Chihilsitoon ( fa, چهلستون, meaning "Forty Columns"), also spelled Chehel Sutoon, Chelsutoon, Chihil Sutun or Chihilsutoon, is an area in southern
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 #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
, Afghanistan, part of District 7.
History
It is named after the Chihilsitoon Palace, a garden and
pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings:
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
that was originally built at the same location by then-Emir
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 Lin ...
at the end of the 19th century. Historic maps also refer to both the palace and area as ''Hendaki''.
The palace's commemorative plaque was set in 1888. It was expanded with paved walkways and marble fountains by his successor
Habibullah Khan
Habibullah Khan (Pashto/ Dari: ; 3 June 1872 – 20 February 1919) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until his death in 1919. He was the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 190 ...
. It had been used at times as a state guesthouse during the 20th century, notably being the visiting residence of U.S. President
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War I ...
and Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
, and during the
communist era, was used as a government media hub. The site was heavily damaged by
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
and laid in ruins for years, before it was fully rebuilt and reopened in 2019.
Chihilsitoon is located in the outskirts of the city's urban area, just east from the
Kabul River that streams south towards
Char Asiab
Persian: چهار آسیاب ''Chahār Aasiāb''
Char Asiab, Chahar Asiab, Charasiab, Charasiah or Charasia is a town, ca. 7 miles south of Kabul in the Char Asiab District.
It was the site of the Battle of Charasiab in 1879 and the Second Ba ...
. The Chihilsitoon Road links it towards central Kabul to the north and
Darulaman to the west. Like other places of District 7, it is an unplanned area and generally poor.
Community Scorecard of Kabul Municipality 2016
Integrity Watch Afghanistan
See also
* Gardens of Babur
References
External links
Chihilsitoon Garden by Aga Khan Trust for Culture
(video Feb. 14, 2019)
Chihilsitoon Garden and Palace rehabilitation
(video Sept. 19, 2018)
Neighborhoods of Kabul
Palaces in Afghanistan
Royal residences in Afghanistan
Buildings and structures in Afghanistan
Gardens in Afghanistan
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