Afghanistan, a landlocked mountainous country, is presently shattered by terror and covered with dark clouds of destruction. Yet, it was once full of culture and at the heart of the Silk Road. Throughout history, Afghanistan has seen various invaders and conquerors and has been an ancient central point of trade and migration; consequently, Afghanistan emerged with a unique blend of culture, much of which has been damaged by the recent war climate, but still traceable in its arts and architecture.
“Urban regeneration in Afghanistan’s current turbulent environment is a complex challenge,” explained Ajmal Maiwandi, Deputy Program Manager for Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in Afghanistan. In March 2009, Maiwandi discussed the cultural conservation and rehabilitation projects currently being carried out in post-conflict Afghanistan by AKTC in four lectures held at the Dallas Museum of Art, Southern Methodist University, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The lectures were cosponsored by the Aga Khan Council and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Through its Historic Cities Program (HCP), AKTC promotes the conservation and re-use of buildings and public spaces in historic cities of the Muslim world. HCP undertakes these rehabilitation efforts in ways that can spur social, economic, and cultural development. Going beyond mere technical and physical restoration, each project serves a broader purpose in the context of its social and environmental impact, adaptive re-use, institutional sustainability, and community training. Maiwandi explained a range of conservation and urban rehabilitation projects implemented by AKTC in Kabul as he also discussed the extensive work that is currently underway in Herat.
Beginning with Kabul, Maiwandi explained the restoration of Bagh-e-Babur, the sixteenth-century 11-hectare garden where the first Mughal Emperor Babur is buried. The restored site is now jointly managed by Kabul Municipality and AKTC, and an action plan to guide development in the wider area around the garden is also underway. “Increased traffic, environmental pollution, and a shortage of safe public spaces in the city, makes this garden one of the very few places for recreation, particularly for children who are the most vulnerable,” said Maiwandi. “Educational events organized regularly throughout the restoration process have given many young people the opportunity to learn about their shared history and gain appreciation for the natural environment.”
Another significant example is the Timur Shah Mausoleum, one of the largest surviving Islamic monuments in the city. The images of the damaged dome of the Mausoleum presented by Maiwandi were quite shocking, when compared to its restored state in 2004. Following its conservation, additional work continued on reclaiming the public park that surrounded the mausoleum on the banks of the Kabul River.
“While AKTC is deeply involved in the formal support and planning of the initiatives at the institutional level, it also works directly with the local communities in which it operates,” explained Maiwandi. “Since 2002, the mayor of Kabul has changed four times, the heads of various sub-districts are regularly replaced, but the local residents of the various communities in which we work remain the same- this ensures continuity.”
Herat is another city that has seen AKTC’s involvements. The city was once home to Persians, Pushtuns, Uzbeks, Turkomans, Baluchs and Hazaras. In the fourteenth century, Herat experienced a renaissance period under the rule of Timur’s son, Shah Rukh. Though significantly destroyed by the war, foundations of many symbolic Islamic monuments have survived. AKTC has provided support for the conservation of two cisterns, several community mosques, and private houses, as well as for upgrading of the infrastructure in two quarters of the old city. Work continues on the important shrine complex of Khoja Abdullah Ansari, dating from the Timurid period and located in Gozargah, which is to the northeast of Herat.
In tracing the artistic culture of the old Afghanistan, Aga Khan Council for the Southwestern United States, in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH), also sponsored an additional lecture on March 15. ”Alexander the Great in Afghanistan: The Mythical Transformation” was presented by Dr. Michael Barry, Consultative Chairman of the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Professor at the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Dr. Barry’s lecture followed the path of Alexander the Great, the all-conquering Greek king, as he traveled through Afghanistan, where he fell in love and married a local princess, Rokhsana, in what is now northern Afghanistan.
