Arg of Kabul

The Arg of Kabul (Arg-e-Shahi, "Citadel of the King") is a walled, moated citadel of about 34 hectares in District 2 of central Kabul, between the old quarter of Deh Afghanan and the affluent neighbourhood of Wazir Akbar Khan. It has served as the seat of every Afghan ruler since its construction in the 1880s — kings, presidents, and heads of state down to Ashraf Ghani.[1][2]

Construction

The Arg was built after the Bala Hissar, the old royal fortress on the south side of the city, was destroyed by British-Indian forces during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Amir Abdur Rahman Khan ordered construction after taking the throne in 1880, designing it as a castle with a water-filled moat. The Kabul Municipality gives preparation from AH 1299 (1881–82) and construction beginning AH 1300 (1882–83). The earliest building, Koti Baghche, was completed around AH 1304 (1886–87).[1][2]

The compound housed the royal residence, family quarters, an army barracks, and the national treasury. Successive rulers added palaces and offices, making it the administrative and ceremonial heart of the Afghan state.[1]

The compound

Notable structures within the walls include the Salam Khana, a single- level ceremonial reception hall about 120 by 40 metres with a classical façade; the Gulkhana Palace, which served as presidential offices under the Islamic Republic; and the Delgosha Palace, built under Amir Habibullah Khan. There are also the Chahar Chinar Palace, the Haram Srai (the royal residence), the Stone Palace, the Arg Mosque, the Arg Library, and four defensive towers. Related royal residences outside the main walls — Bostan Saray, Golestan Saray, and Zein-ul-Amarat — now host ministries and other offices.[1]

Major events

On 27–28 April 1978, President Muhammad Daud Khan and most of his family were killed inside the Arg (in the Gulkhana Palace) by military officers of the Khalq faction of the communist PDPA, in the coup known as the Saur Revolution. The coup brought the communist Democratic Republic to power.[1][3]

During the civil war of 1992–96, after President Najibullah's fall, the Arg was damaged and looted by the factional fighting that devastated Kabul. On 13 November 2001, Northern Alliance forces entered Kabul and took the Arg after the Taliban withdrew without a fight.[1][4]

More recently the Arg has been the target of attacks: a Taliban ambulance bomb near Sidarat Square killed around a hundred people in January 2018, and Taliban rockets were fired at the palace during President Ghani's Eid al-Adha speech in August 2018.[1][5][6]

Present day

On 15 August 2021, Taliban forces occupied the Arg after Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Since the presidency was abolished, the Arg serves as the seat of the Taliban's Cabinet of Afghanistan; meetings of the Supreme Leader are instead held in Kandahar.[1][7]

Sources

  1. Arg, Kabul — Wikipedia
  2. Arg (Citadel) of the Presidential Office — Kabul Municipality
  3. Saur Revolution — Wikipedia
  4. Northern Alliance takes Kabul — The Guardian
  5. Kabul attack: Taliban kill 95 with ambulance bomb — BBC
  6. Rockets fired at Afghan presidential palace during Eid speech — The Guardian
  7. 3-Day Cabinet Meeting Held in Kandahar — TOLOnews