Kabul

Kabul

Coordinate	35°55′00″N 69°20′00″E
Feature	Capital of Afghanistan
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Kabul
Total population	+4.2 Million (2019)
Language	Persian • Dari • Pashto
Race	Tajiks • Hazaras • Pashtun • Uzbeks • ...
Religion	Islam ( Sunni and Shi'a)
Historical Information
Shi'a background	3rd/9th century
Places
Shrines	Sakhi
Seminary	Risalat • Khatam al-Nabiyyin

Kabul (Persian: کابل) is the capital, largest city, and the economic and cultural center of Afghanistan. On one estimation, 45% of people in Kabul are Tajik, 25% are Hazaras, and 25% are Pashtuns. There are minorities of Turkmens, Uzbeks, Baloch, Aimaqs, and Pashayis in Kabul as well. In addition to Hazaras, some Kabul-based Tajiks are also Shiite Qizilbashes.

According to latest official estimations, the population of Kabul is over three and a half million. In different sources, the number of Shi'as in Kabul is estimated to be at most half of its population. Kabul is a historical city in Afghanistan, and in some sources, it is said to be over two thousand years old.

Introduction

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is the economic and cultural center of Afghanistan, and the center of the Kabul province. Until the 19th century, Tajiks, Pashtuns, Hazaras, and Qizilbashes lived in Kabul, where Pashtuns and Qizilbashes were more influential than others. After the period of 'Abd al-Rahman Khan and Habib Allah Khan, many Hazaras migrated to Kabul. Today, nearly one-fourth of the Kabul's population consists of Hazaras.

Different sources estimate the Shi'as in Kabul to amount to half of its population. Shiite districts of Kabul include Chindawol, Morad-Khani, Wazir Abad, Qala-e-Fathullah, Khair Khana, Karte-Ye-Sakhi, Afshar, Dashte Barchi, Taimani, and Qala-e-Shada. They mostly speak Persian (Farsi). Even Kabul's Pashtuns speak with Dari Persian.

Population, Ethnicities, and Religious Denominations

On latest official estimations, Kabul's population amounts to over three and a half million.

Kabul is a multi-ethnical and multi-cultural city. There is no official statistics of the demographic composition of people in Kabul. However, according to an estimation by the National Geographic, 45% of people in Kabul are Tajik, 25% are Hazaras, and 25% are Pashtuns. There are minorities of Turkmens, Uzbeks, Baloch, Aimaqs, and Pashayis in Kabul as well. In addition to Hazaras, some Kabul-based Tajiks are also Shiite Qizilbashes.

During the communist government, the number of Shi'as in Kabul amounted to nearly half of its population. However, in the period of Taliban and because of their anti-Shiistic policies, the Shiite population in Kabul went down to the lowest. However, after the collapse of Taliban, the Shi'as returned to Kabul. Propagations by Ayatollah Mir 'Ali Ahmad Hujjat and Sayyid Isma'il Balkhi in the second half of the twentieth century played a major role in the increase of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul.

Shiite Areas

Shi'as mostly live in western Kabul, in areas of Afshar, Dashte Barchi, Karte-Ye-Sakhi, Puli Surkh, Pul-e-Sukhta, and Kuta-e-Sangi. Other Shiite areas of Kabul include Chindawol, Morad-Khani, Wazir Abad, Qala-e-Fathullah, and Khair Khana.

History

Kabul is a historical city in Afghanistan. According to some sources, it is over two thousand years old. The presence of Shi'as in Kabul dates back to the 3rd/9th century when Muslims entered the city for the first time. The residence of Shiite Qizilbashes in Kabul in the period of Nader Shah Afshar left Shiite political, cultural, military, and social impacts on Kabul. However, in 18th and 19th centuries, Kabul's Shi'as were persecuted by kings and rulers, such as Abd al-Rahman Khan and Habib Allah Khan.

Kabul was first selected as the capital of Afghanistan in 1773 during the reign of King Timur, the successor of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Ahmad Shah Durrani is known as the founder of today's Afghanistan.

Battle of Kabul (1992-1996)

When Mujahidun managed in toppling down the communist government in May 1992 and establish an Islamic government, they engaged in a civil war. In late spring 1992, Hezb-e Wahdat-e Islami (Islamic Unity Party) under the leadership of Abd al-'Ali Mazari and Hizb-i Ittihad-i Islami (Islamic Union Party) under the leadership of Abd al-Rasul Sayyaf engaged in wide-ranging combats. According to some sources, the war began when Sayyaf's party seriously tried to occupy the areas controlled by the Islamic Unity Party and expel them out of Kabul.

In August 1992, the Islamic Party under the leadership of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jamayat-e-Islami Party (Islamic Society Party) under the leadership of Burhanuddin Rabbani bombarded one another's positions.

Afshar Massacre

During autumn and winter of 1992, Kabul witnessed conflicts between Shura-e Nazar (Supervisory Council of the North) under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Massoud and the Islamic Union Party under the leadership of Abd al-Rasul Sayyaf, on the one hand, and the Islamic Unity Party under the leadership of Abd al-Ali Mazari. The war left remarkable losses and destructions. The Islamic Unity Party lost control of western Kabul, and in particular, Shiite residences of Afshar, Chindawol, and Silo, and then forces of the Supervisory Council entered the residential areas. They killed women, children, and old people, set houses on fire, and plundered people's possessions. The brutal massacre in Afshar led to interventions by some countries, such as Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. They tried to mediate for a peace deal. There is no official report about the details of these events yet, and the Afghan government has not responded to requests for the prosecution of those involved in the massacre.

Islamic Seminary of Khatam al-Nabiyyin in Kabul

In addition to undermining the reputation of the Mujahidun government, these wars destroyed over 50% of Kabul (according to some sources, the United Nations has estimated that 90% of Kabul was destroyed, and over 65000 people were killed). It led into remarkable financial losses, and weakened the already weak economy of Afghanistan.

Islamic Seminaries

Sakhi Shrine, known as Ziyarat-i Sakhi, located in Karte Sakhi area of Kabul.

• The Islamic Seminary of Risalat: it was founded by Ayatollah Muhammad Hashim Salihi Mudarris (b. 1945).

• The Islamic Seminary of Khatam al-Nabiyyin: founded by Sayyid Abu l-Hasan Fadil.

• The Islamic Seminary of Jami'at al-Islam.

Pilgrimage Sites

Main article: Sakhi pilgrimage

The Sakhi pilgrimage is revered and respected by both Shiites and Sunnis since the Khirqa attributed to the Prophet (s) has been kept there for some time and that Imam Ali (a) has looked at this place. This pilgrimage site is located on the hillside of Asma'i mountain. Another pilgrimade site is Pire Boland which is a tomb attributed to the grandson of Imam al-Sajjad (a), Hasan b. Zayd, which is located next to Bagh Bala. Abu l-Fadli pilgrimage in Muradkhani neighborhood is another pilgrimage site built in commemoration of and out of respect for Abu al-Fadl al-'Abbas (a) and his flag which is visited by some Shiites.