What to see in Afghanistan, in a country with an ancient history dating back to the founding of the Persian Empire? Some cultural sights of the state are mentioned in historical documents from those eras. But numerous conflicts have made the country unstable internally, also negatively affecting the cultural heritage. Many sights of Afghanistan have been restored. Now they are open to the public. Consider the sights of Afghanistan according to tourist reviews.
Babur Gardens
One of the most famous sights of Afghanistan is described in the first half of the 16th century and is located in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, with a population of 4 million people. The Babur Gardens were built on the tomb of the great emperor Babur, who was considered the founding father of the Mughal dynasty. The garden is a pyramid of 15 terraces. The tomb itself is located in the open air on the 14th terrace. It is made of white marble surrounding it with a wall.
The 20th century has pretty battered Gardens of Babur, but 2002 was the year of revival. Ministry of Culture of Afghanistan, based onon the work of the British soldier-artist Charles Masson, carried out works according to his descriptions, corresponding to the 19th century. 1842 brought destruction in the form of an earthquake, the garden was returned, but already rebuilt to the taste of the ruler Amir Abdurahman Khan. As a result, the garden became radically different from its original appearance: the Queen's Palace and the central pavilion were built.
The war of 1979-1989 caused enormous damage to the park: many buildings were destroyed and trees were cut down. Most recently, in 2011, the Babur Gardens were completely renovated and turned into a public park.
Balkh
The city of Balkh, aka Vazirabad, is considered one of the greatest and most ancient cities of the Ancient World. The location of the city is very favorable compared to the rest of the country. Instead of stone deserts and mountains, fertile fields spread here. Vazirabad is considered the first city founded by the Indo-Aryans. In ancient times, Balkh shone with mosques and Buddhist monasteries. Already at the time of the prosperity of the Great Silk Road, the population of the city was 1 million people.
Despite the looting by the Arabs in the 5th-6th centuries AD, Timur and the Mughals, Marco Polo spoke of him as a "great and worthy city." XVI-XIX centuries the city suffered from an armed conflict between three states: Persia, Afghanistan and the Bukhara Khanate. But in the history of the city, this was far from the last page of the war. The 20th century left only a mosque and a part of the fortress wall of the city from the buildings of ancient times.
Jam minaret
Another interesting place in Afghanistan is the 65-meter minaret. An interesting fact is the absence of large settlements within a radius of several kilometers. The Gurdian sultan Giyaz-ad-Din managed to build such a building at the end of the 12th century. The building marked the victory over the Ghaznavids. The main material is fired brick, which perfectly preserved the drawings and verses of the Koran on the minaret to this day.
There are versions that the minaret is the only building of the ancient city that has survived to this day. The city, according to assumptions, bore the name "Blue City" and was destroyed by the Mongols under the leadership of Genghis Khan in the first half of the 13th century. Since then, the location of the city has been forgotten for almost 700 years. The British geographer Thomas Holdich managed to restore the information.
However, according to recent studies, it is possible to refute the version of the existence of the city. Pictures from space and the study of the terrain indicate the opposite. The territory is difficult to access and unstable due to the geological situation and could not bear the whole city with palaces and mosques. In the year 43 of the last century, the first photographs of the Jam minaret were taken, and a year later, the first historical article was written. The minaret was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002.
Hindukush Mountains
You can see many sights of Afghanistan in the photo in various catalogs. For example, the Hindu Kush mountains. They are famous for their parallel mountain ranges,reaching a height of more than 7500 meters. Residents of small villages spend most of their lives apart from others. You can move somewhere, provided that the snow melts, freeing the passes.
If you decide to visit this landmark of Afghanistan, it will be difficult for you to describe the beauty of the mountains. It is impossible to describe the danger lurking in them. Numerous earthquakes with an amplitude of 5-6 points, avalanches and rockfalls make the Hindu Kush a very dangerous place. The highest point is Tirichmir, or "King of Darkness", as the locals call it. Everything is explained by the fact that from the side of the Vakhanov, the slope of the mountain is always under its own shadow. The rivers Kabul and Indus originate here. The first gave the name to the capital of the country.
Studying the reviews of tourists about the sights of Afghanistan, or rather about these mountains, one should mention an architectural monument - the Salang tunnel, made right in the rocks. If desired, tourists can visit the rock caves of Buddhist monks in the valley of the Tejen River.
Dar ul-Aman Palace
The middle of the 1920s was marked for Afghanistan by the end of the construction of the Dar ul-Aman palace, in the construction of which German architects were involved. The palace symbolizes the independence of King Amanullah. In 1919, work began on the development of a new area - southwest of present-day Kabul. It was originally planned to build 70 buildings in European style, and three years later the project was approved by the new king.
In seven years, only two palaces were built, one of which is Dar ul-Aman. A year later, construction was stopped due to the overthrow of Amanullah. In the last century, the palace was attacked from heavy mortar guns of the Mujahideen. At this time, he served the Soviet troops with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the DRA. Not so long ago, a plan for the reconstruction of the palace was approved. The current government wishes to express by this the desire for the revival of democracy and the whole country as a whole.
Juma Mosque
What else to see in Afghanistan is the majestic Juma Mosque. It is located in a town called Herat. The building was erected in the 10th century for local Muslims who subjugated the local territories, but a hundred years later it was burned down. A legend is tied to this fire that a dervish living in a mosque, having shed only two tears, managed to extinguish the fire element. But it was too late, the Juma Mosque turned to ashes.
After 2 centuries, it was erected in its former glory. Alisher Navoi himself took up the work on the creation of the shrine, it was he who gave us the modern mosque as we know it today. Most of them never reached us, but only a portal with a beautiful relief inscription. Again, numerous wars played their role, which by the beginning of the 20th century left a pile of stone from the shrine. Fortunately, everything has been restored: the decoration, the walls of the mosque, and the huge inner square, which can accommodate more than 5,000 Muslims.
Conclusion
Reading the reviews of those who have visited this country, you canto conclude that Afghanistan will be of interest to those who are fond of the history of the East, architecture. Tourists who are going to visit Afghanistan and see firsthand its cultural heritage are strongly advised to plan their itinerary carefully. You need to follow the latest news from the regions you plan to visit. The current government does not control large areas of the country.
