Must-see attractions in Kabul

  • Afghanistan, Kabul, Kabul Museum

    Kabul Museum

    Kabul

    The Kabul Museum was once one of the greatest museums in the world. Its exhibits, ranging from Hellenistic gold coins to Buddhist statuary and Islamic…

  • TOPSHOT - An Afghan vendor pushes a wheelbarrow after the first snowfall near the old fortress of Bala Hissar in Kabul on December 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR        (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

    Bala Hissar & City Walls

    Kabul

    The old seat of royal power, a fortress has stood on the site of the Bala Hissar since the 5th century AD, and quite possibly before. It sits at the foot…

  • Babur Gardens.

    Babur's Gardens

    Kabul

    Laid out by the Mughal ruler Babur in the early 16th century, and the site of his tomb, these gardens are the loveliest spot in Kabul. At 11 hectares,…

  • KABUL, AFGHANISTAN:  People watch two lions sitting inside the zoo in Kabul, 14 November 2005. Kabul Zoo has a collection of about 500 animals. But a decade of conflict in the 1980s, followed by years of tribal fighting around the Afghan capital, has left the zoo in shambles.    AFP PHOTO / SHAH Marai  (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP via Getty Images)

    Kabul Zoo

    Kabul

    The zoo is a popular place for Kabulis in need of recreation. Western animal lovers might find it more than a little depressing. Visitors are greeted…

  • Sultani Museum

    Kabul

    This private museum in the same grounds as the National Gallery is something of a curiosity. It was set up in 2004 by Ahmad Shah Sultani, a gold trader…

  • Omar Land Mine Museum

    Kabul

    This is a museum that only a country like Afghanistan could host. Run by the Organisation for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), it acts as…

  • Mausoleum of Nadir Shah

    Kabul

    King Nadir Shah was assassinated in 1933, the time-honoured way that most Afghan leaders meet their fate. His monumental tomb sits overlooking east Kabul…

  • European Cemetery

    Kabul

    This cemetery was built in 1879 by the British army for the dead of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The cemetery contains around 150 graves. Most are from…

  • Ka Faroshi Bird Market

    Kabul

    Entering Kabul’s bird market is like stepping back in time a hundred years, to a corner of the city untouched by war or modernisation. Also known as the…

  • National Archive

    Kabul

    Holding over 15,000 documents, the National Archive is housed in a palace built at the end of the 19th century by Abdur Rahman Khan for his son. …

  • Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque

    Kabul

    Called the 'Mosque of the King of Two Swords', the Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque on Kabul river must be one of the most unusual in Islam. Built in the 1920s…

  • Bibi Mahru Hill

    Kabul

    Also called Teppe Bemaru, the low Bibi Mahru Hill overlooks Wazir Akbar Khan. It's popular with some expats living in the district for walking, and has…

  • National Gallery

    Kabul

    The National Gallery contains a mix of historic pictures and paintings by modern Afghan artists. Like Kabul’s other cultural institutions, it didn’t…

  • Mausoleum of Timur Shah

    Kabul

    Timur Shah was the first to make Kabul the capital of a unified kingdom. He died in 1793, but it was another 23 years before his mausoleum was built,…

  • Mausoleum of Abdur Rahman Khan

    Kabul

    The tomb of the 'Iron Amir' sits in Zarnegar Park. Originally a palace, the building has a bulbous red dome atop a whitewashed drum, and fussy decorative…

  • Royal Palace Of Darulaman

    Kabul

    The old Royal Palace Of Darulaman sits opposite the Kabul Museum. Built by Amanullah in the 1920s, in grand European style, the palace is now little more…

  • Ghazi Stadium

    Kabul

    Kabul’s main stadium hosts football matches most Friday afternoons. In the winter months and at Nauroz there are occasional buzkashi matches.