Kandahar City, a pashtun city, was the first Afghan capital to be held in Kabul. Today, it is the second largest city in Afghanistan in terms of population. The current city has not changed so much compared to that established by Ahmad Shah Durrani, if it is only a new city that has been added.Men who run in all directions, voitures cars, shops everywhere… Kandahar is an active city. The construction sector is booming: buildings are growing there, especially housing. There are many pretty roundabouts, one in honour of the Afghan victims of the war against the British. The Kandaharis are very conservative. Women get out of their way, less than in Kabul or Hérât, even though some of them can be seen at the bazaar doing their shopping.They all wear tchadri. The population of Kandahar is very young because women have many children. The inhabitants of this city are known for their hospitality, which is part of the Pashtuns Moral Code (le). Life in Kandahar is expensive and difficult (lack of electricity and water). Poor people live in peripheral neighbourhoods of the city. They are often former refugees.Historically, the Kandaharis are merchants, the city being built at the intersection of old merchant routes. As a crossroads between Iran and India, Kandahar was an important commercial place, but also crafts and artistic. Its bazaars were famous and known for their fruits and vegetables. Kandahar is still a very flowery city, especially with orange trees. Today, Kandahar infrastructure has been devastated by war and agriculture has suffered from the collapse of its irrigation system. Due to its current situation, the city is heavily monitored by the Afghan police and army.History. For centuries, Kandahar was a major historical and strategic centre. Located at the intersection of three key roads, those of Hérât, Kabul and Quetta, Pakistan, it found itself on the way of emperors and conquerors, from Alexander the Great to the Taliban.The old city of Kandahar was founded in 500 BC. It was the site of Mundigak, which dates back to 3000 BC (bronze age) and belonged to the Indus Valley civilization. The new city of Kandahar was built under Ahmad Shah Durrani, whose tribe founded and led the Afghan State for 300 years.Alexandre rebuilt the city in 329 BC (the name Kandahar would come from Sikandar, which means Alexander in Persian). From the th century, Kandahar was absorbed into the various Islamic empires. In the th and th centuries, it was eclipsed by Bost (Lashkar Gah), a winter capital of the ghaznavides emperors. In 1150, Bost was destroyed by Alauddin, Ghôride leader. And, in 1380, Zaranj was razed by Timur. It was when Kandahar grew up.In 1281-1282, the City of Kandahar was in the hands of the prince of Hérât. She suffered Persian influence until 1383, the date of her conquest by Emperor Timur. In 1418, the Timurid Empire was shared and the city of Kandahar was attributed to Shah Rukh, who also reigned on Hérât. Kandahar enjoys an important status in the timurid kingdom. In 1522, Babur, an Mughal emperor, controlled the city and turned the Arghuns off to Baluchistan, where they are still today. Then, the Safavides seized Kandahar in 1545. For two centuries, the city was disputed by the Persians and the Grand Moghul of India. It was ultimately the Persians who took over in 1648 and who died until 1709 when Mir Waïs then his grandson Mahmud, the head of the Ghilzaï tribe, settled there for good. Mir Waïs died in 1715, but, as the first great Afghan nationalist, he initiated the processes that will allow Ahmad Shah Durrani to base the Afghan Empire in 1747. In 1738, Nadir Shah took the city. 1747 is a historic date, since the city became the capital of the Pashtun Empire formed by Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founding father of Afghanistan's empire, which stretched its influence to Delhi.The latter is often called by the Afghans, Ahmad Shah Baba, or «the father of Afghanistan». However, in 1776, several circumstances forced his son Timur Shah to move the capital to Kabul. In the th century, British forces occupied Kandahar during the first Anglo-Afghan war. They essuyèrent one of their most cuisantes defeats in Maïwand in 1880, when the famous Fiancée fiancée broke her veil and flew him in the air like a flag, pushing the Afghans to cry victory.Immediately sent from Kabul to avenge this defeat, General Roberts, with over 10 000 men, went to Kandahar for 23 days in the middle of August. The British defeated the Afghans on the day after their arrival. Then they left Afghanistan and let Abdur Rahman continue the fighting. After the departure of the English, the city of Kandahar was governed by Pashtuns, except under the Soviet occupation where, since 1979, the city became strategic. The Soviets established an air base in Kandahar. They regularly sent MiG and helicopters to bomb the people positions in the region. On several occasions, the city itself was targeted. While the Russians occupied the city centre, the résistants controlled the surrounding areas. Many villages are now in ruins and land heavily mined. During the Soviet invasion, the resistance that had formed around Kandahar was based on the Durrani tribal power. Jihad (holy war) was led by clan leaders. The weapons were provided by the CIA and through the ISI, the Pakistani Secret Services. After the Soviet departure (1989), the civil war continued to destroy the country.Between 1989 and 1992, the people fought against the Afghan communist troops of President Najibullah, still in power. After the fall of the Communists, Kandahar was administered by a council bringing together parties from the three mycorrhizal pashtuns tribes: Le, Ettehad and Djamiat. Between 1992 and 1995, Kandahar was divided between various influences. Under the Communist regime, some schools for girls were open. But all were closed when the Taliban came to power. When the Taliban took Kandahar, without a fire, in September 1994, they found the deserted city, mined and most of the refugee population in Pakistan. By disarming the population and discussing with local commanders, they succeeded in building peace and security in the Kandahar region. A first since 1979. The Taliban government of the day preferred to be based in Kandahar rather than in the city of Kabul. In Kandahar, the men were forced to allow barbe and women to wear tchadri. Many refugees in Pakistan returned to live in Kandahar at that time.Since 2001, the Kandahar region has been living at the pace of suicide attacks launched by the Taliban against foreign and government forces. The largest base in the NATO world, with 15 000 men, is located 15 km from Kandahar. It is from now on that all operations on South Afghanistan are launched. Today, due to insecurity and kidnapping, families are still fearful of sending their children to school, especially their daughters. For some years now, the Taliban have been suspected by the authorities of poisoning drinking water in girls'schools.Geography. Kandahar is 1 009 m above sea level. The province is drunk by the River Helmand and its two tributaries: . and Le. It is a major place of commerce, especially for fruit and vegetables. Around the city, several markets specialize in the trade in sheep, wool, cotton, cereals, fruit and tobacco. The second city of Afghanistan, Kandahar is the capital of the province of the same name. Its population is estimated at about 600 000. Ethnically, it is populated by Pashtuns of the Prussian tribe; This is the main city of the Pashtuns. In summer, it is very hot, sometimes up to 50 °. In the mountains northwest of Kandahar, water from one of the largest rivers in the country, Helmand, is stopped by Lake Kajakaï. Completed in 1953, it is the deepest lake in Afghanistan, with 91 m deep. The hydroelectric dam can provide 350 MW. Kandahar is known for its orchards. It is a real oasis: in summer, the heat is unbearable, but the city is surrounded by green fields and numerous orchards where melons, blackberries, peaches, figs, grapes and famous grenades grow. In winter temperatures are approaching zero (between December and February); in summer, they vary between 35 and 40 ° (June to August). Spring and Autumn are the most pleasant seasons.

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