Paghman and Kargha Lake
One and a half hour tour, minimum.
Kabul-Paghman: 20 km; 10 mi; 20 min.
Petrol: Koti Sangi (Tour III, [28]); On road to
Kargha Lake which begins at the Polytechnic Institute (Tour III,
[25]).
Refreshments:
Paghman: Bahar Cafe, Bahar Hotel gardens, kabab.
Kargha: Spoojmay Restaurant, full course Afghan and Western meals, tea and cakes, etc.
Accommodations:
Paghman: Bahar Hotel
Kargha: Camping; villas for rent near restaurant.
[1] The Emperor Babur described Paghman as "one of the most desirable places in Kabul" in the 16th century and it is still
regarded as such. Each Friday during the summer, scores of the holiday-minded from the city pour into this village to picnic in its numerous gardens. The more affluent retire to the seclusion
of small villas they have built in ever-increasing numbers during the past few years. During the week, however, all is quiet; an idyllic change from shopping and sightseeing.
Paghman is thickly blanketed with snow during the winter and very beautiful, but little is open.
[2] There are two roads to Paghman, both paved. One begins at Koti Sangi and is described below in paragraphs
3-4; the other which passes by Kargha Lake is discussed in paragraphs 16-18. This discussion takes you up to
Paghman from Koti Sangi and returns via Kargha.
[3] Half way between Koti Sangi and Paghman you pass through the village of Khwaja Mosafer, the Place of the Holy Pilgrim,
named for a pilgrim who settled here and gained a reputation for great holiness. Near his shrine there is another called the Ziarat-i-Shah-o-Aros, the shrine of the Bride and Groom.
According to legend, a young couple was celebrating their wedding in the gardens around the holy man's tomb when word reached them of an approaching enemy. The bride prayed that she
and her loved-one might die before the enemy captured them, whereupon they were both instantly turned to stone. You may see numerous pennants flying above these shrines, on your right.
[4] Soon after leaving Khwaja Mosafer, one notes a distinct change in the atmosphere, a cool crispness in the air, the absence of dust, which reminds one that
Paghman is 2200 meters (7717 ft.) above sea level, 403 meters (1817 ft.) above Kabul. Entering the village of
Paghman, one arrives at the Central Square. Left over bridge just below this square and left again, downhill to:
King Amanullah's race course, and the village of Beg Tut where Amir Habibullah (r. 1901-1919) had a summer palace which was used as a TB Sanitorium during King Amanullah's reign.
A Victory Arch built by King Amanullah as a memorial to the great achievement accomplished by those who fought and died in the War of Independence in 1919, stands in the middle of
the Central Square. A symbol of Afghanistan's resurrection, the arch was built after the King and Queen returned from a seven-month tour of Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Russia and Persia.
[5] Continue up the hill to a second square where you will find a monument commemorating the birth of King Amanullah (r. 1919-1929) in
Paghman. King Amanullah made this hillside village his summer capital and many public buildings and palaces were built here under his
auspices. The nobility followed his example and built elaborate villas in the middle of large, well-kept gardens which were open to public view; for a royal decree forbade any walls. You will
note several of these villas along this route though some are hidden now by recently built walls. Others are in crumbling disrepair for Paghman
became distinctly unfashionable after King Amanullah was forced into exile in 1929. Paghman became the symbol of his unpopular
modernization schemes, lavish spending and western orientation and the new regime hesitated from any association with it. The natural beauty and the pleasant climate could not be denied,
however, and, Paghman began to regain its popularity very gradually about eight years ago.
[6] One of the largest public buildings built by King Amanullah was the Paghman Hotel, recently reopened as the Babar Hotel, just below the upper square. You may rest on the
benches under magnificent old trees standing in the garden of the hotel and enjoy a few skewers of kabab with tea and nan if you wish. Or you may prefer the open-air teahouse
on the square.
[7] The road forks at this square. Take right fork. Road to left beside the river leads to the elaborate little theater which was set on fire in 1929 during the Bacha Saqao
rebellion against King Amanullah. Taking the right fork you will note a large red building on the left which is a mosque built in the characteristic style of the Amanullah period.
It stands on the lower-most edge of Bagh-i-Umumi (Public Garden) which was laid out under the king's enthusiastic supervision. On the center terrace there is a two-storied cafe, several
fountains, and a bandstand where the band used to play every afternoon during the busy social season.
[8] Below the cafe, on the terrace just above the mosque, there is a natural amphitheatre, its seats now covered with grass. Parliament sat here in August, 1928. In the parking
lot above the amphitheatre, you may still see a large stone roller which was pulled by elephants in leveling and preparing these gardens. Elephants were to be found in considerable numbers in
Kabul up to the time of the Bacha Saqao rebellion. They were used for hauling and on ceremonial occasions when they were gaily bedecked with gilt trappings. They were also credited with having saved
Kabul during a great fire in 1908 by speedily demolishing all the houses in the vicinity.
[9] Many lovely villas on spacious estates, including that of His Majesty's uncle, H.R.H. Marshal Shah Wali Khan Ghazi, Victor of Kabul, line the road beyond the Bagh-i-Umumi.
Sardar Shah Wali was the first to lead his lashkar (tribal levies) into Kabul against Bacha Saqao on the 10th of October, 1929 (for which he received the title of Victor of Kabul.) The
graded road ends just beyond his estate, at the entrance of His Majesty King Zahir Shah's Paghman Palace, hidden from view behind high walls to the right at the top of the hill. Here the road
deteriorates, but if you have a sturdy car, you may continue for another kilometer or so (about 10 min.) to Darra (The Valley), passing two fine villas of the Amanullah period on the way. The
first, standing beside the walls of His Majesty's estate, was the home of King Amanullah's mother. The second very elaborate building standing in a grove of mulberry trees unfettered by any
walls, was the home of the King's brother, King Inayatullah who ruled for three days after King Amanullah left Kabul in mid-January, 1929.
[10] A small square building with a pillared veranda sits on a lower terrace across from these villas. Here King Habibullah (r. 1901-1919), the father of King Amanullah, finally met with
members of a Turco-German Mission come to persuade him to align Afghanistan with the Central Powers and break relations with Britain. The Mission arrived in Kabul on the 26th of September,
1915, but they were kept in almost total isolation in their quarters in the haremserai at Babur's Gardens until October when the Amir
finally consented to a meeting in Paghman. He had already declared the neutrality of Afghanistan and he continued to abide by his word
through artful diplomacy until the Mission left in May, 1916, empty handed. This took considerable courage for the tribesmen called the Amir a kafir (infidel) for not joining in a
jihad (holy war) with the Ottoman Empire against the infidel British. Furthermore, a powerful "war party" was present at his court consisting of such eminent personalities as:
Nasrullah, the Amir's brother; the Amir's two sons, Inayatullah (afterwards King Inayatullah, 1929) and Amanullah (afterwards King Amanullah, 1919-1929); General Nadir Khan (afterwards King
Mohammad Nadir Khan, 1929-1933); and his illustrious adviser-diplomat, Mahmud Beg Tarzi, father of Amanullah's wife (afterwards Queen Souriya).
[11] Turning from the machinations of history to the beauty of nature, the road bends to the right, leaving all these buildings behind and heads for the mountains. Willows nod by the
river on the left, farmers plow their fields, and a village perches picturesquely on the mountainside to the right. On any Friday during the summer, you need not look for the entrance to
Darra (The Valley) for cars, taxis, lorries and buses line the road these days, a new phenomena which speaks of Kabul's growing affluence and of a tremendous increase in vehicles over
the past few years. A word of caution: to avoid the traffic jams which frequently occur on the bad portion of the road, leave Darra an hour or more before dusk, around 4 p.m. at the latest.
On any other day except Friday, watch for a small building on the left with a clearing or "parking lot" in front, and pull in here. You need not worry about going too far out of your way,
however, for the road, such as it is even, ends abruptly just beyond.
[12] The gardens of Darra have been left in a natural state for the most part, except for an occasional grassy plot bordered with flowers. The huge old trees beckon picnickers and on
Friday you will find whole families enjoying the fresh air and beautiful surroundings. Afghans love to spend time with nature; their literature is full of references to the joys of
such relaxing outings. They come well-prepared and spread out rugs, thin mattresses and pillows under the trees and settle in comfortably. Pressure cookers soon begin to hiss and delicious
odours rise, while villagers pass around with baskets filled high with the fruits for which Paghman has long been famous. Many cherry
trees grow in the vicinity and in July, the trees bend low with this luscious fruit introduced to Kabul from Ferghana in Central Asia by the Emperor Babur in the 16th century.
[13] A teahouse serves tea to those who come without stoves and cooking pots; candy sellers do a brisk business; others call out to children and adults alike, urging them to try
their luck in a game of chance. Some try their hand at bursting balloons with a rifle, others try to ring coins with hoops so light it takes a deft wrist to win. The most ancient game is
probably tokhm jangi or egg fighting. The player selects a number of eggs dyed bright red and piled high on a basket, lines them up and bets he can crack the tops of most of them.
Holding an egg cupped in one hand with just the top showing, he holds it out for his opponent to tap with another egg. If the opponent's egg cracks first, he holds another one for the
player to tap and so on until the line is finished. The one who cracks the most eggs is the winner. Skill is needed to know just how to hold the egg and just how hard to tap; luck is
needed to select an egg with the hardest shell. All in all, a happy carefree atmosphere pervades this garden on Fridays, echoed by the burbling icy-clear stream flowing through its center.
[14] There is another large garden called the Tapa or King's Garden below the central square with the Victory Arch. Facing downhill, toward Kabul with your back toward the
Arch, take the road on the left, away from the river. Half a mile beyond the square, turn right on lower of two roads.
[15] Compared to Darra, the Tapa gardens are formal. Stately trees shadow well-kept terraced lawns and flowerbeds beside large fountains; arcades grace the lower terrace from which
one may look down upon the Kargha Lake and Kabul spread out at the foot of the Sulaiman Mountains which recede into the distance, range
upon range. On the opposite side from the car park, steps lead down to a large swimming pool on the terrace in front of another palace belonging to His Majesty. The gardens continue from
here in a more natural state, dotted here and there with artificial lakes and ponds. His Majesty has opened these gardens to the public and you may also picnic here.
[16] Return to the main road where you turned off to visit the Tapa. Turn right, and continue downhill toward Kabul past thick stands of poplars and the Forest Nursery, through a
picturesque country landscape of wheat and clover fields edged with poplars, villages and qala (typical walled village residences). The road curves around the end of
Kargha Lake, pierces a miniature pass, and descends steeply. Take first left after the pass, a very sharp left, to visit the Spoojmay
(Moonlight) Restaurant on the shores of the lake. Swimming facilities are provided and there are motor boats for hire. A trout-fishing license may also be obtained. Additional sports
facilities are planned for the future. The mountains encircling the lake take on a special aura toward sunset, turning into looming guardian silhouettes against the fading sky. If you stay
until dawn, the effect is even more entrancing as the huge silhouettes slowly appear out of the complete darkness.
[17] As you return to the road to Kabul, you will note thousands of little evergreens on the barren hillsides, planted during the term of Mohammad Daoud Khan, cousin of His Majesty, who
served as Prime Minister from 1953-1963. Kargha and the forestation of the hills around it was one of his most cherished projects. The new Golf Club
is located at the end of the dam just above the new Golf Course which spreads over the hollow at the foot of the dam. The trout hatchery established by the People's Republic of Bulgaria
is also located here.
[18] Beyond the Golf Course there is a military garrison hidden in the trees on the left, but the country landscape predominates
until one passes the petrol station on the right and a military housing development and the Polytechnic Institute Tour III, [25] on the left. The
peaceful villages and fields on the right are soon to disappear, according to the city development plans which allot 35 square kilometers in the area to the Khushal Khan Mina residential section
Tour III, [27].
More photos of Paghman and Qargha Lake:
