Description of the attraction
Babur's Gardens, or Bag-e-Babur Historical Park, are located in Kabul. It was the favorite resting place of the first Mughal king Babur, which became his last refuge.
The gardens, according to the memoirs of the ruler himself, were laid out around 1528 by his order. It was the tradition of the Mughal princes to equip places for recreation and entertainment during their lifetime, in order to choose one of them as a posthumous asylum. Babur's heir visited his grave in 1607, after which he ordered to surround all the gardens in the city with walls and to lay a prayer platform before the burial of the ancestor. During a visit to the park by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, a marble frame was installed around the necropolis and the mosque on the lower tier. There is also information about the construction of a stone water channel and fountains at the same time.
The work, carried out by order of Shah Jahan, marked the beginning of the transformation of the Bagh-e-Babur gardens into a cemetery for dignitaries. According to the recollections and sketches of one of the British soldiers, in 1832 the park was in some desolation, and the necropolis was in poor condition, although the delicate work and stone carving were still graceful. At that time, the gardens of Babur were not monitored, and the stones from the fence were dismantled by local residents for their needs.
In 1880, new structures appeared in the complex: Amir Abdur-Rahman created here a gazebo and a house for his wife, Bibi Halim. In 1933, the park area was redesigned, pools and fountains were added, and the place became a center for walks and recreation of the townspeople. In the late 1970s, a modern greenhouse and swimming pool were built. The stone burials of Babur Park have completely collapsed, but the garden is still one of the main significant sights.
Over the past few years, significant efforts have been made to renovate the park. The outer walls were examined and restored from authentic materials, new trees (cherry, cypress and pomegranate) were planted, the royal palace was restored. After careful excavations and surveys, terraces and paths were erected according to Babur's original plan, many other historical buildings were restored or rebuilt, which attracted visitors to Bag-e-Babur.
