From the 6th century BCE to the 11th century the Kingdom of Gandhara flourished and lasted but it attained the height from the 1st century to the 5th century under Buddhist Kushan Kings. The name Gandhara disappeared when it was conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1021 CE. During the Muslim period, the area was administered from Lahore and during the Mughal era, it was part of Kabul province. The Gandharas were settled since the Vedic times on the banks of Kabul River (River Kubha or Kabol) up to its mouth into Indus. The region is known as Peshawar Valley. Later the Gandharas crossed the Indus and included parts of north-west Punjab of Pakistan. Gandhara was located on the grand northern high road (Uttarapatha) and was a centre of international commercial activities. It was an important channel of communication with ancient Iran and Central Asia