Paghman (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...

: پغمان) is a town in the hills near

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 ...

's capital of

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 ...

. It is the seat of the

Paghman District Paghman District is in the western part of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. It has a population of over 120,000 people (2002 official UNHCR est.). Paghman district borders Wardak and Parwan provinces to the west, Shakardara District to the north, Ka ...

(in the western part of

Kabul Province Kabul (Persian: ), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul city, which is also Afghanistan's capital and largest city. The population of the Kabul Province is ...

) which has a population of about 120,000 (2002 official

UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrat ...

est.), mainly

Tajiks Tajiks ( fa, تاجيک، تاجک, ''Tājīk, Tājek''; tg, Тоҷик) are a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Tajiks are the largest ethnicity in Taj ...

and

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...

. The gardens of Paghman is a major tourist attraction, and is why the city is also known as the garden capital of Afghanistan.

History

20th century

After King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi Amanullah Khan ( Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1 ...

and Queen

Soraya Tarzi Soraya Tarzi (Pashto/Dari: ملکه ثريا; November 24, 1899 – April 20, 1968) was the first queen consort of Afghanistan as the wife of King Amanullah Khan. She played a major part in the modernization reforms of Amanullah Khan, particula ...

's return from Europe in 1928, Amanullah brought in foreign experts to redesign Kabul. At that time, at the entrance of Paghman, they created a European-style monumental gate similar to but smaller than the Arc de Triomphe in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France, called the

Taq-e Zafar The Taq-e Zafar (Persian: طاق ظفر, English: Arch of Victory) is a triumphal arch located at the front of the gardens in Paghman, Afghanistan. The famous victory arch commemorates Afghan independence after the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 191 ...

( fa, طاق ظفر ''Arch of Victory''). Originally a small village at the bottom of the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...

, Paghman turned into a holiday retreat with villas and chalets as well as the summer capital. Its wide avenues contained fir, poplar and

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...

trees which flew past the arch, villas and a golf course. It was a popular place for the wealthy and the

aristocrats Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

to visit. The new royal gardens were opened to the public under the proviso—as a matter of reform—that western dress was adopted there, as in the royal residential areas of nearby Kabul. On September 1, 1928, King Amanullah convoked the

Loya Jirga A jirga ( ps, جرګه, ''jərga'') is an assembly of leaders that makes decisions by consensus according to Pashtunwali, the Pashtun social code. It is conducted in order to settle disputes among the Pashtuns, but also by members of other ethnic ...

to Paghman to the puzzlement of many delegates, who found themselves at odds with the dress-code. On September 7, 1928, the Hazrat of Shor Bazaar—an influential political figure in Kabul—presented the king with a petition signed by some 400 religious leaders opposing many of Amanullah's reforms. This action led to the arrest of the Hazrat, the execution of some of his followers and finally the rebellion of 1929 led by Ameer Habibullah Kalakani , that overthrew the king. The gardens eventually became a popular place for local and foreign tourists. Wealthy Kabulites owned summer homes there who employed servants and maids. During the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Sovie ...

in the 1980s, Paghman was a major battleground and it suffered from bombardment from both the Soviet-backed government and the mujahideen rebels. Most buildings were destroyed and residents had fled. Little remained of the prosperous Gardens, save for the remains of the Arc de Triomphe style arch, which has had its top blown off.

21st century

Following the formation of the

Karzai administration 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 Repu ...

, the Arch was reconstructed and was completed by May 2005. Other damaged parts of the former Gardens were also rebuilt. It once again became a popular touristic site, and is popular with residents of Kabul. There was further development in the 2010s. In 2012, 1,000 families in the Paghman district received electricity. The power was distributed to families in the Pracha village of Pashaee valley after the installation of three 1,000 kilovolt

transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

s. The electricity was supplied to people from the Mahipar Dam in the Surobi district at the cost of 35 million AFN (US$622,443). In 2014, a newly built palace, the

Paghman Hill Castle Paghman Hill Castle, also known as Paghman Palace ( ps, د پغمان ماڼۍ), is located in the town of Paghman in Afghanistan, next to the city of Kabul. The site opened to the public in 2014 and is visited by many tourists, especially during ...

, was opened to the public. The palace's surroundings also consists of thousands of newly planted trees as well as a Buzkashi field, a waterfall and other attractions. The palace's interior is decorated with traditional handmade Afghan carpets and other traditional material. It was planned to be used for major festivals.

Geography

The Paghman area is greener compared to many other parts of the region, and also has fruit trees. It is located at the foot of the

mountain range. The Afghanodon salamander is Endemism, endemic to Paghman. The Kabul River, the only large river in the Kabul province, is fed by springs and snow-melt runoffs from Paghman. There is also a canal system, in need of repair, which extends from Paghman to Tapa. There are several villages in the district, including Khaldari, Bektoot, Adam Khel Kala, Hatam Kala, Seeno Kala, Mullah Khel Kala, Muhabbat Khan Kala, Lachi Khel Kala, and Pajakk Tappa.

Climate

Paghman has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification ''Dsb''). The average temperature for the year in Paghman is . The warmest month on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .

Economy

Agriculture, labour work, animal husbandry and employment in

are the major sources of income.

Notable natives

The locality was traditionally the family seat of the Paghman saadat most noted for its famous descendant Idries Shah. Prominent Paghman natives include some leaders of Loya Jirga, Loya Jirgas, tribal chiefs, a president, and one king. * King

- Known as a reformist, Amanullah Khan ruled Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929. * PDPA General Secretary Hafizullah Amin - Hafizullah Amin was the second leader of People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), after he murdered Nur Muhammad Taraki during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. * Abdullah Wardak, the late governor of Logar Province, was assassinated in an attack by the Taliban on his motorcade near Paghman in September, 2008. * Sayed Omer Muneeb, was the minister of higher education between 1992 and 1996. He was a lecturer at Kabul University and also served as a member of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.

Sister cities

* Alice Springs, Australia, since January 2005 after joining Sister Cities International.

Gallery

NO-NB BLDSA GM2a320n.jpg, Mosque in Paghman, 1924 NO-NB BLDSA GM2a318n.jpg, The valley beyond Paghman, 1924 NO-NB BLDSA GM2a322n.jpg, A brass band in Paghman, 1924 Paghman garden stone.jpg, A stone in one of the gardens Paghman garden fountain.jpg, A fountain in one of the gardens Paghman gardens.jpg, Monument Paghman monument.jpg, Monument Script-of-Arch-de-Triumph.jpg, The wall of the Victory Arch Pagman arch - 08-12-2008.jpg, An ISAF soldier standing by the ruins of the Victory Arch in 2004, before its renovation Paghman2.jpg, The historic mosque and memorandum after being destroyed by the war Emblem of Amanullah khan.jpg, Emblem of King

Paghman - panoramio.jpg, Localler selling Afghan bread in the market

References

Citations

Sources

* Leon B. Poullada: "Reform and Rebellion in Afghanistan, 1919-1929 -King Amanullah's failure to modernize a tribal society" Cornell University Press/Ithaca and London 1973 * Saira Shah: "The Storytellers Daughter" Michael Joseph ed. 2003

External links

*
Paghman (video)
(Pajhwok Afghan News, Nov. 17, 2019)
Paghman Gardens (video)
{{Authority control Populated places in Kabul Province Parks in Kabul Geography of Kabul Province Protected areas established in 1928 1928 establishments in Afghanistan Palaces in Afghanistan Royal residences in Afghanistan