Ghazni

Ghazni (Persian/Pashto: غزنی - Ġaznī; historically known as غزنین / Ġaznīn and غزنه / Ġazna) is a city in central-east Afghanistan with a population of about 141,000 people. Situated on a plateau at 7,280 feet (2,219 m) above sea level, the city is considered more like a town by international standard and serves as the capital of Ghazni Province. It is linked by a highway with Kandahar to the southwest, Kabul to the northeast, Gardez and Khost to the east. The foundation stone of the Ghazni International Airport was laid in April 2012 which will be operational in 2013.

Just like other cities of Afghanistan, Ghazni is very old and has witnessed many military invasions. In pre-Islamic period, the area was inhabited by Buddhists until Arab Muslims arrived in the 7th century to spread Islam followed by the conquest of the Saffarids from Zarang in the east. Sabuktigin made it the capital of the Ghaznvid Empire in the 10th century and his son Mahmud used it to launch invasions into Hindustan. The city was destroyed by one of the Ghurid rulers but was later rebuilt and controlled by a number of regional powers, such as the Timurids and the Delhi Sultanate, until it became part of the Hotaki dynasty followed by the Durrani Empire or modern Afghanistan.

During the First Anglo-Afghan War in the 19th century, Ghazni was again destroyed by the British-Indian forces. The city is currently being rebuilt by the Government of Afghanistan in order to revive the Ghaznavid and Timurid era when it served as the center of Islamic civilisation. Due to its strategic location, the Taliban insurgents often try to position themselves in the area for a possible take over but NATO-led forces have pushed them away in recent years. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANFS) have built many checkpoints and took over control of the area but occasional attacks by militants are reported.