The name Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, likely derives from Sanskrit and Persian words meaning 'high place,' fitting for a city situated 1,790 meters above sea level in the Hindu Kush mountains.
The High-Altitude Origins of Kabul's Name
Nestled in a narrow valley 1,790 meters above sea level, Kabul isn't just one of the world's highest capital cities—its very name reflects that lofty status. While the exact origin remains debated among linguists, the most credible theory traces "Kabul" back to ancient words meaning "high place."
In Sanskrit, the city was known as Kubha, while Greek authors called it Ortospana, literally translating to "High Place." The Zoroastrian sacred texts knew it as Vaekereta. All these ancient names share a common thread: they acknowledge the city's dramatic elevation in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
The Straw Bridge Legend
Not all etymology is academic. A charming Persian folk tale offers an alternative origin story: the name supposedly combines kah (straw) and pul (bridge), referring to a legendary straw bridge built by a king to make the area accessible. While linguists don't take this seriously, it's persisted in local folklore for centuries.
Another theory suggests the Pahlavi word "Kapol," meaning "royal bridge," inspired the name—a reference to the main bridge spanning the Kabul River that connected the eastern and western parts of the ancient city.
A Name as Old as the Vedas
What's undisputed is the name's antiquity. The Kubha river appears in the Vedas as an affluent of the Indus, making Kabul's name as old as some of humanity's earliest written records. The city came into particular prominence after Genghis Khan's thirteenth-century destruction of nearby Kapisa and other settlements.
Today, whether you accept the scholarly "high place" interpretation or prefer the romantic straw bridge tale, Kabul's name remains inseparable from its geography—a city perched among peaks, looking down on the valleys below.