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Travel Afghanistan with me through my experiences, and vision Afghanistan with me through my photos :)
Showing posts with label tourist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourist. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Bagh e Babur

Bagh e Babur is a large historical park located in Kabul. It is said to be the last resting place of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The gardens are thought to have been developed around 1528 AD, when Babur gave orders for the construction of an "avenue garden", in Kabul. This was described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama.

Like many tourist attractions in Afghanistan, you have to be searched thoroughly before you enter the park. You then enter a beautiful wide open space with bazaars, a rug store (which was gorgeous, however, we were not allowed to take photos of it), and jewelry stalls.

You go a little further, through another security check point (an old man in uniform, a large rod/stick, who sits in a chair and looks at your tickets), to enter the actual park. everything is uphill from there, literally, you climb a beautifully landscaped mountain to the top of the park which has an open white marble masjid (mosque), and a grand restaurant and museum. There are green feilds of fruits trees on both sides of the pathway, and all you can see is families having picnics and old men laying under the shade of not so ripe pomegranite trees and ripe mulberry trees.

Bagh e Babur is a must see attraction in kabul.












Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, otherwise known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali, and Rawze-Sharif in Farsi, is one of the pinnacles of Mazar-e-Sharif. It is one of the reputed burial places of Ali, the cousin and and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is this building that gives Mazar-e-Sharif its name - which means "tomb of the exalted".

You have to take off your shoes at the entrance, and no, not the entrance of the actual shrine, but the place itself...we came at noon and were practically skipping on the white stone floors because of the heat. Other than that, it is a magically beautiful place. We weren't allowed to take photos of the inside, but this little old man who made dua for everyone and read Quran saw my camera and how I was dying to take a picture and he said to me "quickly take a few pictures" I looked around and the other elder men nodded in approval and I quickly took some pictures. Those are the orange stone pictures below. I secretly took a video as well... I'll see if I can upload that later on.

Also,  if you do decide to go, make sure to have lots of change on you because people will be asking for money.