Ghazni,[a] historically known asGhaznayn orGhazna, also transliterated asGhuznee, and anciently known asAlexandria in Opiana,[b] is acity in southeasternAfghanistan, serving as thecapital ofGhazni Province. It is within the jurisdiction ofGhazni District and has an estimated population of 205,965 people.[3]Mawlawi Muhammad Nabi Hamzah is the currentmayor of the city.[1]
Ghazni is a thriving city with a number of factories,bazaars, business centers, banks, historical sites, public parks, hotels, restaurants,mosques,hospitals,universities, and places to playsports or just walk around.[5] In 2015 there were 15,931dwelling units in the city.[2][6] Manytourists visit the city for leisure and pleasure purposes.[7][8]
Ghazni is strategically located along theKabul–Kandahar Highway, which follows the paths that have served as the main roads betweenKabul,Kandahar andGardez for thousands of years. Situated on a plateau at around 2,219 m (7,280 ft) abovesea level, the city has a land area of 57 km2 (22 sq mi).[2] It is about 150 km (93 mi) to the southwest of Kabul. The name Ghazni derives from the Persian wordganj, meaning "treasure."[9]
The city was founded some time inantiquity as a small market town. In the 6th century BCE, it was conquered byCyrus II and incorporated into theAchaemenid Empire. The city was subsequently incorporated into the empire ofAlexander the Great in 329 BCE, and calledAlexandria in Opiana. Ghazni may be theGazaca (Gázaca orGāzaca) mentioned byPtolemy in the 2nd century.[12] Following the fall of theGreco-Bactrian kingdoms, the region emerged as the heart ofZabulistan, a prosperous kingdom that controlled the trade routes between India, Iran, and Central Asia. From the 5th to the 7th centuries, Zabulistan was ruled by theNezak Huns, whose rulers are famous for their distinctive gold coins depicting them with a bull's head crown. Under their rule, the area became a major center ofBuddhism, as well asZoroastrianism andHinduism.[citation needed] It was this wealthy kingdom that the Chinese pilgrimXuanzang visited in 644, describing a city namedJaguda—which was almost certainly the contemporary name of the later Ghazni.[13][14]
"The country of Jāguda is more than seven thousandli in circuit, and its capital city, namedHexina (Ghazni), is over thirtyli in circuit; but the capital is sometimes located in the city of Hesaluo (Guzar), which is also over thirtyli in circuit, both cities being strongly fortified in invulnerable positions. The mountains and valleys are rich in natural resources, and the cultivated farmlands, divided by ridges, are high and dry. Crops are sown in proper seasons. Winter wheat is abundant, and vegetation is luxuriant with profuse flowers and fruits. The soil is good for growing aromatic turmeric, and it produces thehingu herb (Ferula asafoetida), which grows in the Rama-Indu Valley. In the city of Hesaluo there are gushing springs, the water of which flows to all sides, and the people make use of it for irrigation. The climate is severely cold with much frost and snow."-Xuanzang, 644 CE[15]
In 683,Arab armies broughtIslam to the region. From 680 to 870, theZunbils were present in the area, and at times had their capital in Ghazni.Yaqub Saffari fromZaranj conquered the Zunbils in the late 9th century. TheSaffarids reduced the formerlyLawik dynasty to tributary status. In 962, theTurkic slave commander of theSamanid Empire,Alp-Tegin, attacked the city and besieged theCitadel of Ghazni for four months, wresting the city fromAbu Bakr Lawik.[16] Around 965, Abu Bakr Lawik recaptured Ghazni from Alp-Tegin's son,Abu Ishaq Ibrahim, forcing him to flee toBukhara. However, this was not to last long because Abu Ishaq Ibrahim shortly returned to the town with Samanid aid, and took control of the town once again. For nearly two hundred years (977–1163), the city was the dazzling capital of theGhaznavid Empire, which encompassed much of what is today Afghanistan,Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Eastern Iran andRajasthan. The Ghaznavids took Islam toHindustan and returned with fabulous riches looted from Hindu temples. Although the city was sacked in 1151 by theGhorid Ala'uddin, it became their secondary capital in 1173, and subsequently flourished once again. Between 1215 and 1221, Ghazni was ruled by theKhwarezmid Empire, during which time it was destroyed byGenghis Khan's sonÖgedei Khan.[17]
In the first decades of the 11th century, Ghazni was the most important center ofPersian literature. This was the result of the cultural policy ofSultan Mahmud (reigned 998–1030), who assembled a circle of scholars, philosophers, and poets around his throne in support of his claim to royal status inIran.[18]
We travelled thence toParwan, where I met the amir Buruntayh. He treated me well and wrote to his representatives at Ghazna enjoining them to show me honour. We went on to the village ofCharkh[Charikar], it being now summer, and from there to the town of Ghazna. This is the town of the famous warrior-sultanMahmud ibn Sabuktagin, one of the greatest of rulers, who made frequent raids intoIndia and captured cities and fortresses there. His grave is in this city and is surmounted by a hospice. The greater part of the town is in ruins and nothing but a fraction of it remains, though it was once a large city. It has an exceedingly cold climate, and the inhabitants move from it in the cold season toQandahar, a large and prosperous town three nights journey from Ghazna, but I did not visit it.[19]
Tamerlanes's grandson,Pir Muhammad bin Djinhangir, became the governor of Ghazni (along with Kabul and Kandahar) in 1401.Babur conquered the region in 1504 and personally thought that Ghazni was "a mean place" and pondered why any of the princes of the region would make it their seat of government. Ghazni stayed underMughal control until 1738 when Persian rulerNader Shah invaded the area. After Nader Shah's death, Ghazni became part of theDurrani Empire.[20]
Artwork by James Rattray showing the Citadel of Ghazni and other historical sites, during theFirst Anglo-Afghan War
Ghazni is famous for itsGhazni Minarets built on a stellar plan. They date from the middle of the twelfth century and are the surviving elements of themosque of Bahramshah. Their sides are decorated with intricate geometric patterns. Some of the upper sections of the minarets have been damaged or destroyed. The most importantmausoleum located in Ghazni is that of Sultan Mahmud. Others include the tombs of poets and scientists, such as the tomb ofAl Biruni. The only ruins in Old Ghazni retaining a semblance of architectural form are two towers, about 43 m (141 ft) high and 365 m (1,198 ft) apart. According to inscriptions, the towers were constructed by Sultan Mahmud and his son. For more than eight centuries the “Towers of Victory” monuments to Afghanistan's greatest empire have survived wars and invasions, the two toffee-colored minarets, adorned with terra-cotta tiles were raised in the early 12th century as monuments to the victories of the Afghan armies that built the empire. By the time the Ghurids had finalized the Ghaznavid removal from Ghazni, the city was a cultural center of the eastern Islamic world.[21]
People by the city gate, 1939
The Buddhist site at Ghazni is known as Tapa-e Sardar and consists of a stupa on a hilltop, surrounded by a row of smaller stupas.[20] Nearby, an 18 m (59 ft) longParinirvana (reclining)Buddha was excavated between the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is believed to have been built in the 8th century CE as part of a monastery complex.[22] In the 1980s, a mud brick shelter was created to protect the sculpture, but the wood supports were stolen for firewood and the shelter partially collapsed. In 2001, theTaliban blew the Buddha up, believing it to be idolatrous.[23]
View of Ghazni Citadel, 1939
During theFirst Anglo-Afghan War, the fortified city was partially destroyed by British forces on 23 July 1839 in theBattle of Ghazni. TheCivil war in Afghanistan and the continued conflict between theTaliban and theNorthern Alliance during the 1990s put the relics of Ghazni in jeopardy. Ghazni's strategic position, both economically and militarily, assured its revival, albeit without its dazzling former grandeur. Through the centuries the city has figured prominently as the all-important key to the possession of Kabul.
After the 2001U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, theUnited States armed forces built abase in Ghazni. They were involved in rebuilding projects and protecting the local population againstTaliban insurgents. In the meantime, they also trained theAfghan Local PoliceAfghan National Police andAfghan National Army. In 2010, the United States established the Lincoln Learning Center in Ghazni.[24] The Lincoln learning centers in Afghanistan served as programming platforms offering English language classes, library facilities, programming venues, Internet connectivity, educational and other counseling services. A goal of the program was to reach at least 4,000 Afghan citizens per month per location.[25]
Street scene in Ghazni, 2013
In 2013,ISESCO declared Ghazni the year's Islamic capital of culture.[26][27] In 2018, the city was attacked by Taliban forces during the August 10Ghazni offensive. Dozens ofairstrikes were carried out in support of Afghan police and government forces and hundreds of Afghan soldiers, police, and Taliban insurgents were killed as well as dozens of civilians. In addition to the destruction and human suffering caused by the fighting, the Taliban also set fire to many buildings in the city.
On18 May 2020, a suicideHumvee bomber affiliated with the Taliban killed nine Afghan intelligence personnel and injured 40 others at theNational Directorate of Security unit in Ghazni.[28][29][30] On 12 August 2021, the city was invaded by Taliban forces as part of their2021 offensive. It became the tenth provincial capital to be captured by them.[31][32][33]
Ghazni is a strategic city in the southeastern part of Afghanistan. It is connected by aroad network with Kabul to the northeast, Gardez to the east,Sharan to the southeast,Qalat to the southwest, andHazarajat to the northwest. It sits on a plateau at approximately 2,219 m (7,280 ft) abovesea level and has a land area of 57 km2 (22 sq mi).[2]
Ghazni is a major trading and transit hub. Agriculture is the dominant land use at 28%. The city has four districts (nahias) and covers a land area of 3,330 ha (8,200 acres).[2] In terms of built-up land area, vacant plots (33%) slightly outweigh residential area (31%). Districts 3 and 4 also have large institutional areas.[6]
Ghazni's climate is transitional between acold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSk) and ahot-summer humid continental climate (Dsa). It has cold, snowy winters and warm, dry summers. Precipitation is low and mostly falls in winter (as snow) and spring (as rain). Winters are very cold, with a subzero January daily average temperature of −5.9 °C (21.4 °F), mainly due to the high elevation of the city.
Ghazni's economy is based onagriculture,trade,transport, andtourism. The city is in an area of low rainfall but it does receive snow in the winter.[38] TheSultan Dam which is to the north of the city and theSarda Dam to its southeast both provideirrigation water to the area. There are also around 39check dams in and around the city.[39]
In April 2012, thegovernor of Ghazni laid the foundation stone of theGhazni Airport. The work began later that year and was supervised by the managing director of the Ghazni province Engineer Ahmad Wali Tawakuli.[40]
The city is next to Afghanistan's mainhighway that runs betweenKabul andKandahar in the south. Other roads from Ghazni lead east toGardez in neighboringPaktia Province and northwest toHazarajat. Manytourists visit the city for leisure and pleasure purposes.[8][7]
Jahan Maleeka School is an all-girls school which has over 5,000 students and 150 teachers
Ghazni has a number ofpublic andprivateschools. Jahan Maleeka School is an all-girls school with over 5,000 students and 150 teachers. Naswan Shaher Kohna School, another all-girls school, has over 3,000 students.
Abu Nasr Mansur, 10/11th-century mathematician and astronomer of the Ghaznavid era, known for his work in geometry and trigonometry and his close collaboration with Al-Biruni
^Richards, J.F. (1974). "The Islamic frontier in the east: Expansion into South Asia".Journal of South Asian Studies.4 (1):91–109.doi:10.1080/00856407408730690.
^abTrudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda (1996) International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania v.5, P. 279-282. Taylor & Francis,ISBN1-884964-04-4
^C.E. Bosworth,The Later Ghaznavids, (Columbia University Press, 1977), 115.
^A note on the Parinirvana Buddha at Tapa-e Sardar M. Taddei (1974) South Asian archaeology 1973: papers from the second International Conference of the Association for the Promotion of South Asian Archaeology in Western Europe, Brill Archive,ISBN90-04-04189-3
"Ghazni".Islamic Cultural Heritage Database. Istanbul: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15.
ArchNet.org."Ghazni". Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Archived fromthe original on 2008-05-05.
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