Kabul serves as the nation's cultural and learning center, situated 1,791 meters (5,876 feet) above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. It is linked with Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e Sharif via the circular Highway 1 that stretches across Afghanistan. Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan .Kabul is said to be over 3,500 years old, mentioned since at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire. Kabul became the capital of Afghanistan during the reign of Timur Shah Durrani (reigned 1772–1793). In the early 19th century, the British occupied the city but were compelled to abandon it. Relations between Afghanistan and Great Britain were later established. The city was occupied by the Soviets in 1979 but they too abandoned it after the 1988 Geneva Accords were signed. A civil war in the 1990s between various rebel groups destroyed much of the city, resulting in many casualties.[8]