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Saturday, October 15, 2011

Herat; The Pearl of Khorasan

Herāt (Persian / Pashto: هرات) is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. The city is linked with Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif via highway 1 or the ring road that stretches across the country. It is also linked to the city of Mashad in Iran through the Islam Qala border town or border checkpoint.

Situated in a fertile area, Herāt dates back to the Avestan times and was traditionally known for its wine. The city has a number of historic sites, including the Citadel of Alexander and the Mosallah Complex. During the Middle Ages Herāt became one of the important cities of Khorasan, as it was known as the pearl of Khorasan. It was made independent in 1717 from the Safavid dynasty by the Afghans until 1736 when the Hotaki dynasty was defeated by the Afsharids, which finally became part of the Durrani Empire in 1747. It saw some actions during the 19th century Anglo-Afghan wars. Much of the city has been spared from destructions that occurred in other cities of Afghanistan during the 1978-present wars.
Herāt lies on the ancient trade routes of the Middle East, Central and South Asia. The roads from Herāt to Iran, Turkmenistan, and other parts of Afghanistan are still strategically important. As the gateway to Iran, it collects the highest amount of customs revenue for Afghanistan. The city has an airport which is planned to be turned into an international airport.

History:

Herat dates back to ancient times, but its exact age remains unknown. During the period of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550-330 BC), the surrounding district was known as Haraiva (in Old Persian), and in classical sources the region was correspondingly known as Aria (Areia). In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the district is mentioned as Haroiva. The name of the district and its main town is derived from that of the chief river of the region, the Hari River (Old Iranian Harayu, "Golden Water"), which traverses the district and passes some 5 km (3.1 mi) south of modern Herāt. Hari is mentioned in Sanskrit as yellow or golden color equivalent to Persian Zar meaning Gold (yellow). The naming of a region and its principal town after the main river is a common feature in this part of the world—compare the adjoining districts/rivers/towns of Arachosia and Bactria.The district Aria of the Persian Achaemenid Empire is mentioned in the provincial lists that are included in various royal inscriptions, for instance, in the Behistun inscription of Darius I (ca. 520 BC). Representatives from the district are depicted in reliefs, e.g., at the royal Achaemenid tombs of Naqsh-e Rustam and Persepolis. They are wearing Scythian-style dress (with a tunic and trousers tucked into high boots) and a twisted Bashlyk that covers their head, chin and neck.
Hamdallah Mustawfi, composer of the 14th century work The Geographical Part of the Nuzhat-al-Qulub writes that:
Herāt was the name of one of the chiefs among the followers of the hero Narīmān, and it was he who first founded the city. After it had fallen to ruin Alexander the Great rebuilt it, and the circuit of its walls was 9000 paces.

Herodotus described Herāt as the bread-basket of Central Asia. At the time of Alexander the Great, Aria was obviously an important district. It was administered by a satrap called Satibarzanes, who was one of the three main Persian officials in the East of the Empire, together with the satrap Bessus of Bactria and Barsaentes of Arachosia. In late 330 BC, Alexander the Great captured the Arian capital that was called Artacoana. The town was rebuilt and the citadel was constructed. It became part of the Seleucid Empire but was captured by others on various occasions and became part of the Parthian Empire in 167 BC.

In the Sasanian period (226-652), Harēv is listed in an inscription on the Ka'ba-i Zartosht at Naqsh-e Rustam; and Hariy is mentioned in the Pahlavi catalogue of the provincial capitals of the empire. In around 430, the town is also listed as having a Christian community, with a Nestorian bishop. 

In the last two centuries of Sasanian rule, Aria (Herāt) had great strategic importance in the endless wars between the Sasanians, the Chionites and the Hephthalites who had been settled in modern northern Afghanistan since the late 4th century.
Islamization:

At the time of the Arab invasion in the middle of the 7th century, the Sasanian central power seemed already largely nominal in the province in contrast with the role of the Hephthalites tribal lords, who were settled in the Herat region and in the neighboring districts, mainly in pastoral Bādghis and in Qohestān. It must be underlined, however, that Herat remained one of the three Sasanian mint centers in the East, the other two being Balkh and Marv. The Hephthalites from Herat and some unidentified Turks opposed the Arab forces in a battle of Qohestān in 651-52 AD, trying to block their advance on Nishāpur, but they were defeated.

When the Arab armies appeared in Khorāsān in the 650s AD, Herāt was counted among the twelve capital towns of the Sasanian Empire. The Arab army under the general command of Ahnaf ibn Qais in its conquest of Khorāsān in 652 seems to have avoided Herāt, but it can be assumed that the city submitted to the Arabs, since shortly afterwards an Arab governor is mentioned there. A treaty was drawn including the regions of Bādghis and Bushanj. As did many other places in Khorāsān, Herāt rebelled and had to be re-conquered several times. In 702 AD Yzid ibn al-Muhallab defeated certain Arab rebels, followers of Ibn al-Ash'ath, and forced them out of Herat. The city was the scene of conflicts between different groups of Muslims and Arab tribes in the disorders leading to the establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate. Herat was also a centre of the followers of Ustadh Sis.
Pearl of Khorasan:

The region of Herāt was under the rule of King Nuh III, the seventh of the Samanid line—at the time of Sebük Tigin and his older son, Mahmud of Ghazni. The governor of Herāt was a noble by the name of Faik, who was appointed by Nuh III. It is said that Faik was a powerful, but insubordinate governor of Nuh III; and had been punished by Nuh III. Faik made overtures to Bogra Khan and Ughar Khan of Khorasan. Bogra Khan answered Faik's call, came to Herāt and became its ruler. The Samanids fled, betrayed at the hands of Faik to whom the defence of Herāt had been entrusted by Nuh III. In 994, Nuh III invited Alp Tigin to come to his aid. Alp Tigin, along with Mahmud of Ghazni, defeated Faik and annexed Herāt, Nishapur and Tous.

Herāt was a great trading centre strategically located on trade routes from Mediterranean Sea to India or to China. The city was noted for its textiles during the Abbasid Caliphate, according to many references in the geographers. Herāt also had many learned sons such as Ansārī. The city is described by Estakhri and Ibn Hawqal in the 10th century as a prosperous town surrounded by strong walls with plenty of water sources, extensive suburbs, an inner citadel, a congregational mosque, and four gates, each gate opening to a thriving market place. The government building was outside the city at a distance of about a mile in a place called Khorāsānābād. A church was still visible in the countryside northeast of the town on the road to Balkh, and farther away on a hilltop stood a flourishing fire temple, called Sereshk, or Arshak according to Mustawfi.
Herat was a part of the Taherid dominion in Khorāsān until the rise of the Saffarids in Sistān under Ya'qub-i Laith in 861, who, in 862, started launching raids on Herat before besieging and capturing it on 16 August 867, and again in 872. The Saffarids succeeded in expelling the Taherids from Khorasan in 873.

The Sāmānid dynasty was established in Transoxiana by three brothers, Nuh, Yahyā, and Ahmad. Ahmad Sāmāni opened the way for the Samanid dynasty to the conquest of Khorāsān, including Herāt, which they were to rule for one century. The centralized Samanid administration served as a model for later dynasties.

The Samanid power was destroyed in 999 by the Qarakhanids, who were advancing on Transoxiana from the northeast, and by the Ghaznavids, former Samanid retainers, attacking from the southeast.

Sultan Maḥmud of Ghazni officially took control of Khorāsān in 998. Herat was one of the six Ghaznavid mints in the region. In 1040, Herat was captured by the Seljuk Empire. Yet, in 1175, it was captured by the Ghurids of Ghor and then came under the Khawarazm Empire. According to the account of Mustawfi, Herat flourished especially under the Ghurid dynasty in the 12th century. Mustawfi reported that there were "359 colleges in Herat, 12,000 shops all fully occupied, 6,000 bath-houses; besides caravanserais and mills, also a darwish convent and a fire temple". There were about 444,000 houses occupied by a settled population. The men were described as "warlike and carry arms", and they were Sunni Muslims. The great mosque of Herāt was built by Ghiyas ad-Din Ghori in 1201. In this period Herāt became an important center for the production of metal goods, especially in bronze, often decorated with elaborate inlays in precious metals.
Herāt was invaded and destroyed by Genghis Khan's Mongol army in 1221. The city was destroyed a second time and remained in ruins from 1222 to about 1236. In 1244 a local prince Shams al-Din Kart was named ruler of Herāt by the Mongol governor of Khorāsān and in 1255 he was confirmed in his rule by the founder of the Il-Khan dynasty Hulagu. Shams al-Din founded a new dynasty and his successors, especially Fakhr-al-Din and Ghiyath al-Din, built many mosques and other buildings. The members of this dynasty were great patrons of literature and the arts. By this time Herāt became known as the pearl of Khorasan.

"If any one ask thee which is the pleasantest of cities, Thou mayest answer him aright that it is Herāt. For the world is like the sea, and the province of Khurāsān like a pearl-oyster therein, The city of Herāt being as the pearl in the middle of the oyster."  —Rumi, 1207-1273 A.D.

Timur took Herat in 1380 and he brought the Kartid dynasty to an end a few years later, but the city reached its greatest glory under the Timurid princes, especially Sultan Husayn Bayqara who ruled Herat from 1469 to 912/1506. His chief minister, the poet and author in Persian and Turkish, Mir Ali-Shir Nava'i was a great builder and patron of the arts. Under the Timurids, Herat assumed the role of the main capital of an empire that extended in the West as far as central Persia. As the capital of the Timurid Empire, it boasted many fine religious buildings and was famous for its sumptuous court life and musical performance and its tradition of miniature paintings. On the whole, the period was one of relative stability, prosperity, and development of economy and cultural activities. It began with the nomination of Shahrokh, the youngest son of Timur, as governor of Herat in 1397. The reign of Shahrokh in Herat was marked by intense royal patronage, building activities, and promotion of manufacturing and trade, especially through the restoration and enlargement of the Herat’s bāzār. The present Mosalla Complex, and many buildings such as the madrasa of Goharshad, Ali Shir mahāl, many gardens, and others, dates from this time. The village of Gazargah, over two km northeast of Herat, contained a shrine which was enlarged and embellished under the Timurids. The tomb of the poet and mystic Khwājah Abdullāh Ansārī (d. 1088), was first rebuilt by Shahrokh about 1425, and other famous men were buried in the shrine area.
In 1507 Herat was occupied by the Uzbeks but after much fighting the city was taken by Shah Isma'il, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, in 1510 and the Shamlu Qizilbash assumed the governorship of the area. Under the Safavids, Herat was again relegated to the position of a provincial capital, albeit one of a particular importance.

At the death of Shah Isma'il the Uzbeks again took Herat and held it until Shah Tahmasp retook it in 1528. Several times later for brief periods the Uzbeks held the city but the Safavids ruled it most of the time until the revolt of the Ghilzai and Abdali Afghans in 1716.

Several Safavid expeditions to retake the city failed, and the Abdalis remained in possession of the city until 1736 when they submitted to Nader Shah. In 1747 the nephew of Nader Shah, one Aliqoli Khan, revolted in Herat but after Nader's death in that year Herat fell under Afghan rule.
Hotaki dynasty and Durrani Empire:

From 1725 to 1736 Herat was controlled by the Hotaki dynasty until Nader Shah's takeover. After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani took possession of the city and became part of the Durrani Empire. Ahmad Shah Durrani's father, Zaman Khan, was the governor of Herat province before the Ghilzai's conquer of the region.

Zaman Khan and several of his family members were killed while his son Ahmad Khan (Durrani) and Zulfiqar Khan were taken as prisoners to Kandahar in the south.

In 1824, Herat became independent for several years when the Afghan empire was split between the Durranis and the Barakzais. Qajars of Persia tried to take city from the Durranis in 1852 and again in 1856; both times the British helped to repel the Persians, the second time through the Anglo-Persian War. The city fell to Dost Mohammad Khan of the Barakzai dynasty in 1863.

Most of the Musallah complex in Herat was cleared in 1885 by the British army to get a good line of sight for their artillery against Russian invaders who never came. This was but one small sidetrack in the Great Game, a century-long conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire in 19th century.
In the 1960s, engineers from the United States built Herat Airport, which was used by the Soviet forces during the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Even before the Soviet invasion at the end of 1979, there was a substantial presence of Soviet advisors in the city with their families. Between March 10 to 20 in 1979, Afghan army in Herāt under the control of Ismail Khan mutinied. Reprisals by the Afghan government followed, and between 3,000 and 5,000 people were killed. The city itself was recaptured with tanks and airborne.

Ismail Khan became the leading mujahideen commander in Herāt. After the departure of the Soviets, he became governor of Herat Province. In September 1995 the city was captured by the Taliban without much resistance, forcing Ismail Khan to flee. However, after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, on November 12, 2001, it was liberated from the Taliban by forces loyal to the Northern Alliance and Ismail Khan returned to power. In 2004, Mirwais Sadiq, Aviation Minister of Afghanistan and the son of Ismail Khan, was ambushed and killed in Herāt by a local rival group. More than 200 people were arrested under suspicion of involvement. 
Herāt is now fully under the control of Afghanistan's new central government, led by Hamid Karzai, who was initially backed by the United States. The Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police provide security in the city as well as the whole province. There is also presence of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces in the area, which is led by Italy and assisting the Military of Afghanistan.

Herat was one of the first seven areas that transitioned security responsibility from NATO to Afghanistan. On July 21, 2011, Afghan security forces assumed lead security responsibility from NATO. On the occasion, Minister of Defense Wardak told the audience, “this is our national responsibility to take over our security and defend our country."Due to their close connection, Iran began investing in the development of Herat's power, economy and education sectors.

As a result, the city now enjoys 24-hour electricity, paved roads, and a higher sense of security. In the meantime, the United States is building a consulate in Herat to help further strengthen its relations with Afghanistan. It is currently operating from a renovated hotel for about three years while a permanent location is built. Afghans who apply for visas to the United States will no longer be required to travel all the way to Kabul anymore.
Iranian applicants will also use the Herat counsulate because the United States has no embassy in Iran since 1979. Besides the usual services, the consulate will be working with the local officials on development projects and with security issues in the region. 

Climate:

Although Herāt is approximately 240 m (790 ft) lower than Kandahar, the summer climate is more temperate, and the climate throughout the year is far from disagreeable. From May to September, the wind blows from the northwest with great force.

The winter is tolerably mild; snow melts as it falls, and even on the mountains does not lie long. Three years out of four it does not freeze hard enough for the people to store ice. The eastern reaches of the Hari River, including the rapids, are frozen hard in the winter, and people travel on it as on a road.

Demography:

The population of Herat numbers approximately 397,500. The exact figures on ethnic groups is unavailable but most sources state that Persian-speaking Tajiks are the main inhabitants of the city, and are roughly the same as the Persians of eastern Iran. 

According to a 2003 National Geographic suggested estimate, Tajiks form about 85% of the city population. Pashto-speaking Pashtuns come second at 10% followed by Shia Hazaras at 2%, Uzbeks at 2%, and Turkmens at 1%.

The native language of Herat (known as Herātī) belongs to the Khorāsānī cluster within Persian and is akin to the Persian dialects of eastern Iran, notably that of Mashhad and Iranian Khorasan.
Notable people from Herāt:

  • Aamir Khan, Bollywood (Indian) Super Star, whose family traces its lineage to Herat
  • Khwājah Abdullāh Ansārī, a famous Persian poet of the 11th century
  • Nūr ud-Dīn Jāmī, a famous Persian Sufi poet of the 15th century
  • Nizām ud-Din ʿAlī Shīr Navā'ī, famous poet and politician of the Timurid era
  • Ustād Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, the greatest of the medieval Persian painters
  • Gowharšād, wife of Shāhrūkh Mīrzā
  • Mīrzā Shāhrūkh bin Tīmur Barlas, Emperor of the Timurid dynasty of Herāt
  • Mīrzā Husseyn Bāyqarāh, Emperor of the Timurid dynasty of Herāt
  • Shāh Abbās The Great, Emperor of Safavid Persia
  • Abbās Qullī Khān Shāmlū, Safavid Governor of Herat Province (1812)
  • Latīf Nāzemī, famous poet of modern times
  • Sultan Jan, ex-ruler of Herat.
  • Ismail Khan, former governor of Herat Province and Minister of Water and Energ.
Transport:
  • Air
Herat Airport was built by engineers from the United States in the 20th century and was used by the Soviet Armed Forces during their 1980s war with the Afghan mujahideen forces. It was bombed in late 2001 when the US-led war against Afghanistan began to remove the Taliban government from power. It has been rebuilt in the last decade and is scheduled to be turned into Herat International Airport in the near future. The runway of the airport has been extended and upgraded.
  • Rail
In 2007, Iran and Afghanistan finalized an agreement for the establishment of a rail service between the two countries. Construction of the 191 km (119 miles) railway, from Khaf in Iran to Herāt, is in progress on the Iranian side of the border. There is also the prospect of an extension across Afghanistan to Sher Khan Bandar. See railway stations in Afghanistan.
Places of interest:

Neighborhoods:

  • Shahr-e Naw (Downtown)
  • Welayat (Office of the governor)
  • Qol-Ordue (Army's HQ)
  • Farqa (Army's HQ)
  • Darwaze Khosh
  • Chaharsu
  • Pul-e rangine
  • Sufi-abad
  • New-abad
  • Pul-e malaan
  • Thakhte Safar
  • Howz-e-Karbas
  • Baramaan
  • Darwaze-ye Qandahar
  • Darwaze-ye Iraq
  • Darwaze Az Kordestan
Parks:
  • Park-e Taraki
  • Park-e Millat
  • Khane-ye Jihad Park
Monuments:
  • Herat citadel (Qala Ikhtyaruddin)
  • Musallah Complex
Of the more than dozen minarets that once stood in Herāt, many have been toppled from war and neglect over the past century. Recently, however, everyday traffic threatens many of the remaining unique towers by shaking the very foundations they stand on. Cars and trucks that drive on a road encircling the ancient city rumble the ground every time they pass these historic structures.UNESCO personnel and Afghan authorities have been working to stabilize the Fifth Minaret.
Museums:
  • Herāt National Museum (currently closed, relocating to the Citadel)
  • Jihad Museum
Mausoleums and tombs:
  • Mausoleum of Queen Goharshad
  • Mausoleum of Khwajah Abdullah Ansari
  • Tomb of Jami
  • Tomb of khaje Qaltan
  • Mausoleum of Mirwais Sadiq
Masajid:
  • Masjid-e Jame (Friday Mosque of Herat)
  • Gazargah Sharif
  • Khalghe Sharif
  • Shah Zahdahe
Hotels:
  • Serena Hotel (coming soon)
  • Diamond Hotel
  • Marcopolo Hotel
Stadiums:
  • Herat Stadium
Universities:
  • Herat University
Herāt in fiction:
  • The beginning of Khaled Hosseini's 2007 novel A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in and around Herāt.
  • Salman Rushdie's novel The Enchantress of Florence makes frequent reference to events in Herāt in the Middle Ages.


Kandahar; the Second Largest City of Afghanistan

Kandahar (Pashto: کندهار Kandahār, Persian: قندهار Qandahār) is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 468,200 as of 2006. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m (3,297 feet) above sea level. The Arghandab River runs along the west of the city.

Kandahar is a major trading center for sheep, wool, cotton, silk, felt, food grains, fresh and dried fruit, and tobacco. The region produces fine fruits, especially pomegranates and grapes, and the city has plants for canning, drying, and packing fruit. Kandahar has an international airport and extensive road links with Farah and Herat to the west, Ghazni and Kabul to the northeast, Tareen Kot to the north, and Quetta in Pakistan to the south.
The region around Kandahar is one of the oldest human settlements known so far. Alexander the Great founded Kandahar in the 4th century BC and named it with the Ancient Greek name Αλεξάνδρεια Aραχωσίας (Alexandria of Arachosia). Many empires have long fought over the city, due to its strategic location along the trade routes of Southern and Central Asia. In 1709, Mirwais Hotak made the region an independent kingdom and turned Kandahar into the first capital of the Hotaki dynasty.
In 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Afghan Empire, made it the capital of modern Afghanistan. From 1996 to 2001, it served as the capital of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Since 2002, the city is slowly being rebuilt while dealing with Taliban insurgency.

Name:

It is believed that Kandahar may have derived from Alexandria (Iskandriya in various local languages) or Alexandropolis, one of the many cities renamed by Alexander the Great after himself. 

A temple to the deified Alexander as well as an inscription in Greek and Aramaic by the Indian Emperor Ashoka, who lived a few decades later, have been discovered in Kandahar. 

An alternative etymology derives the name of the city from Gandhara, the name of an ancient Hindu kingdom from the Vedic period and its capital city located between the Hindu Kush and Sulaiman Mountains (basically identical to the modern extent of the Pashtun-inhabited territories in Pakistan and Afghanistan), although Kandahar in modern times and the ancient Gandhara are not geographically identical.

Another compelling etymology offered is that the word "kand" or "qand" in Persian and Pashto (the local languages) means "sugarcandy" and "har" means necklace. The name of the city (قند هار/Qandahar) means "sugar-necklace". ((The ق is not an actual alphabet of persion, in the Turkish Languages spacially in Uzbeki the <> mean is sugarkandy and <> mean is river, and < is extraction of <>. and the qandahar mean is river of sugarkandy)). And the ancient word- Gandh derived from Gandhar also means a sweet nice smell. This probably has to do with the city being known for producing fine grapes, pomegranates, apricots, melons and other sweet fruits.

Another etymology derives the name of the city as combination of two PIE words, even used in Indo-Pakistan now by nomadic Bagga and Sansi tribes, kand = wall and har = mountain or stone leading to understand a city made of stones or fortress with stone wall.

Yet another etymology derives the name of the city from the name of the Indo-Parthian King Gondophares: he founded it under the name Gundopharron.

History:

Prehistory:

Excavations of prehistoric sites by archealogists such as Louis Dupree and others suggest that the region around Kandahar is one of the oldest 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). Another Bronze 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 Age pottery, copper and bronze horse trappings and stone seals were found in the lowermost levels in the nearby cave called Shamshir Ghar (Dupree, 1950). In the Seistan, 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 the Iranian Plateau and in Central Asia, indicating cultural contacts during this very early age..."
Hellenistic era:

Kandahar was founded in 330 BC by Alexander the Great, near the site of the ancient city of Mundigak (established around 3000 BC). Previously, the city was the provincial capital of Arachosia and was ruled by the Achaemenid Empire. The main inhabitants of Arachosia were the Pactyans, an ancient Iranian tribe, who may be among the ancestors of today's Pashtuns. Kandahar was named Alexandria, a popular name given to many cities that Alexander found during his conquests.

The city has been a frequent target for conquest because of its strategic location in Southern Asia, controlling the main trade route linking the Indian subcontinent with the Middle East, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. It later became part of the Indian Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya, after the departure of Alexander. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka erected a pillar there with a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic.[16] The Greco-Bactrian Kingdom occupied Kandahar after the Mauryans, but then lost the city to the Indo-Scythians.

Islamic conquest:

In the 7th century AD, Arab armies conquered the region with the new religion of Islam but were unable to succeed in fully converting the population. In 870 AD, Yaqub ibn Layth Saffari, a local ruler of the Saffarid dynasty conquered Kandahar and the rest of the nearby regions in the name of Islam.

"Arab armies carrying the banner of Islam came out of the west to defeat the Sasanians in 642 AD and then they marched with confidence to the east. On the western periphery of the Afghan area the princes of Herat and Seistan gave way to rule by Arab governors but in the east, in the mountains, cities submitted only to rise in revolt and the hastily converted returned to their old beliefs once the armies passed. The harshness and avariciousness of Arab rule produced such unrest, however, that once the waning power of the Caliphate became apparent, native rulers once again established themselves independent. Among these the Saffarids of Seistan shone briefly in the Afghan area. The fanatic founder of this dynasty, the coppersmith’s apprentice Yaqub ibn Layth Saffari, came forth from his capital at Zaranj in 870 AD and marched through Bost, Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul, Bamiyan, Balkh and Herat, conquering in the name of Islam."
It is believed that the Zunbil dynasty, who were related to the Shahi dynasty of Kabul, were probably the rulers of the Kandahar region from the 7th century until the late 9th century AD.

The Zunbils ruled in the Kandahar area for nearly 250 years until the late 9th century AD.
—Anthony McNicoll.
Kandahar was taken by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century followed by the Ghurids of Ghor, and in the 13th century it was invaded by Genghis Khan and his Mongol armies. It became part of the Timurid Empire from the 14th century to the 15th century, which was founded by Timur (Tamerlane). Pir Muhammad, a grandson of Tamerlane, held the seat of government in Kandahar from about 1383 until his death in 1407. Following his death, the city was ruled by other Timurids. In the late 15th century Kandahar was entrusted to the Arghuns, who eventually achieved independence from the Timurids.

Tamerlane's descendant, Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, annexed Kandahar in the 16th century. Babur's son, Humayun, lost it to the Shah of Persia. Humayun's son, Akbar, regained control of Kandahar but by the early 18th century subsequent Mughal emperors lost the territory once again to the Shi'a Safavid Persians.
Modern history:

Mirwais Hotak, an Afghan leader from the Ghilzai tribe, revolted in 1709 by killing Gurgin Khan, the Georgian governor and representative of the Shia Safavid Persians. After establishing the Hotaki dynasty in Kandahar, Mirwais and his army successfully defeated subsequent expeditions by Kay Khusraw and Rustam Khán. Mirwais has resisted attempts by the Persian government who were seeking to convert the Afghans from Sunni to the Shia sect of Islam. He died of a natural death in November 1715 and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Aziz, but after being suspected of giving Kandahar's sovereignty back to the Persians he was killed by his nephew Mahmud Hotaki.

In 1722, Mahmud led an army of Afghans to Isfahan, the capital of the Safavids and proclaimed himself King of Persia. The Hotaki dynasty was eventually removed from power by a new ruler, Nader Shah Afshar of Mashad in Khorasan, who invaded Kandahar in 1738 and destroyed their last stronghold which was held by Hussain Hotaki. Expelling the surviving inhabitant, Nader Shah built a new town west of the ancient city, naming it after himself, "Naderabad". In the meantime, he freed Ahmad Khan (later Ahmad Shah Durrani) and his brother Zulfikar who were held prisoners by the Ghilzai Hotaks. Nader Shah's rule ended in June 1747, after being murdered by his Persian guards.
Ahmad Shah Durrani, chief of the Abdali Pashtun tribe, gained control of Kandahar and made it the capital of his new Afghan Empire in October 1747. Previously, Ahmad Shah served as a military commander of Nader Shah Afshar. His empire included present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, northeastern Iran, and the Punjab region of India. In October 1772, Ahmad Shah retired in Kandahar and died from a natural cause. The now "Old City" was laid out by Ahmad Shah and is dominated by his mausoleum, which is adjacent to the Friday Mosque in the center of the city. Between 1773–76, his eldest son Timur Shah transferred the capital of Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul, where the Durrani legacy continued.

On 28th Muharram 1242 Hijri (2 September 1826) Syed Ahmad Shaheed's forces reached Kandahar en route to Peshawar. Their purpose was to wage jihad against the Sikh kingdom of Ranjit Singh and aid their fellow Pashtuns and coreligionist in Pakistan. Within a few days more than 400 Kandharians presented themselves for the jihad, out of whom 270 were selected. Sayed Deen Muhammad Kandharai was appointed their leader.

British and Indian forces from British India occupied the city in 1839, during the first Anglo-Afghan war. They were forced to withdraw approximately three years later, in 1842. The British and Indian forces returned in 1878 during the second Anglo-Afghan war. They emerged from the city in July 1880 to confront Ayub Khan, but were defeated at the Battle of Maiwand. They were again forced to withdraw a few years later, despite winning a battle near the city (see Battle of Kandahar). Kandahar remained peaceful for the next 100 years, except during 1929 when forces loyal to Habibullah Kalakani (Bache Saqqaw) locked down the city. 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 period lasted for nine months, until October 1929 when Nadir Khan and his army came to eliminate Habibullah Kalakani.
In the 1960s, during the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, Kandahar International Airport was built by the U.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 the north of the country, such as Bagram Airfield and Kabul International Airport.

During the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979–1989), Kandahar was under Soviet command and witnessed heavy fighting. Soviet troops surrounded the city and subjected it to heavy bombardment in which many civilians lost lives.

Kandahar Airport was used by the Soviet Army during their ten-year occupation of the country. After the Soviet withdrawal and the collapse of Najibullah's government in 1992, Kandahar fell into the hands of a local mujahideen commander, Gul Agha Sherzai.
In August 1994 the Taliban captured Kandahar and soon after the city was turned into their capital. The Taliban began cleaning the city from warlords and criminals who were sometimes involved in bacha bazi (Sodomy). In December 1999 Kandahar city once again came into the highlights of International media when an Indian plane flying from Katmandu to Delhi was hijacked by a Jihadi Group allegedly loyal to Harkat Ul Mujahideenand landed in Kandahar International Airport and kept the passengers hostage as part of a demand to release 3 Pakistani and Kashmiri Jihadi leaders held in Indian custody.

In October 2001, as part of the so called war against terrorism, the United States Navy began hitting targets inside the city by precision-guided cruise missiles that were fired from the Persian Gulf. These attacks cause death of many people including citizens, children women and Taliban and Arab Jihadis as well.

About a month later, the Taliban began leaving Kandahar in mass numbers and Kandahar once again fell into the hands of Gul Agha Sherzai, who had control over the area before the rise of the Taliban. He was transferred in 2003 and replaced by Yousef Pashtun until Asadullah Khalid took the post in 2005. The current Governor of the province is Toryalai Wesa. He was appointed by President Hamid Karzai in December 2008 after Rahmatullah Raufi's four month rule.
The Afghan National Police are in control of the basic law and order situation in the city. The military of Afghanistan, supported by US-NATO forces, has gradually expanded its authority and presence throughout most of the country. The 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army has a base at Kandahar and provides military assistance to the south of the country. The Canadian Forces maintain their military command headquarters at Kandahar, heading the Regional Command South of the NATO led International Security Assistance Force in Kandahar Province. The Taliban also have spies inside the city reporting on events.

In recent years the Canadian and U.S. forces are rushing to quickly expand the Afghan police force for the prevention of a Taliban comeback in Kandahar, the militants' "spiritual birthplace" and a strategic key to ward off the Taliban Jihad, 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 in Operation Medusa. The Western troops failed to defeat the Taliban in open warfare due to Taliban's long experience of war. In June 2008, it was reported that over 1,000 inmates had escaped from Kandahar detention facility (Sarposa Prison) after a Taliban attack.

In Spring 2010, the province and the city of Kandahar became a target of American operations following Operation Moshtarak in the neighboring Helmand province. In March 2010, U.S. and NATO commanders released details of plans for the biggest offensive of the war against the Taliban attacks.

In May 2010 Kandahar International Airport became subject of a combined rocket and ground attack by Taliban Jihadis, 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 Taliban are still capable of launching multiple, coordinated operations in Afghanistan.

In June 2010, a shura 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 wintessing many target killings. In July Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of President Hamid Karzai, was shot by his long time head of security on July 12, 2011. Soon after the Quetta Shura of the Taliban claimed responsibility. The next day an Islamic cleric (mulla) of the famous Red 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 his turban.

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. Two deputy mayors had been killed in 2010, while many tribal elders and Islamic clerics have also been assassinated in the last several years. Anti Pakistan elements in Afghanistan often falsely blame Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as the masterminds for directing the Taliban attack and assassinations. According to these accusations this form of terrorism is the idea of ISI for defending its sovereignty.

Climate:

Kandahar has a continental warm semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), 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, though 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 till 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).

Transport:

Kandahar International Airport serves as the region'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 with Dubai and Pakistan.

A railroad track from the Pakistani town of Chaman to Kandahar is under way, which will connect Afghan Railways with Pakistan Railways. The feasibility study was completed in 2006, allowing for the next step to lay-down the rail track.
Kandahar is connected to Kabul by the Kabul-Kandahar Highway and to Herat by the Kandahar-Herat Highway. There is a bus station located at the start of the Kabul-Kandahar Highway, where a number of private buses are available to take people to most major cities of the country.

Kandahar is also connected by road to Quetta in neighboring 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.


Commuters of the city use the public bus system (Milli Bus), and taxicabs are common. Private vehicle use is increasing, partially due to road and highway improvements. Large dealerships are importing cars from Dubai, UAE.
Education:

The city has public schools in every district for both boys and girls. However, many conservative parents do not allow girls in their family to attend high school or pursue higher education. The two known universities are Ahmad Shah Lycée and Kandahar University.

Kandahar University (Pashto: د کندهار پوهنتون) is a government funded higher learning institution in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It is one of two universities in southern Afghanistan. Kandahar University (KU) was established in 1990, at a time when the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was in power under President Mohammad Najibullah. Dr. Tooryalai Wesa, who returned to the country after 13 years and is the current governor of Kandahar province, was the first Chancellor of Kandahar University.


Kandahar University provides areas of study in Agriculture, Medicine, Engineering and Education. The university has future plans to launch faculties in the fields of Economy, Computer Science and Islamic Studies. The institution currently has an enrollment of 1,124+ students with a dominant number of male students. Females represent five per cent of the student body. KU enrolls around 280 students each year in different majors through an entrance exam directly under control of the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan.

Communications:

Telecommunication services in the city are provided by Afghan Wireless, Roshan, Etisalat, MTN Group and Afghan Telecom. In November 2006, the Afghan Ministry of Communications signed a $64.5 million agreement with ZTE for the establishment of a countrywide fiber optical cable network. This was intended to improve telephone, internet, television and radio broadcast services not just in Kandahar but throughout the country.

Besides foreign channels, Afghanistan's local television channels include:
  • Ariana TV
  • Ariana Afghanistan TV
  • Lamar TV
  • Shamshad TV
  • Tolo TV
  • Hewad TV
Places of interest:

The tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani is located in the city center, which also houses Durrani's brass helmet and other personal items. In front of Durrani's mausoleum is the Shrine of the Cloak, containing one of the most valued relics in the Islamic world, which was given by the Emir of Bokhara (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 of ulema of religious scholars to have himself declared Amir 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.

The village of Sher Surkh is located southeast of the city, in the suburbs of the old city of Nadirabad. Kandahar Museum is located at the western end of the third block of buildings lining the main road east of Eidgah 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 of buria (matting) bazaar, there is a shrine dedicated to a saint who lived in Kandahar more than 300 years ago. The grave of Hazratji Baba, 23 feet (7.0 m) 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 center of Kandahar’s main square, called Da Shahidanu Chawk, which was built in the 1940s.

The Chilzina is a rock-cut chamber above the plain at the end of the rugged chain of mountains forming the western defence of Kandahar’s Old City. Forty steps, about, lead to the chamber which is guarded by two chained lions, defaced, and inscribed with an account of Moghul conquest. The rugged cliffs from which the Chilzina was hewn form the natural western bastion of the Old City of Kandahar which was destroyed in 1738 by Nadir Shah Afshar of Persia.

A short distance from Chilzina, going west on the main highway, a bright blue dome appears on the right. This is the mausoleum of Mirwais Hotak, the Ghilzai chieftain who declared Kandahar's independence from the Persians in 1709. The shrine of Baba Wali, its terraces shaded by pomegranate groves beside the Arghandab River, is also very popular for picnics and afternoon outings. Close to Baba Wali's shrine is a military base established by the United States armed forces in about 2007.

Kandahar and the rest of Afghanistan have not seen development from 1978 to 2003 due to the wars. Large sums of money have been pouring in for construction purposes in the last decade. New modern-style buildings are slowly replacing the older ones. Some residents of the city have access to clean drinking water and electricity, though plans and works are underway to extend services to every home.

Up to 20,000 single-family homes and associated infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer systems, and community buildings, including schools, are under construction in the new Aina Mena neighborhood of the city. Most government employees and civil servents as well as wealthy businessmen live in this area, which is the most secured place to live. Another $100 million development project started in the Baba Sab area of Arghandab in 2011. Also, construction of Hamidi Township in the Morchi Kotal area of the city started in August 2011.

It is named after Ghulam Haider Hamidi, the mayor of Kandahar who was assassinated by the Taliban in late July 2011. 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.


About 6 miles (10 km) east of Kandahar, a huge industrial 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.

Airports:
  • Kandahar International Airport
Neighborhoods:
  • Aina Mena (under development since 2003)
  • Hamidi Mena (under development since 2011)
  • Arghandab Valley
  • Shāhre Naw (meaning New City)
  • Dand
  • Karz
  • Mirwais Mena
  • Daman
  • Sarpuza
  • Malajat
  • Zoar Shār (meaning Old City)
Cultural sites and parks:
  • Baba Saab
  • Bāghi Pull
  • Kokaran Park
  • Chilzina View (Moghul Emperor Babur's inscription site)
  • Kandahar Stadium
  • Kandahar Museum
Mosques and Shrines:
  • Friday Mosque of Kandahar
  • Shrine of the Cloak
  • Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet
  • Red Mosque
Mausoleums:
  • Mausoleum of Ahmad Shah Durrani
  • Mausoleum of Mirwais Khan Hotak
  • Mausoleum of Baba Wali
Shopping:
  • Herat Bazaar
  • Kabul Bazaar
  • Shah Bazaar
  • Shkar Pur Bazaar
Hospitals:
  • Afghan National Army Regional Hospital
  • Mirwais Hospital
Banks:
  • AIB Bank
  • Kabul Bank
  • Azizi Bank
Demography:

  • The population of Kandahar numbers approximately 468,200. The Pashtuns make up the overwhelming majority population of the city and province but exact figures are not available. According to a 2003 National Geographic suggested figures, Pashtuns were put at ca. 70%, Tajiks 20%, Hazaras 6%, Baloch 2%, and Uzbeks 2%.
  • Pashto serves as the main language in the city and region. A 2006 provincial data prepared by Afghanistan's Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) states:
  • The major ethnic group living in Khandahar province is Pashtoons. This includes major tribes such as Barakzai, Popalzai, Alokozai, Noorzai and Alezai. 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 and Balochi is spoken by 8000 people in two villages. 19000 people in nine villages speak some other unspecified language.
Notable people from Kandahar:
  • Nur Jahan – empress of the Mughal Empire
  • Mirwais Hotak – founder of the Hotaki dynasty
  • Abdul Aziz Hotak – ruler of the Hotaki dynasty
  • Shah Mahmud Hotaki – ruler of the Hotaki dynasty and Shah of Persia
  • Ashraf Hotaki – Shah of Persia
  • Hussain Hotaki – ruler of the Hotaki dynasty
  • Ahmad Shah Durrani – founder of the Durrani Empire/founder of the modern state of Afghanistan
  • Dost Mohammad Khan - founder of the Barakzai dynasty/Emire of Afghanistan
  • Sher Ali Khan - Emir of Afghanistan
  • Abdur Rahman Khan - Emir of Afghanistan
  • Muhammad Zahir Shah – the last king of Afghanistan
  • Ubaidullah Jan Kandaharai - Music King of Kandahar
  • Nashenas - Afghan musician.

Beautiful Kandahar; Image Gallery

Kandahar is the second largest city of Afghanistan. The city has very fertile land and its pomegranate and grapes are exported to the all countries. The city has a wonderful and glorified history.

Kandahar International Airport plays an important role in the communication and transport of Afghanistan with other countries and Transport of Kandahar with other cities of Afghanistan. The airport busted international media in 1999 when a Jihadi Group hijacked an Indian plane and landed it in Kandahar Airport.




Pomegranate is one of the important production of Kandahar. It is well known across the glob and it is the major source of Kandahar's recognition in international market. It is exported to all continents of the world.


Arghandab is a beautiful valley in Kandahar in which grapes and pomegranates are produced in large quantity.


Kandahari grapes are very delicious and famous across the glob. Kandahar produces this tasty fruit in very large quantity and exports it. Kandahari people adopted the ancient way of production which is quite much productive.





Afghan people are very conscious about computer education and they are very much better in it.


Cycle riding is very common in Kandahar and all other Afghan cities as well.

Continued war has destructed Afghanistan and Kandahar is one of the badly effected centers of Afghanistan.







People are surrounding a Kandahari man killed by NATO Troops. It is very common phenomena in Pushtoon belt of Afghanistan where Taliban resistance against USA invaders exists.
















Kandahar University (Pashto: د کندهار پوهنتون) is a government funded higher learning institution in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It is one of two universities in southern Afghanistan. Kandahar University (KU) was established in 1990, at a time when the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was in power under President Mohammad Najibullah. Dr. Tooryalai Wesa, who returned to the country after 13 years and is the current governor of Kandahar province, was the first Chancellor of Kandahar University. It is believed that he will help in the development and progress of the university.




































The Subway from Kandahar to Herat is very beautiful and comfortable. People prefer to journey on this route.