Kabul has been the land of kings, princes and rulers of several areas. Situated on the bank of river Kabul, this city has a great geo strategic importance. In fact it was considered to be a gateway to the subcontinent. The city holds the privilege of having a very rich history yet due to the severe bruises caused by the war on terror in the recent years, tourism has been badly affected. Majorly this decline is attributed to poor infrastructure and high security issues. However, since the last two years the situation has somewhat positively changed. With much improved law and order conditions, now you can dream to plan a trip to this rich culture but definitely at your own risk. Here we go with a brief introduction of the splendors of Kabul.
Gardens of Babar are one of the famous picnic spots in the city. Spreading over a very large area, these gardens were originally built by Babar - the first ruler of the famous Mughal dynasty. His tomb is also located in these gardens and you can also view the entire city of Kabul from the terrace of the gardens.
Kabul museum also known as Afghan National Museum is an amazing place to get familiar with the region’s history. It was opened for public in 1920 and has a huge collection of valuable and unique artifacts representing the Afghan and Central Asian history. This museum also preserves a lot of treasures and artifacts that once belonged to the rulers of the region. Central Asian history had been influenced by Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Indian civilization and these artifacts testify this very fact. Quite sadly, the museum is also among the victims of terrorism activities. It was bombarded in 1993 as a result of which a great number of its valuable possessions got destroyed. However, in 2004, UNESCO collaborated with Afghan Government and re-opened the place after renovation.
Bala Hisar fortress has been the land mark of the city's defense. This fort was originally built in early fifth century and for centuries served as a strong defensive shield for Kabul. The fort was partially destroyed by General Roberts and nowadays it is controlled by the Afghan Army. Entry of civilians in the fort is restricted but you can still see a number of parts of the fort.
There are a lot of mosques and mausoleums situated in the city. If you get a good guide he will take you to mountains where drawings of Buddha were carved centuries ago. Kabul Zoo, which nowadays is controlled by Chinese government, also deserves to be visited. Other than the above described places, a lot of other places of historic importance are also located in Kabul that you might find worth watching.