The Arg ( ps, ارګ; ; ) is the presidential palace of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, located in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. Since the 2021 abolition of the Afghan presidency by the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

, it has served as the meeting place of the

Cabinet of Afghanistan The Cabinet of Afghanistan is the administrative body of the government of Afghanistan, responsible for day-to-day governance and the implementation of policy set by the Leadership. It is headed by the prime minister—who serves as the nation's ...

. The palace sits on a site in

District 2 District 2 may refer to: Places by country *II District, Turku, in Finland * District 2, Düsseldorf, Germany *District 2, Grand Bassa County, a district in Liberia *District 2, an electoral district of Malta *District 2, a police district of Mal ...

, between

Deh Afghanan Deh Afghanan (Pashto/Persian: ده افغانان, meaning ''Village of the Afghans'') is a downtown settlement in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan. It forms part of administrative District 2. It was once a small Pashtuns, Pashtun village that spre ...

and the affluent neighbourhood of

Wazir Akbar Khan Wazīr Akbar Khān (Pashto/Dari: ; 1816-1847), born Mohammad Akbar Khān () and also known as Amīr Akbar Khān (), was an Afghan prince, general, emir for a year, and finally wazir/heir apparent to Dost Mohammad Khan until his death in 1847. ...

; it has historically been used by many Afghan heads of state, from

Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan GCSI (Pashto/Dari: ) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for uniting the country after years of internal fighting and negotiation of the Durand Line Ag ...

(who laid its foundation) to

Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban. Born in ...

. It was built after the destruction of the Bala Hissar in 1880.

History

The foundation of the Arg was laid by

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

in 1880 after assuming the throne. It was designed as a castle with a water-filled trench around it. Abdur Rahman Khan named it ''Arg-e-Shahi'' (Citadel of the King) and included, among other buildings, a residence for his family, an army barracks, and the national treasury. Previously, the Bala Hissar served as the citadel or the headquarters of the emirs until it was destroyed by the

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF ( Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as th ...

during the

Second Anglo-Afghan war The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

(1878–80). The Arg has served as the royal and presidential palace for all of the kings and

presidents President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of Afghanistan.

Hafizullah Amin Hafizullah Amin (Pashto/ prs, حفيظ الله امين; 1 August 192927 December 1979) was an Afghan communist revolutionary, politician and teacher. He organized the Saur Revolution of 1978 and co-founded the Democratic Republic of Afghan ...

also used

Tajbeg Palace Tajbeg Palace ( ps, د تاج بېګ ماڼۍ; fa, قصر تاج بيگ; ''Palace of the Large Crown''), also inaccurately called the Queen's Palace, is one of the palaces in the popular Darulaman area of Kabul, Afghanistan. The stately mansion i ...

as the residence for his family. It has undergone modifications and revitalization under the different rulers. During the 1978 Saur Revolution,

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammed Daoud Khan ( ps, ), also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan (18 July 1909 – 28 April 1978), was an Afghan politician and general who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 Afghan coup ...

and his family were assassinated by members of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) inside the Arg. On 15 August 2021, following the 2021 Taliban offensive and the near seizure of the capital, the Taliban occupied the Arg after president

fled the country purportedly for peace and to avoid bloodshed. The Taliban has since been using the Arg to hold meetings of the

, except those chaired by the leader of the Islamic Emirate, which are held in

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

Construction

The Arg (up to 15 August 2021) consisted of the following: * The ''Gul Khana'', which served as the offices for President

and the President's Protocol Office; * The Offices of the President's Chief of Staff; * The National Security Advisor's building; and the Offices of the Spokesperson to the President. * Offices for the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). * Building for the Administrative Office of the President. * Various buildings for receiving delegations or hosting large meetings.

Gallery

File:210321-D-BN624-1041 (51061554791).jpg, United States Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin Lloyd James Austin III (born August 8, 1953) is a retired United States Army four-star general who, since his appointment on January 22, 2021, has served as the 28th United States secretary of defense. He is the first African American to serv ...

at the palace on March 21, 2021 File:200229-D-AP390-1535 (49603220748).jpg, The front of the palace on February 29, 2020 File:200229-D-AP390-1555 (49603217428).jpg, NATO and Afghan officials in 2020 File:Secretary Kerry Meets With Afghan President Ghani (26300077406).jpg,

Afghan President The president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was constitutionally the head of state and head of government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021) and Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces. On 15 August 2021, as ...

with

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

File:Presidential Palace - panoramio (8).jpg, Overview of the Arg palace and several other palaces and gardens within the complex File:Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai bilateral meeting in Kabul May 1, 2012.jpg,

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and Afghan President

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...

during the May 2012 US-Afghan strategic agreement signing File:Defense.gov photo essay 110604-D-XH843-035.jpg, U.S. Defense Secretary

Robert M. Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush an ...

and Karzai addressing international media in 2011 File:Defense.gov photo essay 100308-D-7203C-010.jpg, Karzai and Robert Gates in 2010 File:Arg, Kabul, 1965.jpg, The Arg entrance in 1965 File:Emir Adb or-Rahman's garden house, Kabul. Wellcome L0025012.jpg, The palace when first built in the 1890s, during the reign of

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Kabul Presidential residences Royal residences in Afghanistan Palaces in Afghanistan

History

Construction

Gallery

See also

References