The Kabul city wall presents an
interesting hike to see a side of Kabul not often visited by outsiders in the past 30 years. I went with an Afghan American friend. Where the wall reaches down to the road between Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza Mountain and Antenna Mountain it is too steep to hike, rock climb perhaps but not hike. So to begin the hike we drove up some very steep dirt roads through poorer neighborhoods. We stopped at a small fortification with two cannon that used to fire to signal noon. This spot has an impressive view of Babur’s garden and mausoleum. Babur founded the Mughal Dynasty in the 16th century and loved Kabul. The road ends perhaps half way up the flank of Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza. From there we sent our driver to the other side of the mountain, 
near the city cemetery. We quickly worked past the last few mud brick dwellings. The people who live this far up the mountain have no running water or power. Water is generally brought up by donkey as few of these residents own cars. Mud brick outhouses sit 20 or 30 feet from the dwellings. Looking at these neighborhoods and the steepness of the streets I was glad it was summer and not the snowy winter or very wet spring. This would be a real challenge to navigate in poor weather.
The wall on this steeper side of the mountain is not much more than a jumble of rocks for much of its length. As we worked our way higher up the ridge line the wall is in better condition. During one rest stop three young boys walked past us, ignoring our
presence as if we were part of the landscape. This is a wonderful hike to view Kabul from above. Despite the ever present haze I was able to take a number of good photos of the city. The summit of the mountain has a small fortification built into the wall. My friend told me this dated from the civil war and was not part of the original wall.
The wall itself is an impressive feat of engineering. Built 1,100 years ago the base looks to be dry rock (no mortar). The Afghans to this day build amazing dry rock walls. It’s a skill largely lost in Europe and America. Sections of the wall sti
ll have intact ramparts, these being built of mud brick, plastered over. The best of these sections overlook the city cemetery. The brick, mortar and plaster are of a much higher quality than I’ve seen elsewhere in Afghanistan. These sections have withstood 1,100 years of snow, rain and wind. To the touch they feel like rock, not hardened mud. These sections of the wall still have downward openings for defensive fire.
The view on ridgeline that slopes toward Bala Hissar (the 5th century Fortress) is dominated by the huge city cemetery and marshes. Like far too many cemeteries in Afghanistan it is festooned with flags. These flags, mostly green are placed above the graves of martyrs.
In a country that has seen more than 30 years of continuous fighting there has been no shortage of martyrs.
As we walked past the highest house on the slope a small girl ran out. Perhaps 5 years old she tried to sell us a small piece of beadwork. She was very cute and had light hair and green eyes but her hands were covered with numerous warts. My friend gave her a few Afghani’s and sent her home. She flew the 100 meters or so to the house and immediately her older sister, perhaps 8, ran toward us. She wore a beautiful blue dress and had the same light hair and green eyes. A few more Afghani’s and admonishment not to send any other siblings and we continued
on our way.
When we reached the edge of Bala Hissar it was time to work down through another neighborhood toward the cemetery and our ride. The paths were amazingly steep again. The smell of feces and livestock hung in the air. As we walked down a family with two donkeys was heading up with bags of rice. This is not an easy life.
interesting hike to see a side of Kabul not often visited by outsiders in the past 30 years. I went with an Afghan American friend. Where the wall reaches down to the road between Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza Mountain and Antenna Mountain it is too steep to hike, rock climb perhaps but not hike. So to begin the hike we drove up some very steep dirt roads through poorer neighborhoods. We stopped at a small fortification with two cannon that used to fire to signal noon. This spot has an impressive view of Babur’s garden and mausoleum. Babur founded the Mughal Dynasty in the 16th century and loved Kabul. The road ends perhaps half way up the flank of Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza. From there we sent our driver to the other side of the mountain, 
near the city cemetery. We quickly worked past the last few mud brick dwellings. The people who live this far up the mountain have no running water or power. Water is generally brought up by donkey as few of these residents own cars. Mud brick outhouses sit 20 or 30 feet from the dwellings. Looking at these neighborhoods and the steepness of the streets I was glad it was summer and not the snowy winter or very wet spring. This would be a real challenge to navigate in poor weather.The wall on this steeper side of the mountain is not much more than a jumble of rocks for much of its length. As we worked our way higher up the ridge line the wall is in better condition. During one rest stop three young boys walked past us, ignoring our
presence as if we were part of the landscape. This is a wonderful hike to view Kabul from above. Despite the ever present haze I was able to take a number of good photos of the city. The summit of the mountain has a small fortification built into the wall. My friend told me this dated from the civil war and was not part of the original wall.The wall itself is an impressive feat of engineering. Built 1,100 years ago the base looks to be dry rock (no mortar). The Afghans to this day build amazing dry rock walls. It’s a skill largely lost in Europe and America. Sections of the wall sti
ll have intact ramparts, these being built of mud brick, plastered over. The best of these sections overlook the city cemetery. The brick, mortar and plaster are of a much higher quality than I’ve seen elsewhere in Afghanistan. These sections have withstood 1,100 years of snow, rain and wind. To the touch they feel like rock, not hardened mud. These sections of the wall still have downward openings for defensive fire.The view on ridgeline that slopes toward Bala Hissar (the 5th century Fortress) is dominated by the huge city cemetery and marshes. Like far too many cemeteries in Afghanistan it is festooned with flags. These flags, mostly green are placed above the graves of martyrs.
In a country that has seen more than 30 years of continuous fighting there has been no shortage of martyrs.As we walked past the highest house on the slope a small girl ran out. Perhaps 5 years old she tried to sell us a small piece of beadwork. She was very cute and had light hair and green eyes but her hands were covered with numerous warts. My friend gave her a few Afghani’s and sent her home. She flew the 100 meters or so to the house and immediately her older sister, perhaps 8, ran toward us. She wore a beautiful blue dress and had the same light hair and green eyes. A few more Afghani’s and admonishment not to send any other siblings and we continued
on our way.When we reached the edge of Bala Hissar it was time to work down through another neighborhood toward the cemetery and our ride. The paths were amazingly steep again. The smell of feces and livestock hung in the air. As we walked down a family with two donkeys was heading up with bags of rice. This is not an easy life.
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