{"id":4855,"date":"2015-06-21T11:14:33","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T10:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=4855"},"modified":"2015-06-21T11:17:37","modified_gmt":"2015-06-21T10:17:37","slug":"kabuls-historic-bagh-e-babur-gardens-an-oasis-of-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/kabuls-historic-bagh-e-babur-gardens-an-oasis-of-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Kabul\u2019s historic Bagh-e Babur gardens: An oasis of peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kabuls<\/a>Kabul\u2019s historic Bagh-e Babur gardens are one of the few remaining vestiges of serenity in a city awash with snipers, checkpoints and post-traumatic stress.
\nLaid out in the 16th century by the Mughal emperor Babur and restored after the 2001 US-led invasion and fall of the Taliban, they have become a magnet for culture and art aficionados.
\nThe 11-hectare (27-acre) gardens have emerged as an attractive venue for plays and Western-Eastern music concerts in a city with ever-shrinking space for cultural activities.
\n\u201cWe come here with our friends together for picnics and to pass the time. We enjoy coming here often,\u201d said Barakatullah, a construction company employee.
\nAfter 30 years of conflict, the gardens are an unexpected sight in the heart of Kabul.
\n\u201cAfghans have suffered a lot in the past. It\u2019s good to come here and take a break from studies and it\u2019s also refreshing to see the greenery,\u201d said Mohammad Ismail, a 20-year-old university student.
\nThe Babur gardens were heavily damaged during 1990s conflict when many trees and buildings were completely destroyed, said Ajmal Maiwandi from the Aga Khan Foundation.
\nA key challenge was to de-mine the site. \u201cSince this was the front line between warring factions, there was much ordinance and many mines and many other types of explosives that needed to be discovered,\u201d he said.
\nBut in Kabul, cultural centres are perceived as soft targets for militants, meaning there is a heavy security presence.
\n\u201cThere are soldiers guarding the main gate,\u201d said 12-year-old school pupil Milad.
\n\u201cThey do body searches, so it\u2019s really difficult for a suicide bomber to get in the garden.\u201d
\nDespite park-goers\u2019 confidence, a string of attacks on public venues, particularly those where foreigners congregate, have fueled fears of encroaching violence.
\nIn mid-May, 14 people were killed in an attack on a Kabul guest house that targeted dozens attending a concert. And just on Thursday, militants waged an all all-night battle with security forces who thwarted their plans to storm another guesthouse.
\nAnd as the Taliban step up their spring offensive, fears are stoked once again for this haven of tranquility in a troubled city.<\/p>\n

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