26 February 2003

Afghanistan Restoring Fabled Babur Gardens

Babur Gardens, once one of the most beautiful landmarks in Kabul, is being rebuilt with help from the U.S. (State Department photo) Larger Image Abdel Wahid, gatekeeper at Babur Gardens for 30 years, remembers when the Kabul landmark had over 100 fruit trees. (State Department photo) Larger Image

Kabul — Perched on a hillside in western Kabul, the Babur Gardens once drew admirers to walk among its almond trees, swim in its pools, and visit the grave and mosque dedicated to Emperor Babur Shah, the founder of the Moghul Empire that ruled India some five hundred years ago.

But, like the ruined neighborhoods that surround it, the Babur Gardens are yet another casualty of the Afghan civil war of the 1990s, and their grandeur now exists only in old photographs and in the memories of Kabul's residents. Almost all of its decorative plants have given way to bare earth, its trees were cut down for fuel, and its structures are marred by bullet holes.

"This was the premier place," said Abdel Wahid, who served as gatekeeper and ticket seller at the site for about thirty years.

"There were 160 trees in this garden. There were fruit trees, especially almond trees and if you would stand at the beginning of the gateway, you could not see the other side of the garden -- that's how tall the trees were," he said.

Some Afghan workers and international donors share a determination to restore the site to its former glory. In September 2002, the U.S. and German embassies in Kabul, as well as the Aga Khan foundation, began funding a local non-governmental organization, the Afghan Developmental and Humanitarian Services (DHSA), to shoulder the task of reconstruction. So far, the United States has given $37,000 to back the effort.

When asked why such a beloved site was destroyed, Abdel Wahid replied, "those who destroyed it were much more educated than me, and you should ask them why this garden was destroyed."

"But this was the front line," he continued. "It was very close to the front line during the fighting, and during the fight, things get destroyed."

Reaching into his pocket, Abdel Wahid pulled out tickets to the gardens that he used to sell to the visitors, explaining that they were twelve years old -- the last time tickets to the site were issued before its destruction.

"I am a public servant," he said. "This is a public garden. I get paid for what I do. And that is my job and that is why I carry the tickets. And if someone wants to get in right now, I'll ask him to pay for the tickets," he added with a laugh. The admission price was two Afghanis per person, he said.

The reconstruction work on the structures is still in its beginning stages. But already, new mud cement walls can be seen around the compound, and the garden's restaurant could be open for business within weeks, according to DHSA workers.

"We want to reconstruct the restaurant, first of all," said Ahmad Kabir, an engineer working on the project. "The American Embassy gave us the funds for this restaurant. We want to reconstruct this restaurant as a historical place. We want to make life as it was before."

As for Abdel Wahid, his hope is to eventually find someone to match his dedication, and take his place as gatekeeper.

"Anyone with a profession wants to go ahead and learn more," he said. "If it's a doctor, he wants to do more than he knows. If it's an engineer, he does the same. My hope is the same. Although my time is gone, hopefully someone else will be found to do what I did, and the country will be peaceful."