"When the traveller from the south beholds Kabul, its ring of poplars, its mauve mountains where a fine layer of snow is smoking, and the kites that vibrate in the autumn sky above the bazaar, he flatters himself on that he has come to the end of the world. On the contrary, he has just reached its centre."
- Nicolas Bouvier, L'Usage du Monde

Afghanistan's capital city is all bustle and pollution, scarred by war but taking the difficult road to reconstruction. New buildings are everywhere in the centre, but much of the outlying city - home to the majority of Kabulis - is in a ruined or decrepit state. Kabul buzzed as a hippy hang out on the old overland trail, developed a siege mentality during the Soviet War, was half destroyed by the mujahideen, and suffered silently under the Taliban. Now life has returned, and Kabul struggles to return to its old character.

A complete round-up of Kabul's attractions and facilities is outside the scope of this site. Those visiting the city are advised to pick up a copy of the Survival Guide to Kabul. The city centre map in Lonely Planet's Central Asia is probably the most accurate (correcting several errors on the AIMS maps), although the fold-out map in Nancy Dupree's An Historical Guide to Afghanistan is still quite practical. While in Kabul, look out for copies of Afghan Scene magazine, which will help keep you abreast of developments in the expat scene and elsewhere.

Where to Stay and Eat
During the Taliban era, travellers to Kabul were obliged to stay at the Intercontinental Hotel in the western edge of Kabul, and some distance from the city centre. Things are a little better. Probably Kabul's best (and most popular) hotel is currently the Mustapha Hotel on Chahrahi Sadarat at the end of Chicken Street. Rooms cost around US$35 per person with a bathroom, and the hotel has a restaurant, satellite TV and a good bar. There is cluster of hotels between Zarnegar Park and the main post office: the Spinzar Hotel (US$20 with communal bathroom) is the best of these, followed by the Jamil and Zarnegar Hotels across the road (both around half the price of the Spinzar, communal bathrooms). The Kabul Hotel on Pashtunistan Square is currently being renovated by the Aga Khan Foundation

The increase in international in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban has led to an explosion in the numbers of private guest houses, popular with aid workers and journalists and with good security arrangements. These are often run by foreigners or rich Afghans and tend to be found in the Wazir Akbar Khan District. Prices tend to start at US$40 up to around US$100. Recommended guesthouses include the Gandamak Lodge, Chez Ana, Karwansara, Globl Guesthouse and Afghan Garden. The Survival Guide to Kabul has listings and contact details of many good guesthouses.

Due to the downturn in security seen in Kabul since the start of 2005, some hotels previously frequented by independent travellers (notably the Jamil and Zarnegar Hotels) currently refuse to take foreigners as guests.

There are lots of restaurants in Kabul, ranging from simple kebab places to expensive foreign-run joints. For Afghan food, favourites include the Marco Polo and Herat. Spending more monet. Anaar, Deutscher Hof and B's Place are perenially popular. Elbow Room, near the Presidential Palace is a good place for a drink.

Security
Since the fall of the Taliban, security has been reasonable to good, with the large ISAF force providing back-up for the police and Afghan National Army. Since the presidential election in October 2004 there has been a notable deterioration in security and increase in criminality, with a particular impact on the international community. There have been several kidnappings and attempted kidnappings of foreigners, as well as at least one murder. All international organisations now operate restrictive curfews on their staff, and often limit those places (restaurants etc) they may visit off-duty. Non-essential travel for staff is also restricted in many instances.

The security situation is anticipated to remain difficult in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in September 2005.

Transport connections
Kabul has several bus 'terminals' depending on the destination, most of which require a taxi ride to reach. Buses to Jalalabad and Torkham depart from Pul-e Mahmud Khan, near the Id Gah Mosque. Transport to Bamiyan, Ghazni, Kandahar and Herat leaves from Kot-e Sangi (also called Pul-e Socta) in west Kabul, past the university. Transport north departs from Sarai Shomali, on the northern edge of the city. Quicker than buses are HiAce minibuses or places in a shared taxi.

Ariana offer daily flights to Herat, three flights a week to Mazar-e Sharif, and twice weekly to Kandahar, Faizabad, and several other northern cities. Timetables are flexible - check at the Ariana office in Wazir Akbar Khan. Kam Air also operates a daily Kabul-Herat flight, but this was temporarily suspended in spring 2005 following a plane crash.

Seemingly every vehicle in Kabul appears to be a taxi, with fares around the city tending to be around 50Afg.

What to See
"This has been a frustrating time to attempt a guide to Kabul. Many are the paragraphs that have been written only to be deleted because of the sudden disappearance of the subject... should you find yourself directed by the text to note a non-existent object, please know that change is rampant in Kabul today."
- Nancy Hatch Dupree, An Historical Guide to Kabul (1972)

Abdur Rahman Mausoleum
The 'Iron Amir' of Afghanistan is buried in Zarnegar Park near Pashtunistan Square. The building was originally built by Abdur Rahman as a palace, but was converted to a mausoleum by his son Habibullah. The mausoleum is an imitation of classical Moghul architecture verging on parody, with a bulbous red dome sitting atop a whitewashed drum and octagonal, surmounted by tiny minarets. The mausoleum is currently under restoration.

Bala Hissar and Kabul City Walls
Kabul's ancient fortress and seat of power, the foundations of Bala Hissar date back to the White Huns in the 5th Century. The fortress was partially destroyed by General Roberts in 1879 in retaliation for the killing of the British resident Cavagnari that sparked the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Bala Hissar was restored under Abdur Rahman and is now occupied by the Afghan National Army. Entry is forbidden. Kabul's old city walls snake along the hills on the south side of the Kabul river, although exploration is discouraged due to the high risk from landmines.

Pul-e Khishti Mosque
Standing in the centre of old Kabul, the Pul-e Khishti Mosque was originally erected in the late 18th Century, but largely rebuilt under Zahir Shah in the late 1960s. Its can be picked out by its large blue dome but is otherwise architecturally indistinct, a mix of international modern style punctuated with traditional Afghan tiling.

Id Gah Mosque
In some disrepair, the Id Gah ('Prayer Ground') is the focus of for national and religious celebrations, such as prayers during the two Eid Festivals. The mosque was consecrated during the reign of Abdur Rahman, and was the spot chosen by Amanullah to announce Afghanistan's independence following the short-lived Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. The Id Gah Mosque is close to the National Stadium, and the area outside its large enclosure is commonly used as a lorry park for trucks transporting goods to and from Peshawar.

Shah-Do-Shamshira Mosque
Built in the 1920s on the site of a mosque dating back to the 16th Century, the Shah-Do-Shamshira Mosque is an architectural disaster. A two-storied structure in yellow, decorated with Italianate stucco, giving an effect that could be described as 'Afghan Baroque'. The name- the Mosque of the King of Two Swords- relates to the Arab conquest of Kabul, and the legendary death of a general fighting the Hindu defenders. Wielding two scimitars, the general led his troops to victory, despite having been beheaded in an earlier battle. The mosque sits on the north bank of the Kabul River facing the Mausoleum of Timur Shah.

Mausoleum of Timur Shah
Timur Shah inherited a unified Afghan kingdom from his father Ahmed Shah Durrani on 1772, and moved the capital from Kandahar to Kabul. His mausoleum (built in 1816) is an octagonal red brick structure, surmounted by a plain brick drum and shallow dome. A small park surrounds the mausoleum, now denuded of its trees and the site of a cloth market. The mausoleum was damaged during the civil war and is being by the Aga Khan Foundation, leading to disputes with the several hundred stall holders who have demanded compensation for being moved to an alternative site.

Babur's Gardens
The founder of the Moghul Empire, Babur, loved Kabul and left instructions to be buried in the city on his death in 1530. The gardens (Bagh-e Babur) were laid out in classical Moghul-style in a series of hillside terraces by Babur himself and have always been popular with picnicking Kabulis, although they were much damaged during the factional fighting in south-west Kabul in the mid 1990s. Halfway up the terracing is a wooden summer pavilion of Abdur Rahman, and above this a fine white mosque built by Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal) in 1640. Babur himself lies beneath a small marble gravestone dedicated by the Moghul emperor Jahangir. His wife and daughter are buried on the terrace above. The gardens are currently being restored, and are well worth a visit. The top of the terrace gives great views west of Kabul.

Darulaman Palace and the Kabul Museum
In the early 20th Century, Amanullah built a new palace on the south-west outskirts of Kabul at Darulaman, and would drive his Rolls Royce down the 4km avenue to the city. The palace is an emblem of the destruction visited on Kabul during the civil war, and the stands broken and devastated by artillery. In front of Darulaman Palace is the Kabul (National) Museum, which suffered even more greatly in the war. The museum was regularly on the frontlines of different factions, and was comprehensively looted, pillage that continued under the Taliban. In early 2001 an edict by Mullah Omar led to the destruction of almost all items with figurative representation, from painted bowls to Gandharan Buddhist sculpture. Once one of Asia's greatest museums, it is thought that around three-quarters of its stock has been stolen or destroyed. The Kabul Museum has undergone restoration with the help of UNESCO, and opened with limited exhibits in mid-2004.

Kabul Zoo
Depressing to visit by western standards, Kabul Zoo provides popular recreation for Kabul's citizens. The animal exhibits are few - two lions recently donated by China (replacing the late one-eyed Marjan, the zoo's most famous resident), a bear, and a collection bored-looking macaques, wolves, deer and birds of prey. Most bizarre are the large cages of rabbits. The zoo is on the edge of west Kabul, and the devastation of that part of the city is a stark counterpoint to state the of the animals inside.

Chicken Street
Chicken Street has long been a focus for Kabul's tourists- from the hippy hang-out of Ziggy's Hotel in the 1960s to the return of international workers following the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. The street (signed in English) is lined with handicrafts shops, selling everything lapis lazuli and carpets to Herati glass and Uzbek embroidery. The presence of large numbers of international workers since the fall of the Taliban has meant a long-awaited return of business for the Chicken Street merchants; haggling is essential. The eastern end of Chicken Street turns in to Flower Street, with many pastry shops and several selling imported western food and pirate DVDs.

Pashtunistan Square
Pashtunistan Square is the centre of the modern part of Kabul. A large (dry) fountain in the centre once commemorated Afghan support for Pashtunistan - a crag of boulders with a flagpole flying the emblem of Pashtunistan- a yellow sun rising over a blue mountain range on a field of red. Pashtunistan Square used to be a popular meeting place for both locals and tourists, the famous Khyber Restaurant on the south side of the square has recently reopened.

Sherpur Mosque
The mosque is at Chahrari Haji Yaqub on the edge of the Sherpur and Shahr-e Nau districts. The external blue tiling on the facade were produced at Herat's Friday Mosque tile workshop. The mosque was only built in 1957, and is referred to locally as the Masjid-e Haji Yaqub. The identity of Haji Yaqub himself is unclear.

European Cemetery (Kabre Ghora)
The Sherpur district was used by the British army as a cantonment during their occupation of Kabul in the late 1870s. The cemetery contains the graves of several British soldiers killed during the subsequent war (the gravestones are set in the right-hand wall of the cemetery, plus many of Kabul's European residents up to the 1970s. Kabre Ghora's most famous resident is the Silk road archaeologist Aurel Stein. Best known for his excavations in China in the 1930s, Aurel Stein was obsessed with Alexander the Great for his whole career but was always denied permission to dig for Greek remains in Afghanistan by the authorities, who favoured French archaeologists. He finally gained an invitation to Kabul in 1943 at the age of 82, but contracted pneumonia on arrival and died several days later. More recent additions to the cemetery are memorials raised by various national contingents of ISAF to fallen soldiers. A donation for upkeep to the cemetery guardian Rahimullah is recommended.

Kolola Pushta
The fort of Kolola Pushta overlooks the Sherpur and Shahr-e Nau districts of Kabul, sitting on a round hill that gives the fort its name. An important garrison and armoury for the Afghan army, its capture in December in 1928 by the Tajik rebel Bach Saqao led to the fall of Kabul and overthrow of Amanullah. The fort is still garrisoned.

Shahrara Tower
The Shahrara Tower stands on another of Kabul's hills, close to Kolola Pushta. The fort was built by Abdur Rahman on the site where he watched the departure of the British forces from Kabul in 1880. The forces of Bacha Saqao ruined the fort in 1928 on his capture of the city. The fort is closed to visitors but the hill it sits on, with its small cemetery, offers good views of Kabul.