Chil Zena ‘Forty Steps’,
also Chehel Zina, is a
mountainous outcrop at the western limit of the city of Kandahar. Forty stone steps lead to the top of the outcrop, hence its name. It gives a commanding view on the city of Kandahar.
Chil Zina was located on the northern side of the old citadel of Old Kandahar, destroyed by Nadir Shah Afshar of Persia in 1738. The carving of the staircase was commissioned by the Emperor Babur. Chil Zina later received numerous inscriptions about the conquests of Babur (1526-1530), apparently carved by his son Hamayun.
The original Islamic and Indian architecture used in constructing this arch or porch has given it beauty. The geographical location of this arch is located in a green place and close to the Arghandab River, which has added to the beauty of this historical place. Another name for this arch is “Forty Steps.”
This historical monument, also referred to as “Pish Tagh” by Afghan scholar Farooq Ansari, was built by Zahiruddin Mohammad Babar, the founder of the Babri dynasty 13 Shawwal 928, after the second conquest of Kandahar. It ended in 953 lunar years after a 25-year hiatus.
The fences and shutters on both sides of the shrine were built during the reign of Amanullah Khan and by order of his wife, Queen Suraya. Although this building is not very old in terms of historical records compared to other antiquities of Kandahar, it is a very beautiful area overlooking the river “Arghandab,” and most of the gardens and agricultural fields are spectacular, memorable places.
According to my calculations, in 25 years, 80 stonecutters have completed the work of Zena with different intervals, and there the inscriptions named “Ferdows Makani Babarshah,” “Mirza Kamran,” “Mirza Askari,” and “Mirza Handal” who were the owners of sugar It is written. Because the king was not present, the names of his sons and the owners of Kandahar are engraved.
It is also well known for the discovery of the Indian Emperor Ashoka’s Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription on the mountainside, which is still located on in an open-air compound on the mountainside.
The presence of this inscription at Chil Zina helped confirm the presence of Greek populations in the vicinity in the 3rd century BCE, as well as the extent of Ashoka’s control, which is therefore thought to have incorporated Kandahar and its region of Arachosia.
Saida Ahmadi
Chel Zina, key tourist & cultural area in Afghanistan’s Kandahar
