Каписа провинциясы: тарих және географиясы

Province of Afghanistan

Kapisa (Dari/Pashto: کاپيسا) is the smallest of Afghanistan's thirty four provinces and is located in the north east of the country. It has an estimated population of 496,840 people It borders Panjshir Province to the north, Laghman Province to the east, Kabul Province to the south and Parwan Province to the west. Mahmud i Raqi is the provincial capital, while the most populous city and district of Kapisa is Nijrab.

The earliest references to Kapisa appear in the writings of fifth century BCE Indian scholar Pāṇini. Pāṇini refers to the city of Kapiśi, a city of the Kapisa kingdom, modern Bagram. Pāṇini also refers to Kapiśayana, a famous wine from Kapisa. The city of Kapiśi also appeared as Kaviśiye on Graeco Indian coins of Apollodotus I and Eucratides. Archeological discoveries in 1939 confirmed that the city of Kapisa was an emporium for Kapiśayana wine, bringing to light numerous glass flasks, fish shaped wine jars, and drinking cups typical of the wine trade of the era. The grapes (Kapiśayani Draksha) and wine (Kapiśayani Madhu) of the area are referred to in several works of ancient Indian literature. The epic Mahabharata also mentions the common practice of slavery in the city. Based on the account of the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who visited in AD 644, it seems that in later times Kapisa was part of a kingdom ruled by a kshatriya king holding sway over ten neighboring states, including Lampaka, Nagarahara, Gandhara, and Banu. Xuanzang notes the Shen breed of horses from the area, and also notes the production of many types of cereals and fruits, as well as a scented root called Yu kin.

The Kapisa province territory fell to the Maurya Empire, which was led by Chandragupta Maurya. The Mauryas promoted both Buddhism and Hinduism to the region which was entirely Hindu for all its history till then, and were planning to capture more territory of Central Asia when they decimated local Greco Bactrian forces and the chief general of Alexander Seleucus. Seleucus is said to have reached a peace treaty with Chandragupta by giving his daughter in marriage, control of the territory south of the Hindu Kush to the Mauryas and 500 elephants. Alexander took these away from the Aryans and established settlements of his own, but lasted only a decade before Seleucus Nicator gave them to Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange 500 elephants.|Strabo|64 BCE – 24 CE

Some time after, as he was going to war with the generals of Alexander, a wild elephant of great bulk presented itself before him of its own accord, and, as if tamed down to gentleness, took him on its back, and became his guide in the war, and conspicuous in fields of battle. Sandrocottus, having thus acquired a throne, was in possession of India, when Seleucus was laying the foundations of his future greatness; who, after making a league with him, and settling his affairs in the east, proceeded to join in the war against Antigonus. As soon as the forces, therefore, of all the confederates were united, a battle was fought, in which Antigonus was slain, and his son Demetrius put to flight.|Junianus Justinus

Having consolidated power in the northwest, Chandragupta pushed east towards the Nanda Empire. Afghanistan's significant ancient tangible and intangible Buddhist heritage is recorded through wide ranging archeological finds, including religious and artistic remnants. Buddhist doctrines are reported to have even reached as far as Balkh during the life of the Buddha (563 BCE to 483 BCE), as recorded by Xuanzang. In this context a legend recorded by Xuanzang refers to the first two lay disciples of Buddha, Trapusa and Bhallika responsible for introducing Buddhism in that country. Originally these two were merchants of the kingdom of Balhika, as the name Bhalluka or Bhallika probably suggests the association of one with that country. They had gone to India for trade and had happened to be at Bodhgaya when the Buddha had just attained enlightenment.

Kapisa province is located northeast of Kabul. It is bordered from the north by Panjshir Province, from the east by Laghman Province, from the south by Kabul province and from the south west by Parwan province. The province covers an area of ; that makes it the smallest province in all of Afghanistan. Kapisa Province's terrain is a mixture of high peaks, mountainous river valleys, and shallow central plains; the highest points of the province are in the east, on the borders with Panjsher and Laghman Provinces.

The districts of Kohistan, Mahmud Raqi, and Kohband districts, all of which are Jamiat i Islami and almost all Tajik, were targeted zones of interest for the insurgency. Because they are close enough to Kabul, the militants count attacks there as attacks in Kabul. Whilst the districts of Tagab, Alasay and Nijrab are Hizb i Islami Gulbuddin supporters and are a mixture of Pashtuns, Tajiks and Pashai. The importance of Kapisa comes as it lies along the approach to the Panjshir River valley and most of the major Jamiat figures have managed to secure wealth and power in the post 2001 Afghanistan, while most of the HiG figures have not. As a result, most of the violence in the area is not actually "Taliban" as we would normally consider it, but HiG fighters (and in a lot of cases petty thugs) calling themselves Taliban. In July 2007 Abdul Sattar Murad, was removed from office by President Hamid Karzai, and his replacement was Ghulam Qawis Abubaker. The ostensible reason for Murad's removal was 'ineffective governance', but it was widely believed by press sources that Murad was removed because of critical comments he made in a Newsweek interview regarding the central government's ineffectiveness in remote areas of the province. Insurgent activity in the province increased in 2006 and 2007. Southern areas of the province, in particular the Tagab district, have been the site of repeated clashes between U. S. and Afghan forces and insurgent groups. On January 19, 2009, coalition military forces led a raid near the village of Inzeri in the Tagab district of Kapisa. While coalition forces claimed at least 15 insurgents were killed (including a local Taliban commander), local villagers claimed that many of those killed were actually civilians. The raid was strongly criticized by Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who stated that such raids undermine the national government. The villagers were paid a total of $40,000 in condolence payments, and received an apology for any civilian deaths. On 17 November 2009, Taliban insurgents fired rockets on a bazaar in Tagab district where French forces were meeting with tribal elders, killing 10 Afghan civilians and wounding 28. Kapisa is seen as an important piece of property in the war against insurgency in the country, the province has been called "the gateway to Kabul", it is viewed as an important area even as small as it is. A densely packed, multiethnic enclave in steep valleys surrounded by tall mountains. It has unique ethnicities like the Pashai and Parachi, unique Pashtuns like the Safi, and many Tajik dominated areas. Kapisa has been the site of several failed attempts at counterinsurgency since 2005. There have been at least two special operations sweeps through the area, and at least three major Coalition efforts to clear and hold territory. The province of Kapisa is an area that constitutes an invisible boundary between a zone to the west and north where the population is Tajik, and generally hostile to the Taliban, and the steep sided valleys to the south east dominated by the Pashtun and Pashai people, where there is a lot of rebel activity. This ethnic split lies at the heart of the Kapisa insurrection. Mahmud i Raqi, capital of Kapisa Province is Tajik dominated, where there are more fighters who fought with Massoud than there are Taliban sympathizers. Their staunch anti Taliban stance is not the norm in this province – especially in the Tagab or Alasay districts. The Province a complex political and ethnic arena, where there is a lot of ambiguity towards foreign troops. Kapisa represents an allegory of the fractured and elusive Afghanistan.

Kapisa is allocated four seats in the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan's lower house of Parliament, one of which is reserved for female candidates. In the 2010 Wolesi Jirga contest 45,271 votes were cast in the province. Only one incumbent candidate, Mohammad Iqbal Safai was re elected, coming in second place in the contest. Mirdad Khan Nijrabi came in first place in the contest, Agha Jan come in third, and Tahira Mujadidi, the winning female candidate, came in fourth.

+ Districts of Kapisa ProvinceDistrictDistrict CenterPopulation (2022)AreaPop. density (2022)Ethnicity NotesAlasay 42,780 327 131 60% Pashayi in the upper half of the district and 40% Pashtuns in its lower half. Hesa Awal Kohistan 76,925 88 872 Tajiks Created in 2005 within Kohistan DistrictHesa Duwum Kohistan 50,885 38 1,346 Tajiks Created in 2005 within Kohistan DistrictKoh Band 26,572 163 163 Pashayi Mahmud Raqi Mahmud i Raqi 72,716 173 422 70% Tajiks and 30% Pashtuns Nijrab Nijrab 127,013 594 214 80% Tajiks, 14% Pashtuns and 6% Pashayi Tagab Tagab
91,407 497 184 90% Pashtuns and 10% Pashayi Kapisa488,2981,90825657.4% Tajiks, 28.5% Pashtuns, 14.1% Pashayi.

As of 2021, the population of the province is around 495,028 people. It is believed that Tajiks make up the majority of Kapisa's population followed by Pashtuns (25%) and Pashai (9.2%).

Agriculture is the largest portion of the economy. One particular crop, saffron, has been introduced as a major trade commodity in the province. Once a week, a trade day (called a Mela) occurs. The concept of the mela is ancient, and translates to "party" in Persian, as the event is as much a social event as a trade day. Kapisa is primarily a farming province. Agriculture, livestock, and trade and services account for the majority of commercial activity. Agriculture is a significant source of income for 62% of households. However, commerce and services provide income to 32 percent of rural households, while non farm related labor provides income to 35 percent of rural households. Cotton, sesame, tobacco, confection, honey, karakul skin, and sugar sweets appear to be the most common industrial goods produced in this area. Despite the fact that the number of villages engaged in handcraft production is more than five times that of villages engaged in industries, overall production remains low. Carpets, pottery, and jewelry are three handicrafts that stand out. In the province, 96% of households have access to irrigated land, while 7% of rural households have access to rain fed land. Wheat, maize, and barley are the most important field crops. Poultry, cattle, oxen, sheep, and goats are the most frequent livestock.

The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket tournaments by the Kapisa Province cricket team.

Kapisa is home to Al Beroni University, named after the Islamic scholar Al Biruni who was from this region. The University offers programs in Agriculture, Engineering, Islamic Studies, Law, Medicine and Literature and is located in Kohistan district, the university was built by Ahmad Shah Massoud. The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 39% in 2005 to 31% in 2011.

The percentage of households with clean drinking water fell from 27% in 2005 to 15% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant fell from 12% in 2005 to 7% in 2011.