Istalif
استالف Istalif |
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Coordinates | 34 ° 50 ′ N , 69 ° 5 ′ E | |
Basic data | ||
Country | Afghanistan | |
Kabul | ||
District | Istalif | |
ISO 3166-2 | AF-KAB | |
Residents | 30,000 |
Istalif or Estalef ( Persian استالف) is the capital of the district of the same name in the province of Kabul in Afghanistan about 18 kilometers northwest of Kabul .
It was founded by Alexander the Great and was initially called Istafil . Istafil comes from the Greek word σταφυλή ("grape"), so the place name means something like "grape city". However, the name has changed throughout history. From Istafil ( Persian استافيل) became Istalif . The name change is likely to have taken place shortly before or after the Islamization of Afghanistan around the turn of the millennium.
In 1979, about 30,000 people lived in the city of Istalif. The city is located on the so-called “Afghan Wine Route”, which also includes Tscharikar , Kuhdaman and Deh Sabz . The Taliban reportedly destroyed several wine-growing areas in the region.
The city of Istalif is known for its viticulture and its pottery and kilim production.
Pashto: ولسوال, Woloswal or Oloswal (People's Authority) administers the Istalif district.
literature
- Daniel Balland: ESTĀLEF . In: Ehsan Yarshater (ed.): Encyclopædia Iranica . Volume 8 (6), para. 91, as of December 15, 1998, accessed on June 9, 2011 (English, including references)
Web links
- Zemaryalai Tarzi, Nadia Tarzi, Abdul Wasey Feroozi: The Impact of War upon Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage , PDF file; 8.8 MB, with high resolution images or PDF file; 434 kB, lower resolution , on: website of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), p. 14, March 2004