Tour II - Bala Hissar to Shohada-i-Salehin and Tepe Maranjan
Of Special Interest
- Pul-i-Khisti Mosque [3]
- Bala Hissar [9]
- Shohada-i-Salehin [29]
- Chaman-i-Hozuri [45]
- Tepe Maranjan [47]
- Bazaars [2, 4, 7, 8, 50]
Minimum time without stopping at all bazaars and stopping at only one shrine: 1.5 hours
[1] Leaving Pushtunistan Square in a south-easterly direction, this route follows one of the busiest streets in Kabul, Nadir Pushtun Wat,
named for King Nadir Shah (r. 1929-33). Western visitors to Kabul during the 19th century, such as Charles Masson who stayed in a serai near the bridge on his arrival in 1831, describe this
as being a busier commercial center then as it is now. If you wish to visit the mosque and bazaars, park your car before passing the bridge, or in the circle on Jadi Maiwand from where the tour
continues, [6].
[2] To the left before crossing the city's oldest bridge (recently rebuilt) called Pul-i-Khisti (Brick Bridge), you find one of the city's most interesting silver bazaars where
small shops beside the river are festooned with necklaces, bracelets, earrings and amulets. It is best to visit this bazaar on foot. Along the road to the right before crossing the bridge,
you may buy chapans (long cloaks with overly long sleeves made of silk or cotton which come from the northern provinces) and embroidered Uzbek caps. A foot bridge over the Kabul River
built in 1970 enables one to cross over and visit the goldsmiths' shops on the other side of the river in the vicinity of the Shahzada Serai where most of Kabul's moneychangers are
located. Fine quality lapis lazuli may also be purchased here.
[3] The Pul-i-Khisti Mosque, Kabul's newest large mosque, stands on the right beyond the bridge. The small mosque,
erected by Shah Zaman (r. 1793-1800) on this site, has been incorporated into the section which fronts on Nadir Pashtun Wat. The tiles used to decorate this mosque, and the flanking line of
two-storied shops behind it also built in 1964, were made in Kabul under the supervision of a master tile-maker from the mosque workshop in Herat.
[4] Beyond the Mosque, a narrow street runs to the left. This is the famed Chahr Chatta (Four Arcades) covered bazaar built in the 17th century by Governor Ali Mardan Khan who
was renowned for his beautification of the city. He also created the famed Shalimar Gardens for the Emperor Shah Jahan where he is buried. It took twelve years to build the Chahr Chatta
where the walls were gaily decorated with floriated gypsum studded with mirrors and whitewashed with a special solution containing bits of mica to make them sparkle. Six-hundred feet
long, the bazaar consisted of four covered arcades linked by open octagonal courtyards centered with fountains. It was the principal section of a main street which ran through the Darwaza Lahori
at the foot of Bala Hissar. A rather macabre story accounts for Ali Mardan's great wealth which enabled him to build with such
magnificence. Falling unaccountably ill, he discovered he was married to a malevolent fairy whereupon he pushed her into an oven where she turned into a stone which turned all metals into
gold. Word of this soon reached the ears of the Moghul King of Delhi who demanded that Ali Marden present him with the stone. Dutifully presenting himself in court, he asked only that all
the people of Delhi should meet him on the banks of the Kumns River, bringing with them all the pots and pans they could carry. For days, he demonstrated the miracle of the stone, mountains of
golden vessels glittered in the sun, but when the time came to hand over the precious stone, Ali Marden casually tossed it into the river. For days, teams of elephants dragged the river with
huge chains. The chains turned into gold, but the stone was never seen again. The story does not venture to comment on what happened to Ali Marden Khan!
[5] The Chahr Chatta was still the principal bazaar of Kabul in the 19th century and many Western accounts describe its bustle and decoration. It was completely destroyed, however, by
order of General Pollock on the 10th of October 1842, in reprisal for the annihilation of the British forces in January of that same year. The Chahr Chatta was thought to be a particularly fitting
site to bear the mark of reprisal because it was here that Envoy Macnaghten's dismembered body was displayed. In 1880, one witness reports that the fountains and water ducts were still choked up
with the debris left by General Pollock's act, but that the shops were once again open for business. In 1905, a resident of Kabul writes again of this "most magnificent bazaar of four covered
arcades separated by open squares with wells and fountains, the walls embellished with paintings." The Municipality has recently shorn it of its roof, but the four squares are still
recognizable. It is still one of the busiest and most colourful bazaars in Kabul and most worth a visit. Turban silks, Qandahari embroidery, beaded hats, silver and various textiles are here
offered for sale. Visit only on foot; boots recommended after rain or snow. The residential section around the bazaar still bears the name of Ali Mardan Khan. The gardens of Ali Mardan
Khan which were laid out by the river which many senior citizens of Kabul recall with fondness have, however, given away completely to the city.
[6] Continue on Nadir Pushtun Wat to the large monument standing in the center of the broad avenue known as Jadi Maiwand. This monument,
Minar-i-Maiwand, commemorates the battle
fought between the British under General Burrows and the Afghans under Sardar Ayub Khan, at Maiwand, 45 miles from Qandahar, on 27 July, 1880. The inscription is taken from a Pushtu poem
which recounts how the Afghans, heavily outnumbered, were preparing for retreat when a young girl named Malalai, only that day a bride, came forward to entreat the soldiers thus: "If you do
not taste of martyrdom today on this field of Maiwand, By God I am afraid you'll lead an ignominious life forever more." Upon hearing this, the soldiers turned back to win the battle. The
column was erected by His Majesty King Zahir Shah in 1959.
[7] Turning to the left, (Nadir Pushtun Wat continues straight ahead to the entrance to Shor Bazaar) one passes the
copper bazaar on your right where artisans may be seen hammering out copper vessels of varied shapes. Follow Jadi Maiwand to its eastern limit. The old city of Kabul, with its narrow twisting
lanes, lies behind the facade of two storied buildings built after Jadi Maiwand was bulldozed through its center in 1949. Shor Bazaar,
the old city's most famous street, runs parallel to Jadi Maiwand on the east (right). It cuts straight through the foot of Bala Hissar
at Lahori Bazaar and it is motorable although tight encounters with various four-legged and two-wheeled traffic are frequent. The best buys in kites are to be made in Shor Bazaar, and since a
large Hindu community lives here, many exotic spices not available elsewhere in Kabul may also be purchased here. Historically, the name of Shor Bazaar flashed across the ocean when Sir
Alexander Burnes and his companions, including a younger brother, were killed in his Shor Bazaar residence on 2 November, 1841. The city plan for Kabul calls for this area to be razed within the
next 25 years.
[8] Turn right at the end of Jadi Maiwand onto Muhammad Akbar Khan Wat, named after Amir Dost Muhammad Khan's son, a prominent figure during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838-1842). This
street became the rug bazaar in 1964, replacing the old serai torn down to make way for Zarnegar Park. Continue to the Minar-i-Nejat (Salvation Column) commemorating the entrance
of General Nadir Khan, later King Nadir Shah, into Kabul in 1929 to end Bacha Saqao's occupation of the city. A gift from the people of Kabul to King Nadir Shah, the column stands at the
eastern entrance to the Lahori Bazaar where one of the seven gates of Kabul, the Lahori Gate, also identified with the Currier's Gate mentioned by the Emperor Babur, stood until it was
demolished in 1930. It was the last of the seven old gates of Kabul to disappear.
(Click here to view the original photographs from this section of "An Historical Guide to Kabul.")
[9] Beyond the Minar-i-Nejat, the ruins of Bala Hissar (High Fortress) rise 150 feet above the plain on your right.
In spring, these slopes quite suddenly burst into vivid colour in sharp contrast to the solemn browns and greys of the heights beyond, and stand above the city in glorious confirmation of its
poetic title, the Emerald Hill. The site of the Afghan Military Academy since 1939, it is inaccessible to tourists but it is hoped that recent suggestions to make the fort into an historical
monument will meet with success especially since the academy was shifted to new quarters in Pul-i-Charkhi on the main road to Jalalabad
in 1969. Tour continues, after an historical sketch, [27].
[10] The high fort has been the nucleus of Kabul since the beginning of the city's history. A natural fortress, it completely commanded the city which nestled securely at its foot
extending, even as late as the beginning of the 20th century, for only about one mile and a half from east to west. The famous walls of Kabul, twenty feet high and twelve feet thick with
strategically positioned sentry towers, start at the citadel and follow the crest of the mountains above. Who the first architects of this wall were is not positively known but the work is
generally attributed to the Hephtalites of the 5th century when they were at last allowed to fall into decay.
[11] We do not know either, who first inhabited this rocky spur. If perchance there is more than fancy to one early scholar's interpretation of Ortospana as an equivalent for the
Sanskrit word for "high place or lofty city," then it could well be that here stood the city of the days of Alexander the Great, that capital of the Kabolitae mentioned by Ptolemy. We have no
proof, however.
[12] We do know that the place of the Ratbil Shahan, who so fiercely rejected the invasion of Islam which began in the seventh century, was here. When, c. 900, the Ratbil Shahan
finally succumbed to the armies of Saffarid, the citadel formed a part of that vast group owing an allegiance, albeit loose, to the splendid court of the Caliphs in Baghdad.
[13] Little detail of the next inhabitants of the citadel is available. There was a brief revival of the Hindu lords in the early 10th century, visits of the great Mahmud of Ghazni during
his brilliant reign early in the 11th century, brutal attacks under Genghis Khan in the 13th century, and a final return to prosperity under the descendants of the Mongol Emperor, through
Tamerlane, during the 14th and 15th centuries. However, though the story is vague, one fact shines through, Bala Hissar witnessed it
all. As the 16th century opens, we are suddenly presented with a sharply drawn, colourful picture of the citadel, its environs and its people, by an important inhabitant of the city. This was
Zahir-ed-Din Muhammad Babur, who appeared before the gates of Kabul leading a straggling, unpretentious lot of followers. He left it as the founder of the great Moghul Empire of India.
[14] Babur describes his capture of Kabul's citadel in October 1504 thus: "Our troops galloped insultingly close to the Curier's Gate. The men who advanced out of the town, being few
in number, could not stand their ground but took flight and sought shelter in the city. A number of the town's people of Kabul had gone out on the glacis of the citadel, on the side of an
eminence, in order to witness the sight. As they fled, a great dust arose, and many of them were thrown down. The men in the town were now greatly alarmed and dejected, when Mukim, through
some of the Begs, offered to submit, and agreed to surrender Kabul."
[15] Babur loved Kabul and of the citadel he writes: "The citadel is of surprising height, and enjoys an excellent climate, over-looking the large lake, and three meadows which
present a very beautiful prospect when the plains are green." His court riddler composed this couplet in tribute to the view: "Drink wine in the citadel of Kabul, send round the cup
without stopping; For it is at once a mountain, a sea, a town and a desert."
[16] Within these walls, Babur was married to a princess who had fallen in love with him when he visited Herat, and here his son, Humayan, second Emperor of the Moghuls, was born on
6 March, 1508. It was here too that he took for himself, once an obscure prince deprived of his kingdom, the grand title of Padshah. After 1525, when he transferred the center of his vast empire
to India, he continued to issue instructions for the embellishment of the citadel to his son Kamran, then ruling Kabul for his father.
[17] Babur's successors, though they lost their outlying territories to Persia, jealously guarded their hold on Kabul and frequently visited the city so beloved by their illustrious
ancestor. The pomp and ceremony which took place before these walls and within its palaces can be imagined from the descriptions we have of the glittering court life at Agra and Delhi. The
graceful marble pavilions raised upon these walls in the manner of the forts of Lahore, Delhi and Agra transformed the somber exterior, giving the citadel a new look mirroring the splendor of
life within.
[18] The citadel was finally wrenched from Moghul hands by the Persian conqueror Nadir-i-Afshar in the middle of the 18th century. His determination to keep the city was so great that he
settled families from Persia in the Bala Hissar and further strengthened the citadel by establishing large garrisons staffed with
Turkoman troops at the four corners of the city. When he was assassinated in 1747, these Persian citizens tried to unsuccessfully hold out against the Afghan armies come to reclaim it under
Ahmad Shah Durrani (r. 1747-1773), the founder of the Durrani Dynasty, Though Ahmad Shah ruled from Qandahar, he preferred to pass the spring and summer in the beautiful climate of Kabul; but
while in residence here, he lived in a garden by the river rather than within the walls of the Bala Hissar. His son, Timur Shah
(r. 1773-1793), however, transferred the capital to Kabul from Qandahar, and once again the Bala Hissar became the home of kings.
[19] Timur Shah died within the citadel without having named a successor which led to an ever-changing list of claimants to the throne, all of whom were so busy fighting for their
claims that they had little time to enjoy their palaces in the citadel of Kabul during the summers and in that of Peshawar during the winter.
[20] The following eye-witness description of one of these kings, Shah Shujah (r. 1803-9; 1839-42), enables one to envision the splendor of the court in which he lived. "The King of
Caubul was a handsome man, about thirty years of age, of an olive complexion, with a thick black beard. We thought at first that he had on armour of jewels, but, on close inspection, we
found this to be a mistake, and his real dress to consist of a green tunic, with large flowers in gold, and precious stones, over which were a large breast-plate of diamonds, shaped like
two flattened fleur-de-lis, an ornament of the same kind on each thigh, large emerald bracelets on the arms (above the elbow), and many other jewels in different places. In one of the bracelets
was the Kohi Noor, known to be one of the largest diamonds in the world. There were also some strings of very large pearls, put on like cross belts, but loose. The crown was nine inches high,
not ornamented with jewels, as European crowns are, but, to appearance, entirely formed of those precious materials. It seemed to be radiated like ancient crowns, and behind the rays appeared
peaks of purple velvet: some small branches with pendants seem to project from the crown; but the whole was so complicated and so dazzling that it was difficult to understand, and
impossible to describe. The throne was covered with a cloth adorned with pearls..." (M. Elphinstone)
[21] Shah Shujah was unseated by a Barakzai chief of the Durrani family, Dost Muhammad Khan (r. 1826-63). Accounts of the court of the new Amir, of which there are many in English, for
from now on European faces, including an American soldier of fortune, appear in increasing numbers in the streets of the citadel, speak of simplicity bordering upon the austere.
[22] Still, we learn that the Bala Hissar Pahin, or lower fortress, contained three palaces situated so that the outer
apartments on the east and north walls afforded fine views of the countryside, large barracks and spacious stables for fine horses, a bazaar, and numerous houses. The houses, about 1,000 in
number, were chiefly built of wood, and some, in the palace grounds especially, were beautifully carved, inlaid and painted. In the center there was a large open square and numerous gardens
throughout made it a most pleasing place in which to live. Further up the hill, above this portion, there was an upper fortress called the Bala Hissar Bala, in which the armoury and the
infamous Black Pit, the dungeon of Kabul, were situated.
[23] Amir Dost Muhammad Khan was in turn deprived of his palace by the reappearance in Kabul of Shah Shujah accompanied by a strong British escort which entered the city to reinstate
him on 7 August, 1839. This British army was quartered in part of the citadel during the early days of their stay before they moved to the new cantonment built for them near Bemaru Heights,
Tour IV, [11]. Shah Shujah led an uneasy existence within the citadel walls and at length, four months after a disaster struck the British forces in
January, 1842, he was ambushed and struck down scarcely a mile and half from the main gate. For a while, Muhammad Akbar Khan, son of his old enemy, Amir Dost Muhammad Khan, held the citadel
until the city was occupied again by the British under General Pollock the following September. Though he ordered the demolition of Chahr Chatta, General Pollock spared the citadel, and the
resident Amirs of the next thirty odd years continued to reside there, albeit uncertainly and for short periods.
[24] When the British Mission led by Sir Louis Cavagnari arrived in Kabul in July, 1879, they were given a spacious palace on the south side of the Bala Hissar Pahin, over-looking the
marshes. In September of that same year, the Mission was mobbed by a group of mutinous Afghan troops come to demand arrears in pay. The situation, building on already established antipathy
toward the British presence, soon got out of hand; the Residence was stormed, its occupants killed, its buildings burned. This caused the immediate dispatch of British troops under the
command of General Roberts who marched to Kabul through the Logar Valley and took possession of the citadel early in October, 1879.
[25] Soon after the occupation, a powder magazine situated in the Bala Hissar Bala exploded, thereby necessitating the immediate removal of all troops, first to Siah Sang across the
way, and then to the cantonments of Sherpur. Following this, General Roberts ordered the complete demolition of Bala Hissar, for as
he says, "The destruction of the fortified palace in which the massacre had taken place, and which was the symbol of the power of the Afghans... would be more fitting punishment... and a
more lasting memorial of our ability to avenge our countrymen than any we could raise." These orders were carried out during the spring and summer of 1880. Thus ended the glorious
history of this citadel. The next ruler of Afghanistan, Amir Abdur Rahman, elected to build his new palace and citadel on the plain below where the
Arg Palace stands today, Tour IV, [2-5].
[26] Stop a moment just beyond the Nejat Column at the entrance to the fortress where the eastern gate to the Bala Hissar,
the Darwaza Shah Shaheed, once stood. On your left there is a road running toward the east, which is the road to Peshawar via the Lataband Pass. Leading straight to the main gateway of the
citadel, this road was used by early visitors from India. On occasions of State, these visitors approached with great ceremony, riding in gilt howdahs on elephants as Sir Alexander Burnes and
Sir Louis Cavagnari did, or on gaily-caparisoned chargers as did General Roberts, passing down the lines of troops in brilliant uniforms. It also witnessed the sad spectacle of the harassed
British army as it marched past on its way to India that cold day in January, 1842. Abandoned as the main highway when the Tang-i-Gharu was opened, it is still traversable in good weather
and joins the road to Jalalabad at Sarobi. (Short Trips, D.)
[27] Proceed straight ahead and take the next road (unpaved) to right at side of petrol station. (Straight ahead to Shewaki, Guldura, and the Logar Valley.) The marshes
of Qalah-i-Ashmat Khan, the lake admired by Babur, now part of His Majesty's hunting preserve, is on the left. To the right, above the old moat on which soldiers skated during the winter
months of 1879-1880, the walls and buttresses of Bala Hissar are impressively preserved.
[28] Continue along the banks of the marshes. In spring, large flocks of wild ducks settle in this protected area. Turn right at the electric sub-station after passing a small mosque
on your right and a few shops on your left. At the next fork, proceed straight ahead for an introductory view of this important valley. Right to Ziarat-i-Tamim and Cheshme Khedr,
below [41-42].
[29] This road runs straight through the center of Shohada-i-Salehin (Pious Martyrs), Kabul's largest public cemetery. On your right, an imposing new mausoleum of slender
marble columns rises above the final resting place of Salauddin Saljooqi, a distinguished writer, philosopher, poet and diplomat who died in June, 1970. Memorial services at which selected
readings from his works are read are held here each year on the anniversary of his death. They are led by his wife and student, Homayra Saljooqi.
[30] Further ahead the road swings around a small knoll. Stop a moment for a panoramic view of this lovely valley.
Bala Hissar stands out impressively to the left. The blue-domed mausoleum
of King Nadir Shah (r. 1929-33) stands on the Tepe Maranjan directly ahead with the cupolated mausoleum of King Nadir Shah's great-grandfather, Sultan Muhammad Telai, on the slope just below
it.
[31] When Buddhism was paramount in the valley, during the period of the Kushans and the Kushano-Sassanians, this was the most venerated portion of the Kabul Valley. Remains of
Buddhist monasteries, now for the most part completely obliterated by time and unrecognizable to all but the practiced eye, dot the mountainsides around the entire semi-circle formed by the
ridges behind you; from the eastern point visible above Bagrami, far to your right, to the Bala Hissar. Interesting stupas still
stand at Shewaki at the base of the mountains in the east, and Buddhist statues dating from the third and fourth centuries have been recovered from a monastery on Tepe Maranjan. Later,
during the period of the Ratbil Shahan, Hindu shrines replaced the Buddhist stupas. Both Burnes and Masson speak of recovering painted clay statues from the vicinity of Panjeshah above you
[34] and Shams on your left [41] which they related to pre-Islamic days of the Buddhist kings and the Ratbil Shahan.
[32] Thus for 2000 years, this area has been revered by the citizens of Kabul. It holds the same place in the hearts of her people today, for four of the holiest shrines in Kabul are
located here: to the east under a clump of trees below you on your right you may see the dome of Ziarat-i-Jan Baz, a shrine revered by the followers of the Nakhshbandi sect, near which lies
the tomb of the wife of Mahmud Hotaki, the son of Mir Wais of Qandahar who captured the throne of the Persian Safavids at Isphahan in 1722. Nestled beneath the trees above you is the
Ziarat-i-Panjeshah-i-Mardan; to your left two wooded spots mark the location of Ziarat-i-Taminm and Cheshme Khedr.
[33] Situated on the acclivities of hills, in recesses where springs encourage the embellishment of trees and gardens, these holy spots command beautiful views and are visited by the
citizens of Kabul on festive days, especially during the spring when the Arghawan (Red-bud or Judas Tree) flowers. If you wish to visit these shrines, you will find the caretakers most
cordial but you are urged to remember that these are holy places and we recommend that you ask an Afghan friend to accompany you. For the tourist, the Tourist Bureau will be happy to
provide a guide. Those not wishing to visit the shrines should return to the Minar-i-Nejat and continue the tour from [44].
[34] You may drive up the hill from the knoll to the foot of Ziarat-i-Panjeshah (The King's Hand). On the way, note the formations on a spur to your right. The conical shape of the
upper portion rests upon a rectangular terrace, and together it seems very probable that this was once a Buddhist stupa with a monastery below. Masson reports that "quantities of idols" were
recovered when the foundations for the shrine were being excavated in the early years of the 19th century. A flight of stairs constructed in 1963 by a pious gentleman in memory of his wife,
leads you to a doorway giving entrance to a broad terrace on which there is a simple open mosque and a fishpond.
[35] The Ziarat stands at the end of this terrace under large old chinar trees. Having removed your shoes, you enter into a small vestibule, to the right of which there is a large columned
veranda, and then directly into a square room in the center of which there is a square of marble supporting a high flag pole. In the back wall, there is an impression of a hand in the natural rock
believed to have been made by Hazrat Ali. Ali was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. He was the 4th Caliph and an active participator in the early battles waged by the Prophet and
in later battles for the cause of Islam. The legends of Ali number well over 1000, many relating to miraculous deeds enacted in Afghanistan though he never actually came here. In the right wall,
a low door leads you into a prayer room. A small contribution may be left near the flag pole.
[36] Leaving the Ziarat, one finds a corridor passing under the veranda leading to a path following the boulder-filled stream bed to a covered spring. The spring has recently been
enclosed in a concrete structure and locked. If you wish to enter, ask the caretaker. An inscription over the door dates from the time of Shah Mahmud Sadozai, 1803. It is interesting to note
how springs such as this have been objects of veneration throughout the centuries, irrespective of race and creed; Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim have each built their shrines beside them.
[37] This path leads to the 1,000-foot peak known as Takht-i-Shah (The King's Throne), the highest peak in this range known by its name. The climb is said to take three to four
hours. Babur described a building on its summit, part of a palace belonging to Zamburak Shah, one of the ancient Ratbil Shahan of pre-Islamic days, which is also described by Masson. In
October, 1879, the British army stormed Bala Hissar by marching along the steep heights of Takht-i-Shah from the Logar Valley.
In 1929, the forces of H.R.H. Marshal Shah Wali Khan stormed the city by the same rocky heights and the city first knew of their arrival upon hearing the drums from the King's Throne.
[38] The Marshal describes this event in his Memoirs. From his position on the Zamburak Peak, he listened to the "rattling of rifles, guns rent the air" and reports of enemy
forces converging on Kabul from north and south came in with distressing regularity. "The situation was extremely dangerous. The only course left to us was to take advantage of the
darkness of night and launch an all-out attack. It was decided to announce the offensive by the beating of drums from the Zamboorak Hills..... I ordered the Waziris to beat their drums from
the Zamboorak Hills. All the other drums stationed at the Sherdawaze and Asmai Hills followed suit, making a terrible noise. Our forces, surging like waves, began to descend the hills."
[39] After leaving the Ziarat, at the foot of the staircase, note a streak of white outcropping in the hill on your right. Legend says that this was once another dragon, similar to the
dragon at Bamiyan, which was killed here by Hazrat Ali.
[40] Return to your car and retrace your route to the junction, noting, on your left, the ruins of a mausoleum, now without a dome, called Ziarat-i-Sher Surk (The Shrine of the Red Lion) built in
the Timurid style late in the 15th century. Further on, to your right, is another Timurid mausoleum in fairly good condition, called Seg Oghor (Three Holes, possibly a corruption of the
Chagatai word, Ulugh). There are five tombs here, all descendents of the Emperor Babur's paternal uncle, Ulugh Beg, who ruled at Kabul just prior to Babur's arrival in 1504. Two of his
daughters, Fakhqur Nesa Begum (The Bride, d. 1505) and Aq Begum (The White Lady, d. 1506) rest here. Sher Surkh and Seg Oghur are the only examples of Timurid architecture still standing in
Kabul.
[41] On reaching the junction with a road coming in from the left, turn left to visit the spring called Shams beside the Ziarat-i-Hazrat-i-Tamim Jaber-i-Ansar, the most
sacred shrine in Kabul. The modern building sheltering two extremely large sarcophagi was completed in 1939. There is some question as to who lies here. Tradition says it is the final
resting place of Shahaba (One Who Knew the Prophet) Tamim, who led a spiritual mission to Kabul in advance of General Abdur Rahman ibn Samura commanding the first Islamic army to enter
Kabul somewhere around 644 A.D. According to this tradition, Tamim and his companions were massacred on this spot by the Ratbil Shah from the
Bala Hissar. This fateful night is called Shab-i-Alalghafla, the Night of the Surprise. Tradition refers to the second
tomb as being that of Jaber, but does not specify which Jaber is intended. Most accounts accept it as Jaber-i-Ansari, son of the 11th century philosopher and poet of Herat, Khwaja Abdullah Ansari.
Jaber was the father of Ashukhan and Arelan, Tour V, [2]. It is curious that Babur, who was meticulous with most of his details regarding Kabul,
mentions the holy shrine near the spring of Shams but fails to associate any name with it.
[42] On the hillside behind and to the right of the Ziarat-i-Tamim there is a small shrine tucked away under some trees by another spring known as Cheshme Khedr (Khedr's Spring).
Khedr, known locally as Khizr, is the name of a prophet who appears to the lost and needy in the guise of an old man with a long white beard. Khizr mingles with ordinary folk, however, in order
to find the needy, unrecognizable except for the fact that he has no bones in his thumbs. On festive days when all congratulate one another, therefore, many purposely feel the thumb while
shaking hands, just in case Khizr should happen to be among them. He appeared in a dream to Mahmud of Ghazni at this spot and as a result, the spring is also called the Nazargah-i-Khedr,
the Place where Khedr Appeared. Babur speaks of both springs, Shams and Khedr, as the "favourite resorts of the people of Kabul" and they remain so today. Cheshme Khedr is visited
twice a year by the Hindus of Kabul for it is a holy pilgrimage site for them as well as for the Muslims, having retained its holy character since ancient times.
[43] As you enter the doorway into the courtyard of Cheshme Khedr, you find yourself in a garden open toward the hills on the left. To the right is an open veranda with carved
wooden pillars in the style universally used throughout the city up to the beginning of the 20th century but now rarely to be seen. Straight ahead is a small building built over the spring.
On the veranda flanking the door there are primitive paintings in bright colours of the Ka'aba at Mecca and an inscription extolling the beauty of the spring composed in 1880 and inscribed in
gold on a blue background. Passing through the door after having removed your shoes, you enter a simple vestibule in the back wall of which, a low door leads to the spring. Traces of red
powder used in the Hindu ritual can be seen on the right. The spring is sometimes used as a Chilakhana (House of Forty Days) by pious Muslims who wish to retire to meditate in complete
seclusion. To the left of this building covering the spring, there is a small mosque.
[44] From the Cheshme Khedr, return to the Nejat Column. The road to your right joins the Lataband Pass road. Proceed staright ahead down Muhammad Akbar Khan Wat.
[45] On your right is the Chaman-i-Hozuri (to left carpet and antique stores), Kabul's first Golf Course during the time of Amir Habibullah, with the
Exhibition Grounds beyond. These grounds are used during the week of Jeshn Istikal (Independence Festival) for the display of arts and
crafts and other exhibits depicting development projects in Afghanistan. Jeshn is held every year during the last week of August to commemorate the acquisition of Independence in 1919. During
this week, the streets of Kabul are decorated with gay banners and coloured lights festoon the streets and buildings to please the many visitors to the city from the provinces. Competitive
games of all sorts are played, the most colourful being that of niza-zadan or tent-pegging, played on the Chaman itself. The beautiful horses proudly prancing in their fancy trappings
are ridden by superb horsemen dressed in flowing white robes and gay velvet vests embroidered in gold. They make a stunning picture against the hills as they gallop over the green fields.
[46] At the end of Chaman, turn right, passing the Ghazi Stadium named for Sardar Shah Mahmud-Ghazi, on your left. Further on,
two roads branch on to the right leading past the Exhibition Halls and a depression which is flooded to form a picturesque lake during
Jeshn. The waters prettily mirror the spectacular fireworks set forth from an island in their midst. The very large building at the base of the hill is the Kabul Nandari Theatre where
national theatre groups and international artists present plays and concerts. In 1930, workmen working in this area came upon a vase containing about 100 coins from the 6th to 4th centuries B.C.
The varied nature of these coins, which may be seen in the Coin Room of the Kabul Museum, suggest that they were obtained through trade with
the Achaemenids. The presence of several gold and silver ingots and pieces of jewelry make it possible to conjecture that they once belonged to a Kabul goldsmith of Achaemenid days who had a
shop here.
[47] Passing these two turn-offs, continue straight ahead to the junction of three roads. The road to the left leads to Nadir Shah Mina more popularly spoken of as the Macroroyan,
a series of high-rise apartments being constructed with assistance from the Soviet Union. Straight ahead, a road leads to the coal briquette plant. Take the road to the right and proceed to the
summit of Tepe Maranjan. The name Maranjan is interesting, being the proper name of an extremely rich magician of pre-Islamic times. It is said that the magician turned his immense
riches into ashes one day and thus the hill was formed.
[48] The imposing Mausoleum of King Nadir Shah (r. 1929-1933) stands on this hill as guardian of the city spread out
below it. Other members of the Royal Family are also at rest here and on the southern slope, there is the Mausoleum of Sultan Muhammad Telai, great-grandfather of King Nadir Shah.
[49] Tepe Maranjan offers an impressive panoramic view of Kabul. Jadi Maiwand runs east-west through the center of the city directly in front of you. To the south, crowded between it
and the mountain, Shor Bazaar and the old city lie at the foot of
Bala Hissar from which the ancient walls run along the crest of the
mountains. The large buildings of the old Military Academy lie on the northern slopes of the citadel and the round tower mid-way up the hill above the old city marks the site of
Khwaja Safa, Tour V, [10]. South and southeast of Bala Hissar is the beautiful valley revered
since early Buddhist times. The Heights of Bemaru, from which the Emperor Babur first looked upon Kabul, stand out prominently to the north.
[50] Beyond Nadir Shah's Mausoleum, toward the east, workmen accidentally came upon the remains of a Buddhist monastery which
was subsequently excavated by DAFA in 1933. Near the south-west corner of the outer wall of the monastery, various statues were found and in the inner west wall there was a niche decorated with
painting in ochre, blue, yellow and white depicting a bodi tree in flower. A gracefully modelled Bodhisativa, now in the basement of the
Kabul Museum, sat beneath the tree. A smaller Bodhisativa sculpture from the site may be seen in the foyer of the
Museum. The style, though basically that of Gandhara, reveals marked Indianization of the later period. This, plus the hoard of coins found
in the monastery, date the complex during the Kushano-Sassanian period in the 4th century A.D. Weather has so obliterated the excavations that nothing of outstanding interest remains at the
site today.
[51] Return to the Stadium and turn right on Muhammad Akbar Khan Wat. Across the road on your left is the
Id Gah Mosque begun during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman (d. 1901) and completed by his son Amir Habibullah (d. 1919). It has
been used since on religious days of festival and for the religious ceremonies attending State ceremonies such as coronations. It was here that Independence was announced to the citizens
gathered in its courtyard in 1919; a huge crowd jubilantly shouting with enthusiastic acclamation. On your left, just past the
Stadium, by the side of the reviewing stands used for the Jeshn parade, is the entrance to the Silk Factory and to the office
where terrazzo tiles may be purchased. The road continues past to the open-air theatre, and passes over the Kabul River via the Pul-i-Qalah Mahmud Khan. Turn left. Right to Peshawar via
Tangi Gharu. The tall clock tower built during the reign of King Nadir Shah stands on the site of Mahmud Khan's Fort, which played such an important part during the final days of the
British army in Kabul in 1841-2. Mahmud Khan had been a staunch opponent of the British ever since their first appearance in Kabul with their puppet Shah Shujah in tow. In September, 1841, he
was present at the first meeting of the leaders of the revolt which began the attack on Sir Alexander Burnes' residence in the Shor Bazaar.
Turn left around the tall clock tower (right to Jalalabad via the Tangi Gharu). The Clock tower was built during the reign of King
Nadir Shah (1929-1933) but it stands on the site of a qalah (fort) belonging to Mahmud Khan who was a staunch opponent of the British during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838-1842).
In September, 1841, Mahmud Khan was a prominent participant in the first meeting of the leaders of the revolt which began the attack on Sir Alexander Burne's residence in the
Shor Bazaar (above, [7]) the following November. The fort gained prominence as the revolt continued because of its position mid-way between
the city and the British cantonment opposite Bemaru, Tour IV, [11] and after Envoy Macnaghten was killed on the 23rd of December in the vicinity of the present
Slaughter House on the road to Jalalabad, a number of his escorts were kept as hostages in this fort.
[52] Continue ahead along the Jadi Istiklal (Independence Avenue) through the Istiklal Park, newly created in January, 1970, when all the old buildings in the area, including the
historic customs house, were razed. Only the Minar-i-Istiklal (Independence Monument) still stands. This monument commemorates General Nadir Khan's (later King Mohammad Nadir Khan, r.
1929-1933) victory over the British at Thal on 27 May, 1919, during the Third Anglo-Afghan War. This was the first monument of its kind to be erected in Kabul and originally it was more
elaborate than it is today, with a statue at each corner: a soldier at the northern and southern corners, a lion in chains symbolizing Afghanistan in bondage at the eastern corner, and a pot
of flowers on the western corner. These were destroyed during the Bacha Saqao period (1929) and subsequently replaced by four cannons. Ambitious plans for the development of Istiklal are on the
drawing boards. These call for a new parliament building and additional ministerial buildings among others. This area will, in other words, eventually become the very center of modern Kabul.
[53] At the fountain, the Ministry of Defense (1970) stands to the right (north), the Cartographic Institute (1963) to the left. The
gates to the royal palace described in Tour IV, [13] lie straight ahead. Turn left around the
policeman in front of the palace and return to Pushtunistan Square, passing
the Ministry of Mines and Industries (1963) on your left.
