Kabul - Places of Interest

Places of Interest

The old part of Kabul is filled with bazaars nestled along its narrow, crooked streets. Cultural sites include: the National Museum of Afghanistan, notably displaying an impressive statue of Surya excavated at Khair Khana, the ruined Darul Aman Palace, the tomb of Mughal Emperor Babur at Bagh-e Babur, and Chehlstoon Park, the Minar-i-Istiqlal (Column of Independence) built in 1919 after the Third Afghan War, the mausoleum of Timur Shah Durrani, and the imposing Id Gah Mosque (founded 1893). Bala Hissar is a fort destroyed by the British in 1879, in retaliation for the death of their envoy, now restored as a military college. The Minaret of Chakari, destroyed in 1998, had Buddhist swastika and both Mahayana and Theravada qualities.

Other places of interest include Kabul City Center, which is Kabul's first shopping mall, the shops around Flower Street and Chicken Street, Wazir Akbar Khan district, Kabul Golf Club, Kabul Zoo, Abdul Rahman Mosque, Shah-Do Shamshira and other famous mosques, the National Gallery of Afghanistan, the National Archives of Afghanistan, Afghan Royal Family Mausoleum, the OMAR Mine Museum, Bibi Mahro Hill, Kabul Cemetery, and Paghman Gardens.

Tappe-i-Maranjan is a nearby hill where Buddhist statues and Graeco-Bactrian coins from the 2nd century BC have been found. Outside the city proper is a citadel and the royal palace. Paghman and Jalalabad are interesting valleys north and east of the city.

• Airports
  • Kabul International Airport
  • Bagram Airfield (located about 26 miles north from the city center)

• Sports complexes
  • Kabul National Cricket Stadium (under construction)
  • Ghazi Stadium
  • Olympic Committee Gymnasium

• Parks
  • Bagh-e Babur (Gardens of Babur)
  • Baghi Bala Park
  • Zarnegar Park
  • Shar-e Naw Park
  • Bagh-e Zanana
  • Chaman-e-Hozori
  • Bibi Mahro Park
  • Lake Qargha

• Mosques
  • Abdul Rahman Mosque
  • Id Gah Mosque
  • Abu Fazl Mosque in Murad Khane
  • Pul-e Khishti Mosque
  • Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque

• Mausoleums
  • Mausoleum of Timur Shah Durrani
  • Mausoleum of Abdur Rahman Khan
  • Mausoleum of Zahir Shah and Nadir Shah
  • Mausoleum of Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani

• Museums
  • National Museum of Afghanistan
  • National Archives of Afghanistan
  • National Gallery of Afghanistan
  • Negaristani Milli

• Hotels
  • Marriott (slated to be running by 2013)
  • Serena Hotel (5 star)
  • Inter-Continental
  • Safi Landmark Hotel
  • Golden Star Hotel
  • Heetal Plaza Hotel

• Hospitals
  • French Medical Institute for Children
  • Indira Gandhi Childrens Hospital
  • Jamhuriat Hospital
  • Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital
  • Jinnah Hospital (under construction)
  • Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital
  • Malalai Maternity Hospital
  • Maywand Hospital
  • Afshar Hospital