Glories of old Kabul emerge from decades of war - and trash
KABUL, Thomson Reuters Foundation, November 27 - Kabul is rising from the ashes, shedding decades of war and mountains of trash to rebuild its pummelled culture. It's no small job. When restoration began in the Old City, some locals had moved their 'front door' to the second storey, so high were the heaps of garbage piled against their homes.
Today, more than a decade on, dozens of mud and wood courtyard homes have been restored in the historic Murad Khani district, and locals throng its narrow alleys and weave through its once decimated bazaar of food stalls and shops. In a city brimming with security checkposts and newbuilds, old mosques, community bath houses and gardens have come back to life, drawing visitors and locals alike.
“The preservation of cultural heritage is important, and is far more valuable than converting Kabul into a sterile, glass-and- steel city,” said Pietro Calogero, a professor of urban studies at the San Francisco State University.
“Monuments and cultural heritage are integral to the political effort to win the loyalty of the Afghan people.” Forty years of war, from the Soviet occupation of the 1980s to internal strife and Taliban rule, have destroyed much of Afghanistan's prized art, artefacts and architecture.
When the Taliban government was ousted in 2001, restoring monuments and historic neighbourhoods was a low priority, given the urgent need for essentials from roads to sewer lines. So non-profits - including the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and Britain's Turquoise Mountain Foundation (TMF) - stepped into the void.
“The restorations instilled a sense of pride in the local community,” said AKTC general manager Luis Monreal, who credits the build with also creating homes, jobs and tourism. “Far more than a programme of historic preservation, the work has sought to contribute to the lasting redevelopment of the economy, society and culture of the country,” he said.