Must-see attractions in Afghanistan

  • People standing near Buddha in rockface.

    Buddha Niches

    Afghanistan

    The empty niches of the Buddha statues dominate the Bamiyan valley. Carved in the 6th century, the two statues, standing 38m and 55m respectively, were…

  • Afghanistan, Kabul, Kabul Museum

    Kabul Museum

    Kabul

    The Kabul Museum was once one of the greatest museums in the world. Its exhibits, ranging from Hellenistic gold coins to Buddhist statuary and Islamic…

  • Minaret of Jam - stock photo

Afghanistan

Reaching a dizzying height of 65m, the Minaret of Jam stands as a lonely sentinel at the confluence of the Hari Rud and Jam Rud rivers, the greatest surviving monument of the medieval Ghorid empire.

    Minaret of Jam

    Afghanistan

    Reaching a dizzying height of 65m, the Minaret of Jam stands as a lonely sentinel at the confluence of the Hari Rud and Jam Rud rivers, the greatest…

  • TOPSHOT - An Afghan vendor pushes a wheelbarrow after the first snowfall near the old fortress of Bala Hissar in Kabul on December 15, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR        (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

    Bala Hissar & City Walls

    Kabul

    The old seat of royal power, a fortress has stood on the site of the Bala Hissar since the 5th century AD, and quite possibly before. It sits at the foot…

  • The Friday Mosque or Masjet-eJam, built in the year 1200 by the Ghorid Sultan Ghiyasyddin on the site of an earlier 10th century mosque, Herat, Herat Province, Afghanistan, Asia

    Friday Mosque

    Afghanistan

    Over 800 hundred years old, Herat’s Friday Mosque is Afghanistan’s finest Islamic building, and one of the greatest in Central Asia. A master class in the…

  • Ancient citadel or 'Ark'.

    Herat Citadel

    Afghanistan

    Towering over the Old City, the Herat Citadel has watched over Herat’s successes and setbacks with its imposing gaze for centuries. The oldest building in…

  • Babur Gardens.

    Babur's Gardens

    Kabul

    Laid out by the Mughal ruler Babur in the early 16th century, and the site of his tomb, these gardens are the loveliest spot in Kabul. At 11 hectares,…

  • The famous white pigeons, Shrine of Hazrat Ali, Mazar-I-Sharif, Balkh province, Afghanistan, Asia

    Shrine of Hazrat Ali

    Afghanistan

    The twin blue domes of the Shrine of Hazrat Ali are one of Afghanistan’s most iconic sights, and pilgrims come from across the country to pay their…

  • Old City

    Afghanistan

    Herat's Old City, measuring approximately 1200 metres square, is the most complete traditional medieval city in Afghanistan. Four main streets branch out…

  • Gazar Gah

    Afghanistan

    This shrine is one of Afghanistan's holiest sites, dedicated to the 11th-century saint and poet Khoja Abdullah Ansari. Run by Sufis from the Qadirriyah…

  • Musalla Complex & Minarets

    Afghanistan

    The wife of Shah Rukh, Gowhar Shad, was one of the most remarkable women in Afghanistan's history. She was a great patron of the arts and commissioned…

  • Shahr-e Zohak

    Afghanistan

    The imposing ruins of Shahr-e Zohak guard the entrance to the Bamiyan valley, perched high on the cliffs at the confluence of the Bamiyan and Kalu rivers…

  • KABUL, AFGHANISTAN:  People watch two lions sitting inside the zoo in Kabul, 14 November 2005. Kabul Zoo has a collection of about 500 animals. But a decade of conflict in the 1980s, followed by years of tribal fighting around the Afghan capital, has left the zoo in shambles.    AFP PHOTO / SHAH Marai  (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP via Getty Images)

    Kabul Zoo

    Kabul

    The zoo is a popular place for Kabulis in need of recreation. Western animal lovers might find it more than a little depressing. Visitors are greeted…

  • Shahr-e Gholghola

    Afghanistan

    A 20-minute walk from Bamiyan stands the remains of Ghorid Bamiyan's last stand against the Mongol hordes. On a commanding rise, Shahr-e Gholghola was…

  • Sultani Museum

    Kabul

    This private museum in the same grounds as the National Gallery is something of a curiosity. It was set up in 2004 by Ahmad Shah Sultani, a gold trader…

  • Darya Ajdahar

    Afghanistan

    Five kilometres west of Bamiyan lies Darya Ajdahar, or Valley of the Dragon, where you'll find the petrified remains of a monstrous creature that once…

  • Omar Land Mine Museum

    Kabul

    This is a museum that only a country like Afghanistan could host. Run by the Organisation for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR), it acts as…

  • Mausoleum of Nadir Shah

    Kabul

    King Nadir Shah was assassinated in 1933, the time-honoured way that most Afghan leaders meet their fate. His monumental tomb sits overlooking east Kabul…

  • European Cemetery

    Kabul

    This cemetery was built in 1879 by the British army for the dead of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The cemetery contains around 150 graves. Most are from…

  • Nimla Gardens

    Afghanistan

    These gardens 40km from Jalalabad were laid out in 1610 by the Mughal emperor Jehangir. They follow the quartered Chahar Bagh –style of classical Mughal…

  • Ka Faroshi Bird Market

    Kabul

    Entering Kabul’s bird market is like stepping back in time a hundred years, to a corner of the city untouched by war or modernisation. Also known as the…

  • Jami's Tomb

    Afghanistan

    Mawlana Abdur Rahman Jami was Herat’s greatest poet and one of the greatest Sufi poets who wrote in Persian. He was a regular at the court of Sultan…

  • Ruined City of Balkh

    Afghanistan

    Once comparable to Babylon in splendour and size, the remains of the ancient city of Balkh still offer glimpses of a magnificent Afghani history.

  • National Archive

    Kabul

    Holding over 15,000 documents, the National Archive is housed in a palace built at the end of the 19th century by Abdur Rahman Khan for his son. …

  • Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque

    Kabul

    Called the 'Mosque of the King of Two Swords', the Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque on Kabul river must be one of the most unusual in Islam. Built in the 1920s…

  • Mausoleum of Gowhar Shad

    Afghanistan

    The Mausoleum of Gowhar Shad sits in a small park, currently undergoing extensive replanting. It’s a textbook example of Timurid architecture, with its…

  • Takht-e Safar

    Afghanistan

    Spread across a hill 5km north of Herat, Takht-e Safar is a popular place for picnics. Built as a pleasure garden for Sultan Baiqara in the 14th century,…

  • Mosque of the Sacred Cloak

    Afghanistan

    A cloak worn by the Prophet Mohammed is housed in the Mosque of the Sacred Cloak, by far the city’s most valued treasure. The mosque is situated opposite…

  • Shahzada Abdullah

    Afghanistan

    Two shrines sit on the main road just south of the Musalla Complex. Built in the late 15th century, they contain the tombs of two princes, Abdullah and…

  • Bibi Mahru Hill

    Kabul

    Also called Teppe Bemaru, the low Bibi Mahru Hill overlooks Wazir Akbar Khan. It's popular with some expats living in the district for walking, and has…

  • National Gallery

    Kabul

    The National Gallery contains a mix of historic pictures and paintings by modern Afghan artists. Like Kabul’s other cultural institutions, it didn’t…

  • The Forty Steps

    Afghanistan

    One kilometre west of Dand Chowk nestled in a rocky outcrop above the city are The Forty Steps, which are visible from most of Shah-e-Nau. The steps will…

  • Baba Wali Shrine

    Afghanistan

    Sitting on the banks of the Arghandab River is the Baba Wali Shrine, also known as Baba Sahib by Kandaharis. Gul Agha Sherzai, the twice-former Governor…

  • Mausoleum of Timur Shah

    Kabul

    Timur Shah was the first to make Kabul the capital of a unified kingdom. He died in 1793, but it was another 23 years before his mausoleum was built,…

  • Eid Gah Mosque

    Afghanistan

    One of the largest mosques in Afghanistan, Kandahar's Eid Gah Mosque stands at nearly 25m adjacent to the dilapidated Kandahar University. The mosque and…

  • Pul-e Malan

    Afghanistan

    This fine old 22-arched bridge is a few kilometres south of the city, visible from the road when driving from the airport. Believed to have been…

  • Seraj-ul Emorat Gardens

    Afghanistan

    The Seraj-ul Emorat Gardens are named for the palace of King Habibullah (‘Building of Light’), built in the confines of the garden in 1910. The palace was…

  • Mausoleum of Abdur Rahman Khan

    Kabul

    The tomb of the 'Iron Amir' sits in Zarnegar Park. Originally a palace, the building has a bulbous red dome atop a whitewashed drum, and fussy decorative…

  • Zarnegar Khana

    Afghanistan

    The Zarnegar Khana was built during Sultan Baiqara's time, it is a retreat for the shrine's Sufi adherents, who hold their zikr rituals inside. The…

  • Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet

    Afghanistan

    Although a little harder to find than the cloak, make sure you make the trip to Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet near Chowk-e Charso in the Old City to…