The land of five waters gave the world its first cities, its saints and its songs. Broken by every empire that crossed it, it is still ours to remember, and to make whole again.

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PUNJAB WIKIਪੰਜਾਬپنجابThe Land
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Land & Ages

The LandRivers, doabs, Harappa and the first cities, seasons, numbersAgesEight ages of the Punjab, from the Soan to todayTimelineEvery dated event on one lineAtlasEvery place on one map, age by agePlacesCities, ancient sites, temples, mosques and gurdwaras, battlefieldsLanguage & scriptsPunjabi, its dialects, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi

People & Faiths

PeopleSaints and teachers, poets and singers, rulers, rebels, the people of both PunjabsPeople of the landJats, Rajputs, Arains, Khatris, Dalit communities and more, across every faithFaithsHindu traditions, Islam and the Sufis, Sikhi, and the Punjab's other faiths

Kingdoms & Struggles

Kingdoms & WarsWho ruled the Punjab, the Kingdom of Lahore, and the battles fought over itWho ruled the PunjabEvery ruling power, 518 BCE to todayWars & BattlesFrom the Hydaspes to BasantarStruggles & Partitions1849, 1919, 1947, 1966, 1984, 2020

Culture & Museum

CulturePoets, qisse, songs, music, dance, festivals, foodMuseumSculpture, coins, manuscripts, painting, arms, buildings, and where to see themChronicles & ProphecyThe poetry of the old chroniclesAboutWhat this atlas is, its sources, and every word explainedHelp maintain this siteCorrections, pictures, sources and new entries
Punjab WikiPlacesCities & forts
Kabul
Unknown · Wikimedia
City or fort

Kabul

ਕਾਬੁਲکابل

Capital of the Durrani and Barakzai kings whose armies fought the Sikhs for a century. Guru Nanak is said to have visited.

Kabul, capital of the Durrani and Barakzai kings of Afghanistan, was the home of the armies that invaded the Punjab for a century, from Ahmad Shah Abdali to Dost Mohammad Khan.

Guru Nanak is said to have visited, and there were Sikh gurdwaras and a Sikh community in Kabul for centuries, mostly traders from the Punjab. Babur is buried here in his garden.

After decades of war, the last Sikhs of Kabul left in the 2020s.

Kabul, Afghanistan

People

Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani)
Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani)c. 1722 – 1772

Founder of the Afghan Durrani empire, who invaded Punjab eight or nine times between 1748 and 1767, crushed the Marathas at Panipat and twice destroyed the Harmandir Sahib.

On the timeline

1747 · Durrani empire founded

In the world's museums

18 objects
Battle in KabulBattle in KabulWellcome Collection ↗The Lahore Gate, KabulThe Lahore Gate, KabulWellcome Collection · CC BY ↗Dust Muhammad of KabulDust Muhammad of Kabulca. 1846 · Multan© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Babur fights Hazara tribesmen in February 1507 on the road from Herat to KabulBabur fights Hazara tribesmen in February 1507 on the road from Herat to KabulV&A, London · photo c.1590 artist (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Watercolour, `Native of the Khyber pass between Peshawour & Kabul', 1836Watercolour, `Native of the Khyber pass between Peshawour & Kabul', 1836V&A, London · photo Vigne, Godfrey Thomas (FRGS) (artist) (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Remains of Bala Hissar fort, KabulRemains of Bala Hissar fort, KabulWellcome Collection · CC BY ↗Afghanistan from "A personal narrative of a visit to Ghuzni, Kabul, and AfghanistanAfghanistan from "A personal narrative of a visit to Ghuzni, Kabul, and Afghanistan1840The British Library (via Europeana) ↗Native of the Khyber pass between Peshawour & KabulNative of the Khyber pass between Peshawour & Kabul1836 · Afghanistan© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Remains of Bala Hissar fort, KabulRemains of Bala Hissar fort, KabulWellcome Collection (via Europeana) · CC BY ↗View of Kabul MuseumView of Kabul MuseumWikimedia Commons · Carl Montgomery · CC BY ↗Teapot and plate in the Kabul Museum.Teapot and plate in the Kabul Museum.Wikimedia Commons · Carl Montgomery · CC BY ↗Yes Kabul has a MuseumYes Kabul has a MuseumWikimedia Commons · Carl Montgomery · CC BY ↗Firearm in Kabul MuseumFirearm in Kabul MuseumWikimedia Commons · Carl Montgomery · CC BY ↗Statue in Kabul MuseumStatue in Kabul MuseumWikimedia Commons · Carl Montgomery · CC BY ↗Miracle of Sravasti (the fire scene) Kabul, circa 2nd century CE, Gandhara School of ArtMiracle of Sravasti (the fire scene) Kabul, circa 2nd century CE, Gandhara School of ArtIndian Museum, Kolkata · photo SpeakingArch (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA ↗Seated Maitreya, 7th-8th century, Kabul, AfghanistanSeated Maitreya, 7th-8th century, Kabul, AfghanistanThe Met, New York · photo Metropolitan Museum of Art (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Display at Kabul landmine museumDisplay at Kabul landmine museumWikimedia Commons · Carl Montgomery · CC BY ↗A silver Indo-Greek drachm of Menander (c.160-145 BC) of the Kabul/Gandhara regionA silver Indo-Greek drachm of Menander (c.160-145 BC) of the Kabul/Gandhara regionWikimedia Commons · National Museum Wales , Susie White, 2018-10-22 14:57:42 · CC BY ↗

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