BABUR'S GARDENS: BAGH-E-BABUR

These are undoubtedly the most beautiful gardens in Kabul. Conceived at the beginning of the 1842 th century, under the Mughal king Babur, damaged by a terrible earthquake in, the gardens of Babur were restored by the Amir Abdur Rahman in the Islamic tradition of the gardens. The communists dug a swimming pool there. In 2002, AKDN (Aga Khan Development Network) began the rehabilitation of Babur gardens. AKDN covers, among other things, the restoration of the walls and palace of the Queen, the restoration of irrigation canals, tree and lawn planting.

By entering the gardens, the summer pavilion was built by the Amir Abdur Rahman. The portico dominates the terraced gardens of 11 ha. In addition, the small marble mosque was built by the Mughal Empereur Shah Jahan (the Taj Mahal builder in India) in 1646 to celebrate the seizure of Balkh.

Here lies Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. His grave is on a terrace overlooking the mosque. He was the one who asked that he be buried here. He died in 1530 and his wishes were fulfilled. As he had desired, his tomb is modest, so that only the sun can enter it. At the time of his death, Babur was in Agra. It had to wait nine years for his body to be transferred to Kabul on the initiative of his wife. The graves surrounding him shelters members of his family.