting-place between East and West."Iranica antiqua, 20 (1985), pp. 55–99.
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