It is also capital of Kabul Province. Kabul is the 64th largest & 5th fastest growing city in the world. Kabul is over 3,500 years old, many empires have long fought over the valley for its strategic location along the trade routes of South and Central Asia. Between 1504 and 1526 AD, it served as the capital of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire. It remained under the rule of the Mughal Emperors
as the western capital until 1738 when Nader Shah and his Afsharid forces seized it from the Mughals. After the death of Nader Shah Afsharid in 1747, the city fell to Ahmad Shah Durrani, who added it to his new Afghan Empire. In 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of the modern state of Afghanistan. It was invaded several times by neighboring British-Indian forces during the Anglo-Afghan wars in the 19th century. King Amanullah Khan got full independence from British in 1919 and began to modernize the city. Kabul University opened in 1932 and soon was linked to both European and American universities, as well as universities in other Muslim countries in the field of Islamic studies. The city witnessed many ups and downs. The beautiful city was ruined during ongoing was of more than 3 decades. The new Administration after 2001 which toppled the Taliban has done a lot for reconstruction of the city and now it's growing all all fields (construction, agriculture, business). The city serves as the nation's cultural and learning center. Kabul has many historical sites.