The last time I was in Kabul I didn’t really have time to get out and tour around the city much. Luckily, our PSD was kind enough to take us around to the sites and show us the town. I saw a great deal of the city just running my errands to meetings throughout the city, but never an all encompassing overview.
Just like any other metropolitan city, street vending is big business. Watermelons are in season, and just about every other produce vender had stacks of them. I even saw a taxi cab filled completely to the roof with a load of melons, probably transporting them for a farmer.
The gentleman in the second picture is peddling boiled corn on the cob. The street food here is primarily fresh produce. I occasionally saw and ice cream vendor here or there, but not often. Too bad we don’t have fresh food like this readily available off city streets in the States.
A mountain range approximately cuts Kabul through the center. Our driver took us to the top where a massive complex of radio, TV and cell antennae perched.
On the accent, I saw all manner of ingenious architectural design, probably dating back to the bronze age.
Halfway up the mountain you can see Kolola Pashtu. A military garrison that was instrumental in a revolution in the late 1920s.
Descending down the other side of the mountain, Hazrat Iman Ali shrine can be seen nestled within a massive cemetery. Afghanistan is dirt poor and most families cannot afford an elaborate headstone for their departed loved ones, so it’s very common to see nondescript flagstone grave markers. This gravesite and mosque belong to the Hazara ethnic group, believed to be descendants from Mongolia.
Near the shrine is a market selling snack food and other convenience items. I was very intrigued by the playground equipment. I think there might be a small community carnival planned.
Every once in a wile a convoy carrying expats can be seen on a movement through the various neighborhoods, in varying configurations of hardware. This convoy consisted of several up armored trucks. Looks like they blew a tire and are in the process of changing it. The PSD moving their client look a little on edge with the whole ordeal.
I wonder how my motorcycle safety course instructor would feel about this picture?
When I was downtown yesterday, I noticed a guy pulling a cart similar to this. Every few steps he would sing out something in Dari (the local language). I noticed most of everything he had in his cart was metal, so I’m guessing he was a metal recycler. This guy is likely a waste scavenger as well, which is big business in Afghanistan. You can bet there is nothing of value in an Afghan landfill. If it can be reused, it will.
One highlight of the outing was seeing the Darul Aman Palace. It was built in the early 20s, and surrounded by large lush gardens (now just dusty lots). The structure has seen a lot of turbulence and restoration since being built. Its been ravaged by fires and damaged during the Soviet invasion. Almost all the damage here is from small arms fire and shelling by factional fighting with the Mujahideen.
It currently serves as a sort of open museum, visited by whoever wants to walk in and take a tour of it. unfortunately, my PSD wasn’t allowed to let us enter the structure for security reasons, so I only got to see the outside.
I can only imagine what these gardens looked like during the glory days.
ANP (Afghan National Police) can be seen at almost every major intersection.
Below is the Mausoleum of Mohammad nadir Shah, one of the Afghan Kings in the 20s and 30s.
Near the Shah Mausoleum were some Buskashi athletes making a little money by letting people ride their horses for a nominal fee. Buskashi is an equestrian sport that involves several horsemen dragging around a dead goat and pitching it in a goal. It’s a little rodeo, polo, and basketball all rolled into one, but with a dead goat. I hear there are efforts to make this the national sport of Afghanistan. In all honestly, I’d love to see one of these games.
After watching the Buskashi players show off their skills, we went to a restaurant, had some lunch and headed back to our compound. Overall, a nice day off in Kabul.
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