Kabol Travel Guide, Afghanistan

Kabol or Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan stands quite low in the list of tourist destinations. Kabul is located on the banks of the River Kabul. The city has been damaged severely in the Taliban wars from 1979 to 2001 that took away the charm of the city. Kabul is now trying to cope up with the losses and head towards development. Today you can come across a good number of shopping malls and handful of towers in the town that speak of its recovery. A new generation of tourists are now looking at Kabul with a different perspective and visiting the destination to explore its cultural and traditional arenas.

Statistics

Area: 4,462 sq Km

Population: 3 million

Monetary unit: Afghani (AFA)

Languages spoken: Persian

Architectural Heritage

Though the city of Kabul has witnessed wars for long there are a good number of heritage sights that still stand proudly speaking of its ancient glory. One of the architectural remains is the Bala Hisar fortress. This fortress is as old as fifth century. Another structure that speaks of the past of city is the ARG Citadel. Dilkosha Palace and Hall of Salutation were great pieces of architecture before being destroyed in heavy bombardments of the war. Couples of mosques like Id Gah Mosque, Shah-Do-Shamshira Mosque, and Sherpur Mosque are examples of great Afghani architectural style. Pul-e Khishti Mosque was built in the 18th century but was reconstructed in 1960s. Hence the mosque is a great blend of modern and traditional architecture of Afghanistan.

Infrastructure and Economy

The infrastructure of the city is quite poor due to the recent disturbances in the region. Recently the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) have taken up the work of reconstructing the disrupted roads of the town. There were a good number of public transport vehicles earlier but the civil war has shattered the public transport system too. The government is making efforts for better transport, housing and sanitation of the citizens. The rate of education in the city has gone down drastically since the schools of the town were used as centers of war activity and hence have been demolished during the war.

Until 1970s, the economic conditions of Kabul were fairly good. Tourism was one of the main industries of the town. Natural gas, cotton, wool, handicrafts, carpets and agricultural goods were the main industries of Kabul. But the economy saw a great setback during the civil war. Nevertheless economy of Kabul is better than any other city of Afghanistan. The markets of Kabul can be seen bubbling with economic activities. The business community of the town has started organizing themselves to carry out trade with rest of the world. The Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce is playing a great role in improving the economy of the region.

People and culture

Kabul owns a multi ethnic and multi cultural facet. The people of Kabul are mainly the natives from Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan who have migrated to the city. Majority of the population in the town is Muslim. Kabul not only owns a rich cultural heritage but also preserves it. The people of Kabul believe in their culture immensely. Glimpses of their culture can be seen clearly in their art, music and festivals.