Gardez, Afghanistan

Gardez Pashto: ګردېز‎ Persian: گردیز‎‎
City
The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City
Gardez Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 33°36′00″N 69°13′01″E / 33.60000°N 69.21694°E / 33.60000; 69.21694Coordinates: 33°36′00″N 69°13′01″E / 33.60000°N 69.21694°E / 33.60000; 69.21694
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Paktia Province
District	Gardez District
Elevation	2,300 m (7,500 ft)
Population (2008)
• City	70,000
• Urban	70,641
Time zone	Afghanistan Standard Time (UTC+4:30)

Gardēz (Pashto: ګردېز‎, Persian: گردیز‎‎) is the capital of the Paktia Province of Afghanistan. The population of the city was estimated to be ca. 10,000 in the 1979 census and was estimated to be 70,000 in 2008. The population is overwhelmingly Pashtun. The city of Gardez is located at the junction between two important roads that cut through a huge alpine valley. Surrounded by the mountains and deserts of the Hindu Kush, which boil up from the valley floor to the north, east and west, it is the axis of commerce for a huge area of eastern Afghanistan and has been a strategic location for armies throughout the country’s long history of conflict. Observation posts built by Alexander the Great are still crumbling on the hilltops just outside the city limits. the city of Gardez has a population of 70,641 (in 2015). it has 6 districts and a total land area of 6,174 hectares (23.84 sq mi). The total number of dwellings in this city are 7,849.

Gardez is an ancient settlement, located in the Highlands of the Hindu Kush. Unfortunately, its history is only very poorly documented. Archaeological discoveries, including Greek, Sassanid, Hephthalite, and Turki-Shāhī coins give a small insight into the rich history of Gardez.

Gardez is located at 2,300 m above sea level, making it the third-highest provincial capital in Afghanistan, and is not far from the Tora Bora region of caves and tunnels. The "old town", located at the foot of the Bālā Hesār fortress. The city is watered by the upper course of the Gardez River, which flows into the Ab-i Istada lake. Gardez is located at a junction between two important roads, one linking Ghazni with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the other connecting Kabul with Khost. The city is 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Khost and 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Kabul.