Kabul, the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, lies in a narrow valley between mountains along the Kabul River, on routes that link Central Asia with the Indian subcontinent. It is a city of great antiquity, probably more than three thousand years old, and was known to ancient writers under names such as Kophen. Over time it was ruled by Persians, Greeks, Kushans, the Hindu Shahis, the Ghaznavids and others. In the early sixteenth century, Babur made it the base from which he conquered northern India, and he asked to be buried in a garden there. Kabul became the capital of the Afghan state in the late eighteenth century and later saw several wars and sieges.
Before and after
- c. 1,050 BCEEruption of Pinatubo
- from c. 1,046 BCE to 256 BCEZhou dynasty
- from 11th century BCE to 7th century BCEChaldea
- 11th century BCEThe Bantu expansion begins
- 1st millennium BCEOrigins of Kabul
- from c. 996 BCE to 586 BCEConstruction of Solomon's Temple
- from c. 945 BCE to 715 BCETwenty-second Dynasty of Egypt
- from c. 930 BCE to 720 BCEKingdom of Israel
- from c. 930 BCE to 586 BCEKingdom of Judah
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- 19 BCEConstruction of Western Wall
- from 476 CE to 1492Middle Ages
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.