Bala Hisar Fort reconstruction survey begins; New park to be built in Kabul

Bala Hisar

Hamidullah Sarwary, the Director of Information and Culture, told Pajhwok Afghan News, that a reconstruction survey of the old Bala Hisar Fort in southern Ghazni province is currently underway. A project to restore the Fort will begin shortly after the survey is completed, and the millions it is expected to cost is being paid for by the Aachen University of Germany.

According to archeologist and engineer Ghulam Muhammad Zia Rawan, “Bala Hisar and Qala Ghaznian were important centers of the Ghaznavid era. The forts once housed the old city of Ghazni.” The Fort sits at the tail end of the Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza mountain and was the site of some of the bloodiest fighting during the two Anglo-Afghan wars. The Fort was also where Shah Shuja, one of Afghanistan’s kings held court.

Steeped in such history, this Fort is one of Afghanistan’s cultural and historical gems and is currently in a state of severe disorder due to more than three decades of war. In fact, four months ago, one of the towers of the Bala Hisar Fort collapsed, causing people to complain about the “lack of attention to historical sites by the authorities concerned.” Restoring this Fort will help to preserve the history and architecture of old Afghanistan for many more generations of people from Afghanistan and from all over the world to enjoy and to learn from.

In other reconstruction news, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said on Sunday that they are funding a project to be carried out by the Kabul Municipality to build a new park in the 11th district of Kabul, Khair Khana. Both Pajhwok Afghan News and Wakht News Agency has reported that this park will take three months to build and will be named the, “Bibi Sarwary Park.” This new park will be built next to the Bibi Sarwary Sangari High School. When finished, it will help to provide a, “green space to filter air pollution and a place for students to enjoy.”

The Kabul Municipality said that this will not be the only park to be built in the near future, and that they are responding to the citizens’ demands for more open spaces, and more recreational areas for people to enjoy. The Kabul Municipality also said that with the funding from the USAID’s Kabul City Initiative Project, they will build a safety wall around the park’s perimeter, and also add, sidewalks, and solar lighting facilities. Other additions will include guard and maintenance rooms, installation of a gate, irrigation for the park, playground equipment, as well as trees, shrubs and flowers.

August 7, 2011 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Cultural Heritage, Environmental Issues, Reconstruction and Development