Kandahar, << KAN duh hahr, >> also spelled Qandahar (pop. 397,500), is the second largest city in Afghanistan. Only Kabul, the capital, is larger. Kandahar lies in southern Afghanistan.
The old section of Kandahar includes many ancient buildings and bazaars. The city also has modern sections. Kandahar serves as the center of an important trade route between India, Iran, Pakistan, and Kabul. It also processes and exports fruits grown in the area.
Kandahar existed as early as 1000 B.C. It became the capital of an Afghan empire in A.D. 1747. Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the empire, built the modern city of Kandahar in 1761. Kabul replaced Kandahar as the capital in 1776.
In the 1990’s, Kandahar became the headquarters of a conservative, militant Islamic group known as the Taliban. The group ruled most of Afghanistan from the mid-1990’s to 2001. The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. See Taliban.
