Afghanistan is home to an abundant heritage that can be seen through its historic places. From Bamiyan’s giant Buddhas and Jam’s beautiful Minaret, these landmarks reveal glimpses into Afghanistan’s rich past.
Numerous provinces across the country boast historic sites worth visiting, such as Qala-e Bost, Ghazni, Herat, and Balkh.
Herat Citadel
Herat was once an important trade center on the banks of the Hari Rud River, connecting northward routes from Merv and Bukhara to Iran as well as westbound ones leading towards Nishapur and Constantinople. Additionally, Herat was known as an intellectual hub renowned for its school of miniature painting.
Herat saw its greatest period during Timurid rule between 13th and 15th centuries, when the citadel was transformed into a palace complex, mosque, and Madrasah. Gawhar Shad, Timur’s daughter, left an indelible mark upon Herat by commissioning a religious complex which included her mausoleum.
Herat’s citadel was restored during a time of civil strife in the 1970s, marking its rebirth and showing hope for Afghanistan’s future. Dozens of local craftspeople worked to restore it using grants from both U.S. and German governments; today it serves as home for Afghanistan’s National Museum.
Bagh-e-Babur
Bagh-e-Babur was laid out as Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty, laid it out as his favorite garden and designated it as his final resting place when he died in 1530 along with Gauhar-un-Nissa Begum, his wife. Following its destruction by Abdur Rahman Khan in the late nineteenth century, it underwent various modifications before finally becoming public swimming pool complete with greenhouse and pavilion for Emir Abdur Rahman Khan and later an added greenhouse and public swimming pool were included into its composition.
Shah Jahan enclosed Babur’s tomb, as well as those of some of his male relatives. According to Salome Zajadacz-Hastenrath, this transformation to funerary enclosure was part of Mughal tradition: Islamic gardens or “char baghs”, with religious symbolism that differentiate them from European gardens but which may share certain conceptual or social aspects.
Bamiyan Buddhas
Even after their tragic destruction, Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Buddhas remain an integral part of cultural heritage. Their remains have revealed numerous caves containing wall paintings as well as an 19 meter high reclining Buddha sculpture which shed valuable insight into Buddhist beliefs.
Bamiyan Valley was an epicenter of Buddhist culture in the first millennium C.E. until Islam emerged and replaced it. Cliff-side niches that housed two giant Buddha statues were filled with statues and monastic structures of various kinds, making for an incredible array of statues and monastic structures that stood watch over these niches.
Mullah Omar initially refused to destroy statues during the Taliban regime, citing their potential tourism revenue as justification. Seven months later however, he issued his notorious decree ordering all pre-Islamic art to be destroyed – an action likely driven by religious fanaticism rather than tourism revenue considerations. Furthermore, the destruction of Buddhas represented an attack against world heritage which in turn spoke volumes about their puritanical interpretation of Islam.
Minaret of Jam
The Jama Minaret, constructed of tan-baked bricks decorated with Koranic inscriptions and standing 213 feet high, has withstood floods, climate extremes and even war before being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
This remarkable structure was constructed by the Ghurids, an obscure medieval dynasty that rose from obscurity to dominate much of northern India. Though these Ghurids remain obscure to historians today, work by the Minaret of Jam Archaeological Project (MJAP) is drawing more attention to this underappreciated group of medieval dynasties.
The surface decoration of this tower is an outstanding example of Ghurid period decorative techniques seen previously at Ismaili’s mausoleum at Bukhara (914-943). Decorations include geometric pentagons and hexagons arranged geometrically as well as Kufic inscriptions in turquoise tiles arranged around its base, along with an ascending helicoidal staircase.
