Chihilsitoon Palace, located 4 km south of Babur’s Garden in the Chihilsitoon area in the west of Kabul city, is a symbol of the memories of old Kabul and one of the historical monuments of Afghanistan.
Historic documents are believed to refer to this area as early as the sixteenth century, describing an outpost where Mughal troops were stationed in orchard gardens below a hillside settlement along the Kabul River. The Chihilsitoon Palace was built in 1796 during the reign of King Zaman Sadozai for domestic and foreign guests.
The palace was home of many kings and witnessed important events one of which was the signing of the Durand Line Treaty. The line is the 2,640-km border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s the result of an agreement between Mortimer Durand, a secretary of the British Indian government, and Abdur Rahman Khan, the emir, or ruler, of Afghanistan. The agreement was signed on November 12, 1893, in Kabul. The border has never been recognized in the past 100 years by any governments of Afghanistan.
The palace was damaged during the armed conflict that led to the succession of Nadir Khan (r. 1929–33), but later repaired and reused as a summer palace and state guesthouse. The building was once again transformed during the reign of King Mohammad Zahir Shah (1933–1973) when two squat towers were added and the external facades of the building were modernized.
By the 1960s and 1970s, due to the increasing importance of the building as a place of accommodation for foreign diplomats, the government further invested in adding spaces for receptions, banquets and state dinners.
The Chihilsitoon Palace remained a home for government activity in the 1980s, mainly used to convene press conferences with local and foreign media. During the initial days of the Soviet occupation in 1979–80, the then President Babrak Karmal reportedly took refuge in the Chihilsitoon Palace and was guarded by tanks and anti-aircraft guns.
During the conflict that ensued, the building was targeted and heavily damaged. The site remained unused in the years that followed, and was further destroyed and looted during the conflict in Kabul in the early 1990s.
The renovation work of this palace was finished after three and a half years, and now this palace and its garden have become a public recreation area and anyone can visit it.
Saida Ahmadi
