Kabul کابل

Kabul skyline, Afghanistan


Kabul (کابل) is the capital and biggest city in Afghanistan. The city proper covers an area of 275 sq km (106.2 sq mi) within a metropolitan area of 425 sq km (164 sq mi). The population of the Kabul metropolitan area is 3.9 million people. The city observes the Afghanistan Standard Time, which is four and a half hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+4:30).

Where is Kabul located?

Kabul is located in a narrow valley between the Hindu Kush mountains and the Kabul River, at an average elevation of 5,900 ft. A circular highway that goes around the country links it to other major Afghan cities including Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e Sharif.

Street scene in Kabul, Afghanistan

How old is Kabul?

Located at the crossroad of ancient trade routes, the city of Kabul has a history going back thousands of years. It has been the capital of many empires over the ages. Froim 1504 to 1526 it served as the capital for Babul, the conquerer who laid the foundation of the Mughal Dynasty. In 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of the modern state of Afghanistan.

The Mausoleum of Abdul Rahman Khan in Kabul


The city of Kabul has been plunged into political turmoil since the 1980's, with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which led to various forms of militant government ruling the city and the country at large. Since the Taliban was ousted, Kabul is slowly redeveloping itself. However, constant counterattacks by the Taliban has slowed the process of recovery for the city.

Places of Interest in Kabul

Kabul City Center Shopping Mall

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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