Kabul

Kabul is the capital city of Afghanistan.

It is high up in the mountains. A river runs through the middle of the city. It is the biggest city in the country.

Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan and its largest city. It is also the country's main center for government and business. The city sits in a valley about 1,800 meters above sea level, with mountain ranges all around it. The Kabul River flows through the city.

Afghanistan's National Statistics and Information Authority estimated that about 5.3 million people lived in Kabul city in 2025–26. No accurate national census has been carried out since 1979, so this number is an estimate.

Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan and of Kabul province, and Britannica calls it the country's largest urban center and its political and economic hub. It lies at about 1,800 m in one of several high-altitude basins of the region, at the junction of roads leading north to Uzbekistan by way of Mazār-e Sharīf, east to Pakistan by way of Jalālābād, and south to Kandahār.

Afghanistan's National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) estimated the settled population of Kabul city at 5,333,284 for the year 1404 (2025–26). It is a projection, not a count: Pajhwok Afghan News reports that no accurate census has been carried out in Afghanistan since 1979, when only about 60 percent of the population was counted. Britannica gives a 2017 estimate of 3,961,500, which shows how far estimates can differ.

Kabul has a big garden called Babur's Gardens.

It has wide steps of trees and grass, and little water channels. A king called Babur is buried there. Kabul also has a museum full of very old things.

Babur's Gardens, or Bagh-e Babur, was laid out in the 1500s by Babur, the first Mughal emperor, who is buried there. The garden covers 11 hectares, with planted terraces, water channels and pavilions. Restoration began in 2003 and the garden reopened in 2008; the Aga Khan Development Network says it has drawn more than 400,000 visitors a year since its restoration.

The National Museum of Afghanistan reopened in 2004 after it was looted and damaged in the 1990s. Above the old city stand the ruins of the Bala Hissar, a fortress that was once the seat of power.

Bagh-e Babur is one of several gardens built by Babur in the 16th century and holds the grave of the first Mughal emperor. Conservation by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture began in early 2003; the 11-hectare garden, with water channels, planted terraces and pavilions, reopened in 2008 and is run by an independent trust. After the restoration, its 19th-century Queen's Palace was used for cultural events such as exhibitions and music recitals.

The National Museum of Afghanistan, in the Dārulāmān area, reopened in 2004 after looting and damage during factional fighting in 1993–94; only a small part of its collection is on show. The Bala Hissar citadel was the seat of power until a British attack destroyed it in 1880; the ruins visible today are mostly 18th- and 19th-century, with a few mid-16th-century Mughal elements. Beside the Kabul River, the 18th-century mausoleum of Timur Shah was conserved from 2003, and its park was replanted with mulberry trees.

Kabul has busy markets called bazaars.

People buy and sell all kinds of things there. The city also has big old gardens.

Trade has always been at the heart of life in Kabul, and its bazaars, or markets, are famous across the region. Kabul University was founded in 1932, and its campus is one of the largest green spaces left in the city.

People from many of Afghanistan's communities live in Kabul, including Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek and Turkmen families. Chihilsitoon Garden, 12.5 hectares, is Kabul's largest historic public garden and was rebuilt between 2015 and 2018 for sports, culture and play.

Britannica describes Kabul's economy as depending largely on trade, with bazaars renowned throughout the region; many residents rely on government jobs or on casual work in trade and services, and the city covers about 1,030 km². Since the 1980s, people displaced from the countryside have made up a growing share of the population, and much of the city's growth has been informal and unplanned, and many residents lack adequate basic services.

Kabul has historically been a meeting place of Afghanistan's peoples: Pashtun and Tajik communities, a significant Hazara population, and Uzbek, Turkmen and other groups. Kabul University (1932) lies in Kārteh-ye Seh. Public gardens have been rehabilitated: Babur's Gardens, the Timur Shah park and Chihilsitoon Garden (12.5 ha, 2015–2018), which AKDN calls the city's largest historic public garden.