in Laghman Province Located currently at the
Kabul Museum are
Aramaic inscriptions that were found in Laghman which indicated an ancient trade route from India to Palmyra.
Aramaic was the bureaucratic script language of the
Achaemenids whose influence had extended toward Laghman. During the invasions of
Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka.
Inscriptions in Aramaic dating from the
Mauryan Dynasty were found in Laghman which discussed the conversion of
Ashoka to Buddhism. The inscription mentions that the distance to
Palmyra is 300 dhanusha or
yojana. The
Mahamayuri Tantra dated to between the 1-3rd century mentions several popular Yaksha shrines. It mentions Yaksha Kalahapriya being worshipped in Lampaka. In the seventh century, the Chinese pilgrim
Xuanzang visited Laghman, which he called "Lan-pro" and considered part of India. He indicated the presence of
Mahayana Buddhists and numerous
Hindus, including
Brahmins: The
Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam which was finished in 982 AD mentioned the presence of some idol worshipping temples in the area, and describes the province as an emporium of
Hindūstān. He crossed the
Khyber Pass many times and raided the territory of
Jayapala. He plundered the forts in the outlying provinces of the Kabul Shahi and captured many cities, acquiring huge booty. He also established Islam at many places. Jaipal in retaliation marched with a large force into the valley of Lamghan (
Jalalabad) where he clashed with Sabuktigin and his son. The battle stretched on several days until a snowstorm affected Jaipala's strategies, forcing him to sue for peace. According to al-Utbi, Sabuktigin attacked Lamghan, conquering it and burning the residences of the "infidels" while also demolishing its idol-temples and establishing Islam. He advanced and butchered the idolaters, destroying the temples and plundering their shrines, even risking frostbite on their hands counting the large booty. To avenge the savage attack of Sabuktigin, Jayapala, who has earlier taken his envoys as hostage, decided to go to war again in revenge. The forces of Kabul Shahi were however routed and those still alive were killed in the forest or drowned in the river. The second battle that took place between Sabuktigin and Jayapala in 988 A.D., resulted in the former capturing territory between Lamghan and
Peshawar. Al-Ubti also states that the Afghans and
Khaljis, living there as nomads, took the oath of allegiance to him and were recruited into his army. Sabuktigin won one of his greatest battles in Laghman against Jayapala and his army numbering 100,000.
Ghaznavid Sultan
Mahmud of Ghazni built the Tomb of Lamech, amid gardens, over the site of his presumed grave, 50 kilometres from
Mihtarlam. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Khārkhay Pashtuns such as Yusupzai and Tarkāṇī invaded the Laghmān valley and displaced the native Indo-Aryans. During the early years of the 16th century, the
Mughal ruler
Babur spent much time in Laghman, and in
Baburnama (memoirs of Babur) he expatiated on the beauty of forested hillsides and the fertility of the valley bottoms of the region. and according to Baburnama, "Greater Lamghanat" included the Muslim-settled part of the
Kafiristan, including the easterly one of
Kunar River. Laghman was the base for expeditions against the
non-believers and was frequently mentioned in accounts of
jihads led by Mughal emperor
Akbar's younger brother, Mohammad Hakim, who was the governor of Kabul. In addition, the
Soviets are said to have employed a strategy that targeted and destroyed the agricultural infrastructure of Laghman. As of 2007, an
International Security Assistance Force Provincial Reconstruction Team led by the
United States is based at Mihtarlam. In 2021, the first stadium in Laghman opened in
Mihtarlam. ==Administrative divisions==