Babur's Garden from the Pavillion

Babur's Garden from the Pavillion, originally uploaded by maigemu.

According to researchers, the Bagh-e-Babur gardens were laid out between 1504 and 1528. They were damaged by an earthquake in 1842 which ruined many parts of Kabul. The gardens were restored by the Afghan ruler Amir Abdur Rahman in the late 18th century and again by King Nadir Shah in the 1930s.

But both men were influenced by European gardens and the Islamic tradition of the garden was ignored. Later the gardens became a public playground with the construction, during Communist rule, of a swimming pool.

A multi-year renovation project will restore the shrine and mosque according to their original design, and if feasible the pavilion, which was severely damaged, then partially restored. Neighbourhood residential dwellings will be rehabilitated, and the gardens replanted with trees, flowers and other ornamentation appropriate to Moghul tradition.
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