Bagh-e Babur (Persian: باغ بابر) is an historic park in Kabul, Afghanistan, and also the last resting-place of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The garden is thought to have been developed around 1528 AD (935 AH) when Babur gave orders for the construction of an ‘avenue garden’ in Kabul, described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama.
It was the tradition of Moghul princes to develop sites for recreation and pleasure during their lifetime, and choose one of these as a last resting-place. The site continued to be of significance to Babur’s successors, and Jehangir made a pilgrimage to the site in 1607 AD (1016 AH) when he ordered that all gardens in Kabul be surrounded by walls, that a prayer platform be laid in front of Babur’s grave, and an inscribed headstone placed at its head. During the visit of the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638 (1047 AH) a marble screen was erected around the group of tombs, and a mosque built on the terrace below. There are accounts from the time of the visit to the site of Shah Jahan in 1638 (1047AH) of a stone water-channel that ran between an avenue of trees from the terrace below the mosque, with pools at certain intervals.
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History
An earthquake in 1842 damaged both the garden walls and mosque. Subsequent repairs and development during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan at the end of the 19th century were influenced the European garden tradition. It was either during this period or in the subsequent reign of Amir Habibullah that the pavilion and palace (or haremserai) were built. It was in the 1930s, during the reign of Nadir Shah that the garden was transformed into a public place, with the construction of a large water reservoir, and new planting. By this stage, the flow of water down the central avenue had been replaced by a series of flower gardens around pools with fountains. In the 1980s, a large swimming pool and a greenhouse were constructed, along with new retaining walls which altered the original levels of some terraces.
After 1992, the garden was effectively on the front-line between warring factions who occupied the areas surrounding the site, and damaged the buildings and looted equipment, including the water pumps. Limited repairs were carried out by the UN during the mid-1990s by UNCHS Habitat, while a more comprehensive rehabilitation was initiated in early 2002 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, working with Kabul Municipality, the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Building upon work carried out by IsMEO during the 1970s, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture collaborated with the department of Historical Monuments, the Institute of Archaeology and the German Archaeological Institute to undertake an initial topographical survey of the garden in 2003. Together with archaeological excavation, this has enabled the characteristics of the various historic periods of the site to be established.
Restoration
Following this, a detailed survey of the perimeter walls of the garden, parts of which are thought to date from the late 19th century was undertaken. These are built of a mix of traditional hand-laid earth (pakhsa) and sun-dried bricks on stone foundations - techniques still widely used in rural construction in Afghanistan. After careful documentation, damaged sections of the walls were repaired or re-built between during 2002 and 2004, during which period nearly 100,000 work-days of employment were generated for un/skilled labour.
As part of efforts to ensure an appropriate degree of accuracy in the conservation and rehabilitation works, a range of documentation was identified and reviewed. In addition to specific references to Baghe Babur itself, contemporary accounts of types of trees and arrangements for the distribution of water were reviewed, and advice sought from those who have studied and undertaken rehabilitation work on other Moghul gardens in the region.
Since 2003, the focus of conservation has been on the white marble mosque built by Shahjahan in 1675 to mark his conquest of Balkh; restoration of the Babur’s grave enclosure; repairs to the garden pavilion dating from the early 20th century; reconstruction of the haremserai complex, or Queen’s Palace. In addition, a new caravanserai was built on the footprint of an earlier building at the base of the garden (where the base of a gateway built by Shah Jahan has also been preserved) and a new swimming-pool outside of the garden precinct.
Significant investments have also been made in the natural environment of the garden, taking account the historic nature of the landscape and the needs of contemporary visitors. A system of partially-piped irrigation was installed, and several thousand indigenous trees planted, including planes, cypresses, hawthorn, wild cherry (alubalu - allegedly introduced by Babur from the north of Kabul) and other fruit and shade trees. Based on the results of archaeological excavations, the relationships between the 13 terraces and the network of paths and stairs have been re-established.
Since early 2008, the garden has been managed by the independent Baghe Babur Trust, and has seen a significant increase in visitor numbers. Nearly 300,000 people visited the site in 2008.
Gallery
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 Babur's tomb |
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 Mosque |
External links
Coordinates: 34°30′11″N 69°09′36″E / 34.503°N 69.16°E
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