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underground storage. Evidence of trenches from previous trench warfare encircles the upper most level of the hilltop, which is adorned with an Afghan flag. Wild dogs roam all over the hillside and a company from the Afghan Army is posted at the site. U.S. military and civilians occupied a site below the fortress during
Operation Enduring Freedom. The occupants were warned when going up to the castle, to stay on the heavily used paths to avoid mines laid during the Soviet occupation.
65:. The estimated date of construction is around the 5th century AD. Bala Hissar sits to the south of the modern city centre at the tail end of the Kuh-e-Sherdarwaza Mountain. The Walls of Kabul, which are 20 feet (6.1 m) high and 12 feet (3.7 m) thick, start at the fortress and follow the mountain ridge in a sweeping curve down to the river. It sports a set of gates for access to the fortress. The Kōh-e Shēr Darwāzah (lion door) mountain is behind the fort. It was
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When looking at the outer wall of the main fortress, it is possible to see layers of building materials from years of destruction and re-fortification. The tanks and other war wreckage from the last 30 years are strewn about the top of the hillside. Much of the hillside is built up on tunnels and
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had wanted to demolish the fortress completely, but in the end it was strengthened and fortified in the Spring of 1880, a few months before the
British left Afghanistan. Roberts ordered the levelling of several Mughal and Durrani-era structures in the fortress, and consequently very little of their
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coins have been recovered in its vicinity, indicating settlements in the area from at least the 6th century CE. Usage of the site as a citadel has been dated to a period as early as the 5th century; however, minimal evidence exists regarding its precise history.
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was murdered inside the fort in
September 1879 triggering a general uprising and the second phase of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. It was damaged during the Second Anglo-Afghan War when the British Residency was burned down, then later when the armoury exploded.
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came to power in 1773. Upon shifting the
Durrani capital to Kabul, Timur occupied the fortress and rebuilt a palace within, and used the upper part of the fortress as a state prison and arsenal. His successor
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Bala Hissar was originally divided into two parts: The lower fortress, containing the stables, barracks and three royal palaces, and the upper fortress (the actual fort with the name Bala Hissar) housing the
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Before the
Taliban takeover it was manned by the 55th Division of the Afghan National Army and one can see the remnants of tanks and heavy weapons positioned on the fortress remains overlooking Kabul.
176:, Shah Jahan's successor, built a mosque within the fortress. Under the Mughals, the site developed into a notable palace-fortress, comparable in size to those at the Mughal capitals of
168:, prior to his accession, built himself quarters within the fortress that earned the admiration of Jahangir. As emperor, Shah Jahan later resided in the Bala Hissar during his
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On 2 February 2021, the Afghan Acting
Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammad Tahir Zuhair, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the
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was organized by anti-government groups, but it was suppressed and tens of people were arrested and executed by the regime.
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Bala Hissar once again became the focal point of conflict between factions during the Afghan civil war in 1994, between
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further developed the fortress. The structures erected by the
Durranis replaced many earlier Mughal constructions.
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succeeded his father and consolidated his rule over Kabul, the Bala Hissar became the primary residence of the
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After the
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The fortress ceased to serve any imperial functions when it was completely abandoned in the 1890s.
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As Kabul's principal fortress, Bala Hissar was the stage for several pivotal events in both the
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demolished several structures within the fortress and built new palaces, audience halls, and a
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The Bala Hissar of Kabul : revealing a fortress-palace in
Afghanistan / by C.W. Woodburn
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Caption for
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57:) was an ancient fortress located in the south of the old city of
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548:"India helps Afghanistan Renovate Kabul's Bala Hissar Fort"
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Gascoigne, Alison L.; Thomas, David; Kidd, Fiona (2013).
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Evidence of notable activity at the site begins with the
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The origins of the Bala Hissar fortress are obscure. Pre-
422:. University of Arizona Libraries. 2009. pp. 3–4.
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has pledged approximately $ 1 million to the project.
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forces. Much of the fortress was damaged as a result.
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of Kabul, known as the "Black Pit" (the Siyah Chal).
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108:Bala Hissar from an album compiled during the
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211:(1878–1880). The British envoy to Kabul, Sir
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575:The British & the Bala Hissar in 1879
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441:Woodburn, Bill; Templeton, Ian (2012).
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391:"KABUL v. MONUMENTS OF KABUL CITY"
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274:Bala Hissar and cemetery below
23:Fortress in Kabul, Afghanistan
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288:Aga Khan Development Network
30:Upper Bala Hissar from west
18:Bala Hissar (disambiguation)
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983:Military history of Kabul
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170:campaigns in Central Asia
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209:Second Anglo-Afghan Wars
164:. His son and successor
96:, the last ruler of the
67:destroyed by the British
244:On August 5, 1979, the
110:Second Anglo-Afghan War
902:InterContinental Hotel
320:Retrieved 28 May 2012.
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598:34.50556°N 69.19167°E
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988:Forts in Afghanistan
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16:For other uses, see
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857:Presidential Palace
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447:The Court Historian
120:pottery as well as
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603:34.50556; 69.19167
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836:Shakar Dara
776:Qalai Naeem
601: /
257:Hekmatyar's
152:Kabul Subah
63:Afghanistan
39:Bala Hissar
972:Categories
739:Shakardara
679:Char Asiab
589:69°11′30″E
586:34°30′20″N
557:2021-03-07
533:2021-03-07
508:2021-03-07
345:(1): 151.
298:References
166:Shah Jahan
126:Achaemenid
122:Indo-Greek
850:Landmarks
831:Qara Bagh
666:Districts
475:159547338
467:1462-9712
367:126532607
359:0578-6967
253:Massoud's
174:Aurangzeb
69:in 1880.
52:High Fort
781:Tarakhel
734:Qarabagh
684:Deh Sabz
528:ThePrint
399:Archived
220:officer
191:, until
189:Durranis
161:charbagh
156:Jahangir
147:subahdar
77:and the
826:Paghman
821:Mussahi
806:Kalakan
796:Istalif
791:Guldara
771:Bagrami
729:Paghman
724:Mussahi
709:Kalakan
699:Istalif
694:Guldara
674:Bagrami
653:Capital
134:Mughals
85:History
79:dungeon
46:
34:in 1879
841:Surobi
763:Cities
744:Surobi
473:
465:
365:
357:
182:Lahore
118:Kushan
75:armory
801:Kabul
704:Kabul
689:Farza
658:Kabul
471:S2CID
363:S2CID
292:India
205:First
142:Akbar
138:Babur
59:Kabul
32:Kabul
463:ISSN
355:ISSN
339:Iran
310:The
255:and
180:and
178:Agra
124:and
43:lit.
455:doi
424:doi
347:doi
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