Siege of Kapisa

The Siege of Kapisa took place during the rule of Cyrus the Great, the first emperor of Persia. He laid siege to this city. Then, in some way he managed to capture it. In vengeance for the ruthless resistance (which in that area was common at the time) he destroyed it, or perhaps might have burned it first. But the greatly preserved ruins are still seen today.

In the language of the historian who wrote this, it suggests Cyrus did not intend to completely destroy the city. In this case, it was most likely a great upsetting struggle worth being recorded in history. In this vague siege it is unknown how long it lasted, but it was either in 543 BC, in his eastern campaigns, or in 533 BC, during his organization of the empire, or proposed invasion of India. In coming back from or starting it is not known, but likely in starting. Furthermore, evidence from his chronology shows the siege having a better chance of taking place in 543 BC. Its main source is the Natural History, which it is recorded by Pliny the Elder.

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The Persian invaders of Gandara were commanded by king Cyrus the Great. Although there is no source that describes this event, we may be confident that it happened, because king Darius the Great (522-486) mentions Gandara as one of the countries he inherited when he became king (in the Behistun inscription).
The capital of Gandara was later called Kapisa. The city was strategically situated: it controlled the roads to the Etymandrus valley, to the Cophen valley and to the passes leading to Bactria. Its modern name is Begram and it lies 75 kilometers north of Kabul, near Chârikâr.

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