# @shabnamnasimi on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C7cPLdQxqJp
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32261877-shabnamnasimi-instagram
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- **Posted:** 2024-05-26T18:09:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Shabnam Nasimi (@ShabnamNasimi) — https://gondola.cc/ShabnamNasimi

## Caption

DID YOU KNOW? 💡

Kandahar, one of the oldest known human settlements, was the administrative capital of Arachosia in the Persian Empire. Dating back to c. 1000–750 BC, it was part of the early Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants, known as Arachosians or Pactyans, were Iranian peoples, possibly the ancestors of today’s Pashtuns.

It became an important outpost of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC.

The name “Kandahar” may originate from the kingdom of Gandhāra, which occupied the lower basin of the Kabul River. Some suggest that "Kandahar" derives from a Greek town name *Gondophareia, after the Indo-Parthian sovereign Gondophares (r. 20-50 CE).

Kandahar, dating back to the middle of the first millennium BCE, was re-established by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE. Strategically located on trade routes connecting India and the Middle East, Kandahar was targeted by many conquerors, including Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, and Indians. It was later conquered by the Safavid-Persians and the Ghilji tribe, pivotal in Afghanistan's emergence.

Around 1500 BCE, Aryans brought Indo-Iranian languages and cultural practices, marking significant transformations. By the 6th century BCE, under Cyrus the Great, it was incorporated into the Achaemenid Empire, serving as a crucial link between Persian heartlands and their eastern territories.

The old city of Kandahar was abandoned after its near-total destruction in 1738. A new city was founded nearby, which became the capital of the new kingdom of Afghanistan between 1748 and 1773. The city saw British occupation during the Anglo-Afghan wars.

After the assassination of the ruler of Persia, Nader Shah's in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, a leader of the Abdali (later Durrani) Pashtun tribe - he founded the Durrani Empire and made Kandahar his capital, marking significant Pashtun migration and settlement in Kandahar.

The great Ferdowsi's epic ‘Shahnameh’ reflects Kandahar's enduring significance in Persian history and mythology, emphasising its role as a power and cultural centre throughout the ages.

#ancienthistory #arachosia #kandahar #gandhara #afghhanistan #history #persian #pactyans #afghans

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## Tags

kandahar, history, pactyans, persian, gandhara, ancienthistory, afghans, arachosia, afghhanistan

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