Kabul, or CABUL (the Kabura of Ptolemy), a very ancient town which has figured prominently in modern history. It was taken in 1394 by Tamerlane, and again in 1739 by Nadir Shah, whose son Ahmed Khan founded the Durani dynasty. Tinur made Kabul the capital of Afghanistan in 1774. It is memorable for the events which led to the terrible disaster of 1842 (see AFGHANISTAN). It was taken in September of that year by Pollock, and its bazaar was destroyed; after which it remained unvisited by Europeans till the year 1879, when Sir Louis Cavour was appointed Resident. The story of his murder is still recent history. On its capture by Sir Frederick Roberts the city was again held by a British force for a time; but after the instalment of the Amir Abdur Rahman on the throne, the British forces again evacuated Afghanistan in August 1880.
Kabul is charmingly situated at the foot of the Takht-i-Shah and Asmai hills which separate it from the Chardeh plain. On a spur of these hills south of the city is the fortress of Bala Hissar (or 'upper fort'), once an important stronghold, but now abandoned. The city, which is composed almost entirely of mud-built buildings with flat roofs, is traversed by the main bazaar, the streets of which diverge from the central square and divide the city into four quarters. The Kabul bazaar rivals that of Kandahar, and includes every variety of trade. Carpets, camel-hair cloth, and skins are perhaps the chief specialties; but there are now many shops in which European goods can be purchased, and Kabul is rapidly assuming the general character of an Indian mart. Roads have been improved and wheel traffic introduced, cultivation has been much developed, and new buildings added which greatly improve the city. Communication with India is now regular and constant, there is a growing trade with central Asia, and the Afghan policy of exclusiveness towards strangers has been greatly modified. The cantonment of Sherpur, situated about a mile north of the Bala Hissar, where the British troops were beleaguered in 1880, is maintained in good repair. Close to it are still to be traced the outlines of the old British entrenchment of 1840. At the western extremity of the Bemara ridge, which flanks Sherpur on the north, is the English cemetery, now protected by a high wall and kept in fairly good order. Kabul is celebrated for its fruit, its grapes and melons being especially famous. The elevation of the plain above sea-level is about 6000 feet, which ensures a delightful temperature and fine climate in summer, but is sometimes severely cold in winter, when snow occasionally covers the ground to the depth of several feet, and communication is frequently interrupted. The population of the city probably does not exceed 70,000, and it is composed of all the varied elements of Afghan nationality. Duranis (or true Afghans), Ghilzais, Hazaras, Tajiks, and Kizzilbashes form the chief Mohammedan part of the population, whilst Hindus are numerous in one quarter of the city, and a few Jews are also to be found.
The KABUL RIVER rises at Sar-i-Chashma, near the source of the Helmund, flows through Kabul city, and, mainly by a long series of precipitous defiles, finally reaches the Indus at Attok. The length of its course (generally south-easterly) is about 270 miles, and for the most part its volume is insignificant, although it sometimes floods the country about Naoshera.