Afghanistan Capital

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. The city is over 3,500 years old and became the capital during the regime of Timur Shah Durrani who reigned from 1772 to 1793. Kabul lies on the eastern side of Afghanistan in a valley between the Kabul River and the Hindu Kush mountains at an elevation of 5,876 feet above sea level. Kabul is one of the 15 districts of the larger Kabul Province.

Kabul has a population of 3.1 million residents spread over its eighteen neighborhoods, while Kabul province’s population was 4.635 million people. Kabul is the fifth fastest growing city in the world as well as the 64th largest city globally. Over 10% of Afghans live in the city, mostly spread in neighborhoods like Khair Khana, Macrorayan, Qalacha, Deh Sabz, Karte Seh. Karte Naw, Murad Khane, and Karte Naw.

Kabul receives a majority of the approximately 20,000 foreign tourists who visit Afghanistan annually. The city has several international hotels like the Serena Hilton and the Inter-Continental. Major attractions include ancient structures like the bazaars, the tomb of Timur Shah Durrani, the tomb of Mughal Emperor Babur, Darul Aman Palace, Darul Aman Palace, the Id Gah Mosque and other ancient buildings as well as Cultural sites like the National Museum of Afghanistan, the National Archives of Afghanistan, the National Gallery of Afghanistan, Afghan Royal Family Mausoleum, the OMAR Mine Museum, and Bibi Mahro Hill. Although for a long time the city has not been secure, tourist numbers have been increasing since 2004.

Kabul experiences a cold semi-arid climate with an average annual temperature of 53.8 °F. Precipitation, mostly falling snow, mainly occur during winter and spring months. Spring is very wet while the coldest winter month, January, has an average temperature of 27.9 °F. Kabul sits on a high-altitude area and is more elevated than most parts of Southwest Asia. This location means that Kabul experiences cooler temperatures than the region. Summers have low humidity and autumns have warm afternoons with cool nights.