Aga Khan Trust for Culture Conserves Kabul’s Bala Hissar Fortress

Kabul’s crumbling Bala Hissar fortress is undergoing a yearslong conservation project by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to transform the historic site into a public archaeological park with landscaped gardens, restaurants, and a museum, Yahoo reported.

Perched high above the southern edge of Kabul’s old city, the ancient fortress has endured centuries of invasions, uprisings, and conflicts. Excavations across five separate trenches are uncovering an astonishing wealth of finds, ranging from ancient coins and fragments of Buddhist statues to glazed Islamic ceramics and oil lamps.

Archaeologist Babak Rafiei-Alavi described the unearthings by stating, We never thought we would find so much. Rafiei-Alavi added, It’s like a submarine coming out of the ocean.

Mustafa Nouri, project manager for Aga Khan Cultural Services, explained that the location was part of a string of pearls of cultural and human settlements connecting the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia. Through the ages, the site has served as a fortress, palace complex, arsenal, administrative center, prison, and military garrison. Nouri noted that Bala Hissar embodies every stage of Afghan history until the American presence and the post-American presence.

The fortress suffered heavy destruction throughout the centuries, notably when British troops avenged the 1879 killing of British envoy Sir Louis Cavagnari and his entourage inside the complex, according to Yahoo and The Seattle Times.

Decades of neglect and modern conflicts have left defensive walls crumbling and scattered with the hulks of rusting Soviet tanks. Rafiei-Alavi stated that parts of the site within the walls were leveled off in 2008 by U.S. forces who destroyed many archaeological layers.

Planning for the conservation project began in 2017, with physical work starting the following year. Although the French Archaeological Delegation temporarily halted its involvement after the Taliban seized power in 2021, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture continued operations and carried out its most extensive work starting in 2022.

Ministry of Information and Culture spokesperson Khubaib Ghufran stated that the current government is committed to preserving the country's ancient sites, unlike the previous Taliban rule. Ghufran noted, We recognize the importance of preserving the country’s ancient sites.